Uhura Makes a Final Return to Star Trek With a Heartbreaking Reunion We Didn’t Know We Needed

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek Omega!

Uhura makes a final return to the Star Trek universe in a reunion fans did not know they needed. The Enterprise’s Communications Officer, Uhura, has been absent from the franchise for many years, leading to intense speculation about her final fate. Star Trek Omega, the capstone of an epic era in Trek comics, brings Uhura back, giving her a bittersweet reunion with a former colleague.

Star Trek Omega was written by Christopher Cantwell, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by an all-star roster of artists, all of whom worked on the line. The special follows the crews of the Theseus and the Defiant as they scatter and come to terms with what happened.

Scotty travels to an unnamed world, where he is reunited with Uhura. The two share a hug, and it is clear they have not seen each other in many years.

A text piece follows, in which Scotty gives Starfleet his resignation, after 130+ years.

Nyota Uhura Was a Trailbazer Both On-Screen and Off

Uhura’s Post-Undiscovered Country Fate Was a Mystery

Nyota Uhura, played in The Original Series by Nichelle Nichols, was a trailblazing character in both science fiction and television. At the time of Star Trek’s premiere in 1966, Black characters were still rare on television, and those were hardly ever in positions of power and authority. Furthermore, Uhura was a woman, which normally would have also worked against her. Uhura pushed back against these trends. Uhura was a highly competent officer, whose skills in languages and linguistics helped the Enterprise through many sticky situations.

The journey of Uhura, Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew came to an end in 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The last film to feature the full Original Series cast, The Undiscovered Country was a pitch-perfect send-off to a crew of legends. In the years since its release, the fates of some of the Enterprise’s officers have been revealed: Scotty became stuck in a transporter buffer for 70 years while Spock would spend his final years in the Kelvin Universe. Kirk died in Generations and Doctor McCoy became an admiral.

Yet what happened to Uhura has remained a mystery, as no television show or movie has revealed her post-Undiscovered Country fate. Fans speculated on what might have become of Uhura, but canon never provided an answer. Did she retire from Starfleet? Or maybe she became an instructor at Starfleet Academy, helping train and mentor a new generation of communications officers? Star Trek fans saw Kirk’s death, and Scotty’s triumphant return. They saw Spock exiled to another universe, but Uhura’s life was a huge question mark. Star Trek Omega provides an answer, 34 years after The Undiscovered Country.

Uhura Is Alive and Well in the 24th Century

Star Trek Has Teased a Relationship Between Scotty and Uhura Before

As seen in Star Trek: Omega, Uhura is doing quite well for herself. She has indeed retired from Starfleet, and is living comfortably on a distant world. Star Trek Omega does not reveal Uhura’s arc from The Undiscovered Country until the issue, but it can be assumed that her life was one well-lived. By this time in her life, Uhura would have been well over 100 years old. People commonly live into their 100s in the 24th century, meaning Uhura could have had many adventures since leaving the Enterprise.

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Uhura’s reunion with Scotty is poignant, a beautiful moment nestled in an issue full of them. It also fits within established Star Trek canon: in 1989’s The Final Frontier, a romance between Scotty and Uhura was teased, but nothing came of it. At the time of the film’s release, some fans criticized this development, feeling it was out of nowhere. The lack of follow-up seemed to doom their relationship before it even got off the ground. Star Trek Omega leaves it vague whether Scotty and Uhura will finally get together, but for now they have reunited.

Uhura Finally Got Scotty to Settle Down

Uhura’s Happily Ever After is Well Deserved

Uhura’s return to the Star Trek universe is a cause for celebration. Uhura was a ground-breaking character, blazing a path of representation at a time when it was sorely needed. Uhura helped save the Enterprise more than once, and seeing her retired and living happily will warm Star Trek fans’ hearts. Uhura may have also done something thought impossible: get Scotty to retire from Starfleet. What will become of Scotty and Uhura may never be revealed, but their reunion is perfect, bringing their characters’ arc to a glorious ending.

Star Trek Omega is on sale now from IDW Publishing!