Abrams, of course, sought to deliberately cordon off his version of “Star Trek” from the 1966 series, making something uniquely his. It’s also worth noting that Abrams was openly not a Trekkie when he was hired to direct “Star Trek,” all but assuring he would try daring story and character conceits that wouldn’t fall in line with established “Star Trek” canon. A romance between Uhura and Spock might have made sense in his mind (Abrams co-wrote the film’s screenplay), but it’s hard to think back to Nichols and her old co-star Leonard Nimoy and picture them having a full-bore love affair.
Abrams might have been extrapolating his version of the Uhura/Spock romance from a single scene in the episode “The Man Trap” (September 8, 1966) when Uhura attempted to start a conversation with the Commander, asking Spock — kind of sarcastically, with mock romance — why he never tells her that she’s “an attractive young lady,” or ask her if she’s “ever been in love,” or what his home planet looks like when the moon is full. His response: “Vulcan has no moon.”
When asked what she thought of Abrams’ attempt to force a romance between Spock and Uhura, Nichols was blunt:
“That wouldn’t have happened back in the original series, Uhura was a private person with a personal life separate from the rest of the crew. […] Any serious fan who saw the original series would know it would not have been possible, they’d laugh their heads off.”
Indeed, even in expanded universe lore, Uhura was said to have never married, preferring to focus on her career. She became a first officer, then a captain, then (as described in David A. Goodman’s “The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard”) President of the Federation.