Each year the White House grants Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to American culture. STAR TREK'S surviving original cast members, William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), George Takei (Mr. Sulu), Walter Koneig (Mr. Chekov), and Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), are very deserving of this honor. STAR TREK premiered in 1966 and has become an unparalleled phenomenon, continuing to spawn motion pictures and television spin-offs. At the time of its release the series was not only groundbreaking as science fiction entertainment, but also socially, promoting racial equality in a time when it was still a new idea. Nichols played television's first African American female in a significant role. Takei played an Asian American role that was free of stereotype.
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