George Takei

Once Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu, now he’s a web favorite and a big voice for gay rights.  We're talking with the singular George Takei.

On the original Star Trek, actor George Takei was Mr. Sulu.  The intergalactic Japanese-American citizen of the cosmos – or at least the Federation.

He was one cool helmsman in space, on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.  Nearly fifty years later, George Takei is on new frontiers again.

The little boy who grew up in an American internment camp is now the wide-grinned elder mastering Facebook.  He’s a social media superstar.  A bold and funny activist for gay rights and much more.  The star who says “Oh myyy!”

This hour, On Point:  George Takei.
-Tom Ashbrook

George Takei, actor best-known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the TV show Star Trek. Now an internet sensation, and author of "Oh Myyy! (There Goes the Internet)." He starred in and inspired the musical "Allegiance," based on his experiences in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II.

CBS Los Angeles "'My mother said I made my theatrical debut in the maternity ward, when she heard that stentorian yowl,' Takei said. The actor has been at the forefront of the marriage equality debate. He’s been legally married to his husband, Brad, for the past four years and they’ve been together for 25."

The Los Angeles Times "If you get frustrated when flight attendants make you shut down your electronic tablet or digital reading device during takeoff and landing, George Takei has got your back. The actor who portrayed Sulu in the original "Star Trek" television series and in films is so fed up with having to turn off his gadgets on airplanes that he launched a petition earlier this month on the website Change.org, calling on federal officials to reconsider the policy."

The Huffington Post "'Oh my' indeed! George Takei — Facebook's favorite meme dispatcher — is the latest celebrity to get turned on to the erotic bestseller (and Random House bonus provider), 'Fifty Shades of Grey.'"