Nyota Uhura serves as a constant throughout the Star Trek Universe. Played by actor Nichelle Nichols, Uhura was able to pull the Enterprise team out of more than a few binds.

But while Uhura was considered one of television’s first space explorers, Nichols revealed that at first, she had little interest in Earth’s missions to traverse the galaxy.

During an interview with the Victoria Advocate, Nichols revealed that when the space program began gaining traction, she had little to no interest in helping fund the program. Nichols felt that Earth had enough problems of its own, and any extra money should be allocated here before we began pursuing any intergalactic adventures.

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“I actually opposed the space program,” said Nichols in the article. “I figured the money could be better used to clean up ghettos and to fight disease and poverty.”

Of course, Nichols had no idea that her role on Star Trek would put her at the forefront of any discussion regarding space travel. Moreover, her opinion changed when she spoke to a NASA representative. “He turned me on to space. He made me realize that only one cent of our tax dollars goes to the space program. And that one cent results eventually in a $7 return.”

Nichols also learned that progress in the space program still meant that humans on Earth would see progress in their own lives. “I have learned that many things that we now take for granted,” said the actor, “even things like computers - originally came out of our space research.”