Shout! Studios documentary Woman in Motion, which focuses on Star Trek actor Nichelle Nichols and her involvement with the United States’ space program, debuted on demand back in February — but will hit wide streaming availability this summer.
Set to live exclusively on the Paramount+ streaming service beginning Thursday, June 3, the film documents through new interviews and archival footage how Nichols worked with NASA to help recruit the first female and persons of color members of the USA’s space program.
WOMAN IN MOTION: NICHELLE NICHOLS, STAR TREK AND THE REMAKING OF NASA features the remarkable and inspiring true story of how renowned “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols pioneered the NASA recruiting program to hire people of color and the first female astronauts for the space agency in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Directed by Todd Thompson (“The Highwaymen,” “PRE FAB!”), WOMAN IN MOTION chronicles how Nichols transformed her sci-fi television stardom into a real-life science career when, in 1977, she embarked on a campaign to bring diversity to NASA. Nichols formed the company Women In Motion, Inc. and recruited more than 8,000 African American, Asian and Latino women and men for the agency.
Nichols and her program continue to influence the younger generation of astronauts as well, including Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut in space. Despite an uphill battle against a bureaucracy that was hesitant to let her get involved, Nichols persevered and is credited by NASA for turning it into one of the most diverse independent agencies in the United States Federal Government.
In addition to Nichols, WOMAN IN MOTION features notable celebrities, activists, scientists and astronauts including Neil deGrasse Tyson, George Takei, Pharrell Williams, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Vivica A. Fox, Water Koenig, Rod Roddenberry, Michael Dorn, Guy Bluford, Charles Bolden, Ivor Dawson, Frederik Gregory and Benjamin Crump.
As of this writing, the film also seems to be available to stream directly on ShoutFactoryTV’s website, if you can’t wait until the June Paramount+ release.
If you’ve seen the film already, let us know your thoughts about it in the comments below!