Uhura was one of the first black women to be shown in a lead role and she was amazing!  The name Uhura comes from the Swahili word for freedom and her first name (although not known for many years) was Nyota which means star.  Michelle Nicholls who played Uhura was going to leave the show in 1967 but changed her mind after talking to Martin Luther King who told her 'Don't you understand for the first time we're seen as we should be seen. You don't have a Black role. You have an equal role' Star Trek really was ground breaking in so many ways.