An astonishing number of men and women who have actually been in space, or are now physicists or astronomers or such, give at least some credit to Star Trek, for sparking their curiosity and pointing them in that direction. And, yeah, having a diverse crew was awesome. And had a number of ramifications beyond the show.
Haha, that's awesome! Great link...
Saw her recently on an episode of Kevin Smith's reality show: "Comic Book Men"; she's got a great sense of humor & seems like a genuinely decent human being.