Official Nana Thread

[GL1]

Oh yeah! All we need is Leonard Nimoy on Heroes and it'll be a full party! While they're at it, get Mark Hamill, too! And, for the record, lest anyone be confused about how cool this is, Nichelle Nichols is a pioneer.

Tim Kring's hailing frequency remains open to Star Trek crossovers. Having recruited George "Sulu" Takei to portray Hiro's father during Season 1, the Heroes creator has called upon Nichelle Nichols, aka USS Enterprise communications officer Lt. Uhura, to fill a short-term role. Nichols, an NBC spokesperson tells TVGuide.com, will be playing "Nana," the New Orleans-based grandmother of Monica (the new hero being played by The Nine's Dana Davis, pictured).

In related news, TV Guide revealed a few days ago that "Star Trek" star Nichelle Nichols will join fellow Trekker George Takei as a recurring player on "Heroes." (Spoilers ahead!) Showing up in the season's fourth episode, she'll play Nana, a New Orleans doyenne whose daughter died during Hurricane Katrina.

"Nana is tough and undaunted and — like the blues — she just keeps rising to the occasion," Nichols told the magazine. The character, who is in dire financial straits, has moved back into her once-flooded home, where she cares for her two grandchildren. One of them, new hero Monica ("The Nine's" Dana Davis), is an avenging angel intent on bringing justice to the corruption-plagued Big Easy.

Nana is also a great-aunt to Micah, the junior hero played by series regular Noah Gray-Cabey. "Micah is sent to New Orleans to live with the family," Nichols added.

(Hottest Grandma ever?)