George Takei Says Playing Sulu In Star Trek Changed His Life

The crew of Star Trek: The Original Series are as iconic as it gets. Ever since the show wrapped, the actors who played Kirk, Spock, Uhuru, Bones and the rest have been indelibly associated with it and adored by generations of fans. Now, in a new interview with The Guardian, George Takei has explained what it meant to him to play Lt. Hikari Sulu on TOS.

He first spoke about the impact of being an Asian-American actor cast in a non-stereotypical role, saying:

Takei also went into his earliest memories, including being imprisoned with his family in a US-run concentration camp set up in the wake of Pearl Harbor.

Later, he discussed why he had to remain in the closet for the majority of his career. Interestingly, it seems he spoke with Roddenberry about the possibility of a Star Trek episode that dealt with homophobic discrimination by way of a metaphor. Unfortunately, though Roddenberry seems to have been sympathetic (that he knew Takei was gay says a lot), the topic appears to have been a bridge too far, even for a show as progressive as Star Trek.

Takei is still working, of course, recently appearing in The Terror and in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Could it be too much to hope though that he might one day play Sulu once more in Star Trek?

Source: The Guardian

Source: wegotthiscovered.com