Nyota Uhura (/niˈoʊtə ʊˈhʊrə/) is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. In the original TV series, the character was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols who later reprised the role for the first six Star Trek feature films. Since 2009, Uhura has been portrayed by actress Zoe Saldana. Uhura is a translator and communications officer who specializes in linguistics, cryptography, and philology. She was an important part of the original series' multicultural crew and one of the first black characters to be portrayed in a non-menial role on an American television series.