A solid autobiography and memoir of growing up in an American internment camp and becoming a civic leader in addition to a well-known actor. ( )

George Takei is, of course, best known as Star Trek's Mr. Sulu, and this autobiography was published after the 25th anniversary of Star Trek and is, perhaps, in part a celebration of that. But it covers a great deal more than Star Trek. Takei talks about his experiences being imprisoned in Japanese-American internment camps as a kid with a perspective that combines childhood memories and adult understanding. He talks about his acting career, and specifically about his experiences as a Japanese-American actor. He also talks about his involvement in politics and political activism. And, yes, he also talks about Star Trek, featuring lots of anecdotes and musings, his feelings about his co-workers (including some very frank opinions about William Shatner), and the story of his constant campaigning to see Sulu getting some career advancement or character development.

There's nothing particularly grand or glamorous here, really, but Takei is an interesting guy who's had an interesting life, and certainly has some interesting perspectives on the world, so I found this generally very engaging and worthwhile. Honestly, it would be entirely worthwhile just for the parts where he's talking about the internment camps, as that's a story that absolutely needs to be told, and to be heard. Although for those who are interested in reading about that, but perhaps not so much the rest of it, he also has a graphic novel on the subject, They Called Us Enemy, which I'm fully intending to read at some point, as well.

There are, by the way, also some moments where he's very funny. I genuinely laughed out loud at his comically over-the-top declarations of how much he hated Walter Keonig before he actually met (and liked) the guy, and even louder at his horrified vision of what a Star Trek movie directed by Shatner might look like as soon as he'd heard Shatner'd been given the job.

There is one thing that feels odd and notable in retrospect here, though. At the time this was written, Takei was still more or less in the closet, so while there is plenty of focus on his identity as a Japanese-American, there's no discussion of what things were like for him as a gay man as well, and his now-husband, Brad Altman, who I believe he was already involved with at the time, gets no more than a brief mention as a "good friend" and a rather coded-feeling nod in the acknowledgments. ( )

The book starts with George and his family being incarcerated for being Japanese during world war 2. He was 4 years old. The story follows his life with his family trying to restart their life after being released and having to fight deportation. It was sad to see how bad the discrimination was. He went to college and gradually took aim at acting. He talks about his early career and getting cast in Star Trek as one of a few Asian actors being cast on tv or movies. He talks a lot about Gene Roddenberry who had a vision "infinite diversity in infinite combinations."

In To the Stars: The Autobiography of George Takei, Star Trek's Mr. Sulu, George Takei describes his life beginning with his earliest memories in a Japanese internment camp in Rohwer, Arkansas through the completion of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Running through his retelling is a theme of social justice, in which Takei took the lessons he learned from his parents as a result of World War II-era prejudice and strove to not only live up to his their expectations, but in doing so help America live up to its potential. Star Trek was but a part of this goal, as it worked to discuss the pressing issues of the day and combat prejudice. While Takei offers a behind-the-scenes look at some aspects of making Trek, it also feels like an extension of the set-side chats with raconteur personalities that he so enjoyed as a fringe benefit of his acting. Takei's writing is a delight and feels conversational, rather than overly-formal, and it's easy to find oneself fully engrossed in his narrative. He wisely breaks some of the sections up by topic, so that he can tell complete stories, even if it means a slight bit of backtracking for the next story. It's also clear that Takei holds a great deal of respect for most of his fellow actors, both in Star Trek as well as his other projects, though he carefully discusses issues with William Shatner, who becomes something of a joke toward the end due to his personality. It's the two themes of civic engagement and celebrating infinite diversity in infinite combinations, however, that make Takei's story so compelling. Those aware of his current activism work, where he uses his celebrity and science-fiction credentials to promote good projects, can see the beginnings of it here. Both fans of Star Trek and those interested in acting will find this a worthwhile and engaging read. ( )

I learned so many things I did not know about George Takei by reading this thoroughly engaging autobiography. As a child he was interred in a WWII Japanese-American prison camp in Arkansas (my state!). He started college as an architecture major, but switched to theater and received both B.A. and M.A. degrees from UCLA. He spent a decade working on the board of directors for the Southern California Rapid Transit. He has been involved in politics since his junior high school days. He had many acting roles besides Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu and deeply regrets the times he was desperate for work and played a stereotyped Asian character.

Throughout the book, Mr. Takei maintains an upbeat attitude - always showing his deep concern for the equality of all people and his lifelong focus on advancing the cause of Japanese Americans. He gives glimpses of behind-the-scenes Star Trek, but does not engage in any tattle-telling or bad-mouthing that many people will want to read, so if this is what you are looking for, look elsewhere. (Although it is pretty obvious he doesn’t care for William Shatner, and says that he basically feels sorry for him) I kept asking myself if he could really be such a nice guy, but after hearing him speak in person… You know what? I think maybe he IS.
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