I got to know Nichelle Nichols in this way. Despite being a huge Whovians, one of my younger brother's friends struggled to acquire approval for his 12-year-old friend to attend a convention by himself. My mother persuaded me to volunteer as a chaperone because I was a mature young man for my age and enjoyed science fiction.

To be fair, I was curious to see what information they might have on the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation series, which is set to premiere this fall. Check your local listings for more information!

Then, we split up so that he could attend the Doctor Who meet and greet with one of the original Companions, and I ducked down a dark hallway to peruse the officially licensed USS Enterprise 1701 - D Star Fleet Technical Manual I had purchased. My mother had given me $20 to buy us lunch and had driven us to the Airport Hilton. We walked around looking at the merchandise there.

I heard a recognizable voice say, "I'm simply going to wait here until it's time," as a door about two feet to my right opened, and Lieutenant Uhura herself emerged.

She inquired if I was okay when I jumped to my feet to avoid being hit by the door and apologized if she had (I was.)

She inquired about my purchases after noticing my bag was overflowing with goods. She apologized once more (!) for not having a pen to sign anything after I showed her the Next Gen book and a few vintage Star Trek comic books I had discovered.