Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In the Original Series episode, a strange probe called Nomad murders Scotty and completely erases Lt. Uhura's memories and knowledge. Scotty is brought back to life. Uhura is left to be "re-educated" and nothing more.
With the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ("Children of the Comet") focusing so heavily on Cadet Uhura (played by Celia Rose Gooding), I thought it would be a good time to look back on this episode from 1967 (written by John Meredyth Lucas and directed by Marc Daniels).
"The Changeling" summary from Memory Alpha:
The Enterprise finds an ancient interstellar probe from Earth, missing for 265 years, which has somehow mutated into a powerful and intelligent machine sterilizing entire populations that do not meet its standards of perfection.
More Context:
Nomad (voiced by Vic Perrin) believes Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) to be its creator, though this is obviously false. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) learns that this probe was launched from Earth in the early 2000s, and its creator was Jackson Roykirk, but Nomad's memory bank was severely damaged in the accident that Earth believed destroyed the probe.
Hmm, memory being erased... sounds an awful lot like what the machine does to Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). What should have been a dramatic and serious plot point is reduced to little more than a joke as Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) teach Uhura how to read again.
At the end of this video, I pitch an idea for a Short Trek (a short episode of Star Trek produced on Paramount Plus) that could delve into the effects of having Uhura's entire life experiences stripped away. The plot could involve Celia Rose Gooding, Ethan Peck, and Jess Bush reprising the roles they play in Strange New Worlds (a prequel series set during the five year mission of Captain Pike) and casting a new actor to play Bones.
#StarTrek #Uhura #TOS
In the Original Series episode, a strange probe called Nomad murders Scotty and completely erases Lt. Uhura's memories and knowledge. Scotty is brought back to life. Uhura is left to be "re-educated" and nothing more.
With the latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ("Children of the Comet") focusing so heavily on Cadet Uhura (played by Celia Rose Gooding), I thought it would be a good time to look back on this episode from 1967 (written by John Meredyth Lucas and directed by Marc Daniels).
"The Changeling" summary from Memory Alpha:
The Enterprise finds an ancient interstellar probe from Earth, missing for 265 years, which has somehow mutated into a powerful and intelligent machine sterilizing entire populations that do not meet its standards of perfection.
More Context:
Nomad (voiced by Vic Perrin) believes Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) to be its creator, though this is obviously false. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) learns that this probe was launched from Earth in the early 2000s, and its creator was Jackson Roykirk, but Nomad's memory bank was severely damaged in the accident that Earth believed destroyed the probe.
Hmm, memory being erased... sounds an awful lot like what the machine does to Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). What should have been a dramatic and serious plot point is reduced to little more than a joke as Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) teach Uhura how to read again.
At the end of this video, I pitch an idea for a Short Trek (a short episode of Star Trek produced on Paramount Plus) that could delve into the effects of having Uhura's entire life experiences stripped away. The plot could involve Celia Rose Gooding, Ethan Peck, and Jess Bush reprising the roles they play in Strange New Worlds (a prequel series set during the five year mission of Captain Pike) and casting a new actor to play Bones.
#StarTrek #Uhura #TOS
