The hardest working spy in the world

Greg Morris as spy/engineer Barney Collier.

We often hear that several women, and women of color, joined NASA or became military pilots because they were inspired by Nichelle Nichols’s iconic portrayal of Uhura on “Star Trek,” 1966-69.

Nichelle Nichols

But I wonder if the same isn’t true for young men of color, after watching Greg Morris play technical wizard Barney Collier on "Mission: Impossible" from 1966 to 1973.

He was in 171 episodes, more than any other actor in the history of the show. And in most episodes, it was his ingenious gadgetry, or his behind-the-scene engineering, that won the day. Question: Is there a generation of Black engineers or people who joined the intelligence service because they were inspired by the brilliant and brave Barney Collier?