A closer look
Star Trek made television history in 1968 by airing the first scripted interracial kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura, but network executives were so terrified of racist backlash from Southern stations that they demanded an alternate take where they didn't actually lock lips; William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols deliberately ruined every single one of the alternate, non-kissing takes by crossing their eyes and making ridiculous faces so the studio was literally forced to use the groundbreaking kiss in the final edit, which is an incredibly badass way to use petty, childish actor sabotage to permanently advance civil rights and drag a reluctant media corporation kicking and screaming into modern society
