The producers of TV phenomenon Heroes are going back to cult sci-fi series Star Trek for another casting coup - Nichelle Nichols is to play a Hurricane Katrina survivor in upcoming episodes.

Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on "Star Trek" in the 1960s, will join fellow Trekker George Takei as a "Heroes" regular when the second season of the series begins this autumn.

The actress will play a financially-strapped grandmother, who is forced to take care of her two granddaughters after the death of their mother - her daughter - in the 2005 storms. One of her granddaughters is one of the show's new heroines Dana Davis.

Nichols announced her part in Heroes at a recent fan convention, and admits she was staggered by the response of devotees.

She tells TV Guide magazine, "The entire room went insane."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)