George Takei Takes on Star Trek's Sulu, Howard Stern and Other Heroes
George Takei, Star Trek: The Animated Series
William Shatner may get more attention for his exploits as a nutty attorney and a gyrating game-show host, but these days the hippest
Star Trek vet is, inarguably,
George Takei. The former helmsman of the USS Enterprise has gone boldly where no man has gone before as the "official" announcer of Howard Stern's uncensored Sirius Satellite Radio show. There, as a guest, he fields some good-natured jokes relating to his recent coming out of the closet. But the actor often turns the table on the shock jock by moving the chat to loftier concerns like gay rights, the war in Iraq or modern architecture.
Star Trek fans, of course, want more of Takei as Sulu, and they got it this week with the DVD release of
Star Trek: The Animated Series. This '70s cartoon copy of the sci-fi classic is what got the actor reminiscing with TVGuide.com about those who've been important to his never-ending voyage.
TVGuide.com: Tell me about the origins of the animated Star Trek series.
George Takei: Actually, when they first got the project together, Nichelle [Nichols] and I were not asked to participate. When Leonard [Nimoy] learned of that, he said to the producers, "Then you're not interested in having me, because one of the key pillars of Star Trek is diversity and people of different cultures working together. And on this show, the two people that most represent that are Nichelle and George. If they're not part of it, then I don't want to be part of it." Leonard used his clout, because they absolutely needed Leonard, and we were called in to do our voices on the series. This just shows how Leonard is truly a human being with great integrity.
TVGuide.com: What do you think about the animated series, looking at it today?
Takei: The animated version is not too different from the real-life version in its, how do I say this, "charmingly cheesy quality." [Laughs] Sometimes even the [cartoon] actors are as wooden as they were in our original show.... Oh, I shouldn't have said that. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: You've become a semiregular on the Howard Stern Radio Show. What do you think of him?
Takei: I have enormous respect and admiration for Howard, because to be able to have the guts, particularly in this political climate, to really practice freedom of speech is a rare thing. As someone who grew up in two American internment camps, I particularly cherish the freedom of speech.
TVGuide.com: You take some ribbing on the show for being openly gay. Did Star Trek fans ever have a negative reaction to your being out?
Takei: There was that two percent that said I've ruined their love for Star Trek and Sulu, and [there were] those few religious extremists that started quoting the Bible and [saying] how dare I — an actor — tarnish the biblical truth that Star Trek was trying to convey to the audience. But the majority [response] was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, a lot of Howard Stern's listeners have written me saying that they never really thought about the issue of gay rights before, but that, after having heard me speak on it, they now support equality for gays and lesbians.
TVGuide.com: You recently participated in a brutal roast of William Shatner on Comedy Central. Where do you stand with Shatner?
Takei: Well, Bill is a complicated, fascinating and charismatic guy, but he also has his blind spot; he just doesn't seem to see how obsessively self-involved he is. When we do conventions together, I keep thinking to myself, "Why are you so rude to the fans?" He doesn't even put on some facade for the people who've waited in line and paid good money; he just keeps his head down and says, "Next" — not even looking at them. It's just some human contact they want, and it's just plain dumb of him. But I don't know how Bill thinks — he's absolutely unfathomable. He can be so charming and gracious, but I see it's patently put on when he wants something from you.
TVGuide.com: What's up next for you?
Takei: Oh, my, I’m playing Hiro Nakamura's father in the show Heroes. I just did the first episode, and it's a two-part cliff-hanger. Also, I'm intensely memorizing the lines for a play that I'm doing in February in San José, called Yankee Dawg You Die; and I did a film with Tom Hanks called The Great Buck Howard. Oh, and I just completed a webcast version of the Star Trek series that will be up in March, where a [young] Sulu goes to a planet and ages 30 years in three minutes. I didn't need any makeup to do that. [Laughs]. Let's just say it was all the power of acting.
Speaking of NBC's Heroes, check out the new TV Guide for a Q&A with Hayden Panettiere (Claire).
Send in your comments on this Q&A to online_insider@tvguide.com.
