Whoopi Wants in on Star Trek | StarTalk

Not until Lieutenant Uhura do we even appear in the future. Right, right? You know, now Jean Roddenberry didn't realize how big a deal this was, 'cause he didn't realize that we didn't appear anywhere. The social impact of it, again, he's just doing it because it seems like the right thing, because it's the right thing to do.

So when uh Lavar comes to my house, I said, "What are you doing?" He says, "Yeah, I'm getting ready to do Star Trek." I was like, "Dude, I want in! I want to do." He's like, "I'll tell them." I said, "Okay, I said set up a lunch for me and Rick Berman and Jean." So they do.

And Jean says, "So you want to do Star Trek?" I said, "Yeah, you don't understand, this was a huge part of my life. This was a huge part of my life because as a kid who loves science fiction, it wasn't until Lieutenant Uhura did I realize that I was in the future, that you were allowed in the future." He said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Jean, if you look at science fiction movies that predate Star Trek, there are no people of color anywhere."

He was like, "I don't think I knew that." I said, "Well, you know now. So I would like to uphold that tradition because we know that we're in the future, the tradition set up by Lieutenant Uhura, that there is someone else of color." Now you got Lavar, so my God, you might put two of us on the ship, and I know that's probably unusual, but I'd love to do it.

He said, "All right," so he created Guinan. I may be the last creature he created. Wow, great story. That is awesome.