To the Stars: The Autobiography of George Takei, Star Trek's Mr. Sulu

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 show more 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. show less

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Best known as Mr. Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise™ and captain of the Starship Excelsior, George Takei is beloved by millions as part of the command team that has taken audiences to new vistas of adventure in Star Trek®—the unprecedented television and feature film phenomenon.

From the program’s birth in the changing world of the 1960s and death at the hands of the network to its rebirth in the hearts and minds of loyal fans, the Star Trek story has blazed its own path into our recent cultural history, leading to a series of blockbuster feature films and three new versions of Star Trek for television.

The Star Trek story is one of boundless hope and crushing disappointment, wrenching show more rivalries and incredible achievements. It is also the story of how, after nearly thirty years, the cast of characters from a unique but poorly rated television show have come to be known to millions of Americans and people around the world as family.

For George Takei, the Star Trek adventure is intertwined with his personal odyssey through adversity in which four-year-old George and his family were forced by the United States government into internment camps during World War II.

Star Trek means much more to George Takei than an extraordinary career that has spanned thirty years. For an American whose ideals faced such a severe test, Star Trek represents a shining embodiment of the American Dream—the promise of an optimistic future in which people from all over the world contribute to a common destiny.

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS M/M GIFT EXCHANGE. THANKS!

My Review: The fascistic turn new Trek has taken has a hard job erasing the original series' legacy, as there are still some dollars to be extracted from the nostalgia for those bygone, halcyon days of TOS (The Original Series in Trekspeak), of inclusion and celebration of human decency over disgusting, primitive violence and hatred of Others.

Thirty years ago, this book stood out. Nowadays, it's a bloody unicorn. See my review of They Called Us Enemy for the expanded and more self-focused story of Takei's childhood experiences with US racism and exclusion.

This is the story of Takei the man, the actor, the ground-breaking Asian role model. What it isn't, to the moaning of superfans of TOS, is a gossipy tea-spilling tell-all about the shenanigans behind the scenes of TOS. I was mildly miffed by this on my 1990s read; but this is a re-read, and it's been an entire generation for news to have filtered out about this fact, so no pearl-clutching from me.

Takei does not shy away from discussing his on-set conflicts with Shatner, of course, because they're part of his ground-breaking for actors who aren't white. He stood up for the integrity of his vision of Sulu. That would've been unthinkable even ten years earlier. Better contracts for actors! Imagine! The entertainment industry, like all capitalist enterprises, demands workers sacrifice for the profits of the owners. Takei stood against that; his actions might be small, but they were in concert with others, and had a real impact on the well-being of those across the industry who were also not white.

I mostly reveled, if I'm honest, in the opportunity to hear Takei's voice in my head as I read his conversational writing style. Of course, in the 1990s, the conversation didn't include even a whisper of his now-public gayness. He came out when the legalization of "gay marriage" was vetoed by Arnie the Terminator; around the was when Proposition 8 began being mooted. Never think, babyqueers, that straight people are your friends. Anything "granted" to you by their charity is something they can, and will, take away. May take them a long time, may take them a week, but anything they can take away they will eventually.

Would his very open (in fandom, anyway) secret have caused a stir had he discussed it in 1994? You bet! Remember how very different the landscape was then: AIDS was still a death sentence, though it was now deferrable to those who could afford the meds. There was the travesty of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that the inexperience and indifference of the Clintons gifted us with wreaking havoc; also the indefensible "Defense of Marriage" Act. The social landscape was not such that the revelation to the normies that George was a big ol' 'mo would've done more good than harm...to the book, to the franchise, to his inclusion in the Star Trek/industrial complex of convention appearances and tat-sales.

I understood that then, I'm more clear than ever about it now, and I urge those unhappy with this decision made by a stranger they do not know personally to accept a perspective check from one who was there, who knew that landscape intimately.

He had our backs when the chips were down and his voice really counted. Let go of judgment, let the past be the past, accept that now things are different in part because of a brave man who's lost it all more than once in his life. show less

Happy (belated) birthday, George!

To the Stars: Autobiography of George Takei, Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu by George Takei (Simon & Schuster, $14.99 ebook).

Originally published in 1995, the “Oh, myyyyy” guy’s initial biography far preceded his current resurgence as a fan favorite. Coming out, getting married, taking on the battle for equality for gays in addition to his long-time work to end racism and to remind us of our historical mistreatment of Japanese Americans in WWII’s internment camps–well, all of these things have been very, very good for Takei’s career.

Add to that his ever-present, always funny, usually smart presence on social media, and you’d hardly believe the guy turned 78 yesterday.

Last month, Simon & Schuster show more finally released To the Stars as an ebook under their Gallery/Threshold/Pocket imprint. This book, written prior to his public coming-out, concentrates on his childhood experience of internment and how that affected everything he did after. It’s also famous as the book that started his “cold war” with William Shatner, Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, because Takei didn’t soft-coat anything.

Here’s the deal, though: 20 years later, it’s still a helluva good read.

And frankly, George Takei is a national treasure.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com show less

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 show more 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. show less

While this book is branded as a Star Trek autobiography, it is more a tale of Mr. Takei and his family, and what it means to be Japanese-American. He does an amazing job tying together Star Trek's vision of the future with the stark reality of his own past, including time spent in the concentration camps of America during the second world war, seen through the eyes of a child, through his sometimes idealistic attempts to make his way in the world of Hollywood, politics, and an ever-changing country. It's an autobiography written with a great deal of humility, hope, and a truly wonderful sense of humour. Well-recommended even to those uninterested in Star Trek, as Mr. Takei's story is a tale of growing up American that many people may show more never encounter without people willing to tell their stories. show less

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 show more 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. show less

An engaging autobiography of an admirable actor and activist. The recollection of his time spent in one of the Japanese American Internment camps and the anecdotes about the filming of Star Trek were the most intriguing parts for me, but really, the whole book is interesting (even the occasional digs about William Shatner). Mr. George Takei has led such a exceptional life, both on and off screen. I just wish there was info included since 1994! Perfect for Star Trek fans and biography readers.

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