Heartland: 'Woman in Motion'

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By Bob Bloom

“Woman in Motion” is a flattering documentary that lauds the important contribution made by dancer-singer-actor Nichelle Nichols in pushing NASA to be more inclusive and open the space program to minorities and women — both on the ground and the cosmos.

The first part of the movie traces Nichols’ career from dancing and singing with Duke Ellington’s orchestra to her first TV appearances and her iconic role as Lt. Uhura on “Star Trek.”

Director Tedd Thompson utilizes footage from another documentary about Nichols, “Beyond Uhura,” as well as interviews with her costars George Takei and Walter Koenig, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. John Lewis, Neil deGrasse Tyson and various NASA officials and astronauts.

The turning point for Nichols’ involvement with NASA was her introduction to Dr. Jesco Von Puttkamer, director of science at NASA, at one of the early “Star Trek” conventions. They discussed making NASA more accepting, but, at the time, the agency was still a “good ol’ boys” club.

In 1977, Nichols, who had begun her own public-relations campaign to convince NASA to recruit women and minorities, was invited to speak at the National Science of Institute.

In attendance were some NASA officials who, after her talk, approached Nichols about helping the agency in recruitment. She asked them two questions: “What’s in it for me?” and “Where are my people?” Those queries, she said, were asking if the agency was taking her actions seriously or were just trying to appease her.

Later, after she was invited to NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., the agency promised to support her recruitment efforts.

At the time, NASA was changing direction. Because the space-shuttle program was more complex, the agency needed more than pilots; it required doctors, physicists and scientists from other fields to join NASA.

Agency officials admitted to Nichols that they were not getting minority applicants, so they hired her to help recruit them. She agreed, telling its leaders that if they were simply giving her lip-service she would file a class-action suit against NASA and take her case to Congress.

She embarked on a four-month recruitment drive to universities and conferences, working to convince women and minority candidates of NASA’s serious intentions.

Before her campaign, the agency had received 1,500 applications, of which fewer than 100 were women and only 35 were minorities. After her efforts, the agency had 8,000 applicants, of which 1,649 were women and more than 1,000 were minorities.

Many of the women and minorities who went on to join the space agency credit Nichols for launching their careers.

“Woman in Motion” also looks at Nichols’ involvement with the STEM outreach program —promoting science, technology, engineering and math to schoolchildren in hopes they would consider NASA-related careers.

The documentary is more a celebration of Nichols and her devotion to NASA. It is not an objective film. It almost plays like a promotional or recruitment feature for the agency.

But that is not a negative, as — even today — Nichols is seen as one of the biggest proponents of the agency and its mission.

“Woman in Motion” serves two purposes — both admirable: spotlighting Nichols dedication and showing how NASA has evolved and become an all-encompassing force to unite all people.

It is an inspiring look at how one woman went where no one had gone before.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

WOMAN IN MOTION 3 stars out of 4 Not rated