Martin Luther King Jr. considered himself a "Trekkie" and persuaded
Nichelle Nichols not to quit her role as Lt. Uhura.

Martin Luther King Jr was a Star Trek fan; in fact, actress Nichelle
Nichols, who played the character Lieutenant Uhura on the television
series, was going to quit the show until King convinced her to stay.
Nichols was considered to be symbolic of civil rights movement for
portraying an African American woman in a leadership role on television.