The One Thing Star Trek's George Takei Really Wanted For Sulu But Never Got
In the original "Star Trek," only three actors were credited at the start of the show: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley. For many watching the series — and for the actors especially — those three were the leads, while the rest of the recurring ensemble were mere supporting players. Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley certainly had the most screen time on "Star Trek," yet they often advocated for more. Eventually, Shatner and Nimoy became such whiny spotlight hogs that show creator Gene Roddenberry had to write an angry letter, demanding the actors stop whining and get back to work.
Trekkies, however, knew better than Shatner and Nimoy. "Star Trek" was always an ensemble piece about a core cast of multiple characters. In addition to the three "leads," the show also regularly featured chief engineer Scott/Scotty (James Doohan), communications officer Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig), Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), and Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett). Meanwhile, always sitting at the helm and flying the ship was Lieutenant Sulu (George Takei).
Takei, along with most "Star Trek" viewers, saw the above group as a whole and vitally important senior staff on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. Captain Kirk might have been commanding the ship, but everyone else was just as capable and professional. Indeed, the whole point of "Star Trek" was to depict a future wherein a diverse cross-section of humanity could gather together, work without bickering, and devote themselves collectively to a mission of peaceful exploration.
Back in 2010, Takei was interviewed by StarTrek.com, and the actor admitted that during his tenure playing Sulu, he never got to talk about his family. It wouldn't be until 1994's "Star Trek: Generation" (which Takei wasn't in) that Sulu's family was mentioned.
Sulu finally got a daughter in Star Trek: Generations
Takei recalled his early days on "Star Trek" and the relief he felt in not playing a broad stereotype. Takei was born in Los Angeles to Japanese parents, but when he began acting professionally in the 1950s, roles for Asian and Asian-American men were limited. In his own words:
"From the very beginning I thought it was a breakthrough opportunity. Just to be able to play a member of the leadership team, without an accent, was hugely important. So many Asians back then were, first of all, stereotypes and spoke with a heavy accent. So I thought I could parlay that into something substantial for the character."
Sulu's backstory was never explored in "Star Trek," although the show's writers did think to give him a few iconoclastic hobbies. He was a botany enthusiast for one, and he kept his quarters filled with bizarre alien plants that he tended to closely. Sulu was also a fan of vintage firearms, knowing all about their models and functionality. In the episode "Shore Leave," Sulu fires a classic revolver across a lake, enjoying every shot.
We never learned, however, about Sulu's family, which irked Takei. It wasn't until Demora Sulu (Jacqueline Kim) appeared in "Generations" that Trekkies would learn anything on that front:
"I suggested Sulu having a family that he connects with. I suggested a lot of ideas to develop Sulu that never really happened. It was only after I turned down a role in ['Generations'] that they gave all my lines to a relative that I had lobbied for, my daughter. When the series ended and the films began, I was lobbying for parents, brothers, sisters, lovers, maybe a wife, all of that, but none of it ever happened. I wanted to see Sulu more dimensioned."
It was a missed opportunity.
Star Trek Beyond introduced Sulu's husband
Incidentally, Demora's mother wasn't named until the 1995 "Star Trek" novel "The Captain's Daughter" written by Peter David. That book named Demora's mother as a woman named Susan Ling. She was described as a "freelance adventurer" who had a one-time fling with Sulu while he was on shore leave ... and she was on the run from angry aliens. She had Demora nine months later.
Takei gave the above interview in 2010. It wouldn't be until 2016 that Sulu — this time played by John Cho — would be seen with additional family members. In Justin Lin's "Star Trek Beyond," Sulu discusses how worried he was about his marriage, seeing as he asked his spouse to relocate to a distant space station called Yorktown (although that scene was cut). Sulu's husband is a man named Ben (Doug Jung), and he is introduced holding a young Demora. There are no dialogue scenes between Ben and Sulu, but at least audiences saw that he had a family.
Takei, who came out in 2005 and married his longtime partner Brad Altman in 2008, famously objected to "Beyond" making Sulu a queer man. He told The Hollywood Reporter that Sulu was originally envisioned as a straight man and he played the character that way. "I'm delighted that there's a gay character," he explained. "Unfortunately, it's a twisting of Gene [Roddenberry]'s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it's really unfortunate."
Takei would have preferred the makers of "Beyond" merely create a new queer character to introduce into "Star Trek" canon, rather than repurposing Sulu's sexuality.
Since then, "Star Trek: Discovery" has introduced numerous queer, trans, and nonbinary characters to "Star Trek," which is more in line with what Takei wanted.