An Interracial Kiss Nearly Sank Star Trek. Then George Takei Brought Up Homosexuality. | Big Think

An Interracial Kiss Nearly Sank Star Trek
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Actor, activist, prolific meme-generator, and cultural icon George Takei graces Big Think with his presence today in this powerful five-minute clip. Takei explores Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's ambitious and progressive vision for the future: "Roddenberry felt that the Enterprise was a metaphor for starship Earth and the strength of this starship lay in its diversity."

We also learn that Takei's character, Sulu, represented a united Asia free of the many strifes Roddenberry witnessed during the 20th century. Takei tells us how the name "Sulu" came about; it's an incredibly inspirational story.

Finally, Takei explains the now-glaring omission of gay and lesbian characters from Roddenberry's progressive Enterprise. In short, it was the 1960s and the biracial kiss between Uhura and Kirk nearly sank the show. Roddenberry knew there were limits to what the public would tolerate and he couldn't risk losing his platform for social commentary by testing them. Thankfully, as Takei notes, times have changed quite a bit since then in so many ways. And Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry are partly responsible.
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GEORGE TAKEI:
George Takei is best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the acclaimed television and film series Star Trek. He’s an actor, social justice activist, social media mega-power, star of the upcoming Broadway musical Allegiance, and subject of To Be Takei, a documentary on his life and career. Takei’s acting career has spanned five decades, with more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television guest-starring roles to his credit. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Actors’ Equity Association, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

With the outbreak of World War II, Los Angeles, California-born Takei and his family were placed behind the barbed-wire enclosures of United States internment camps along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans. He spent most of his childhood at Camp Rohwer in the swamps of Arkansas and at wind-swept Camp Tule Lake in northern California. At the end of the war, Takei’s family returned to their native Los Angeles. Inspired by this difficult chapter of American history, Takei developed the Broadway-bound musical Allegiance, an epic story of love, family and heroism in which he stars alongside Tony Award winner Lea Salonga.

He is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political organization. Takei is Chairman Emeritus of the Japanese American National Museum’s Board of Trustees; a member of the US-Japan Bridging Foundation Board of Directors; and served on the Board of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission under President Bill Clinton. In recognition of his contribution to the Japan-United States relationship, in 2004, Takei was conferred with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan.

With Takei’s expansion into social media, interest in his personal life expanded. In January 2014, To Be Takei, a Jennifer M. Kroot documentary on the life and career of Takei, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January, and was later released in select theaters across North America. Among his many accomplishments are a Grammy nomination Takei shared with Leonard Nimoy, in 1987, in the Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording category. He has received a star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame in 1986. And in 1991, Takei left his signature and hand print, in cement, in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre....
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TRANSCRIPT:
George Takei: The creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, was a true visionary. The starship Enterprise was supposed to be soaring through space in the 23rd century. By that time the crew of Enterprise reflected the philosophy that Gene Roddenberry had.

Gene Roddenberry felt that the Enterprise was a metaphor for starship Earth and the strength of this starship lay in its diversity. People of many different backgrounds, many different cultures, many different experiences, many different ethnicities coming together and working in concert as a team boldly going where no one had gone before. And that was depicted in the makeup of the crew. African-American woman as the communications chief; the captain was a North American. The engineer was a European and my character, Sulu, was to represent Asia.....

[IanAlcorn]

I did not know that about the origin of Sulu's name. Very fascinating!

[OSuKaRuTV]

Gene was the first that boldy went when no tv producer has gone before.

[herseem]

The more I hear about Gene Rodenberry, the more I respect him. And credit to George Takei

[HeartlandTuber]

George Takei. National Treasure. This interview also brings home the serious intent behind the series, which Rodenberry clearly intended. Note the history. The episode with the interracial kiss was blacked out in the American South. Not shown. Suppressed. Takei continues to use his fame to teach and inspire. More power to him.

[blindd]

As Spock would say, I found this video to be 'fascinating'. RIP Nimoy.

[jbgrooves]

Gene Roddenberry was and is to date, all these many years after his death one of the greatest visionaries in the entertainment industry. His influence is still felt in story telling and in main stream society. The one word that sums up how I feel about Gene Roddenberry is HERO !

[-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

There is a clip on YouTube of an interview with Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhuru) talking about that kiss. It's an interesting story and gives you a new appreciation of William Shatner if you haven't heard it before. There is another clip talking about how her character got her name. Uhura derives from the Swahili word "uhuru, " which means "freedom."

[heycharliemot]

Fudge I had no idea Sulu was named after the sea by my country! I even joked about it once but I did not expect it to be true wow!

[icytea]

His voice though. He should be narrating the life of penguins

[antondelacruz]

Shatner: nobody cared bout the kiss.
Nichele: the network people were uptight and nervous. We got a lot of positive mail, even from the south!
Takei: we were censored in the south and gene didnt want to risk cancellation.

Huh.

[mrman]

George Takei is kind of like that cool granddad everyone loves.

I don't know where, or rather, who, I would be now if it wasn't for Star Trek. I started watching it from an early age and to be honest, I can't say how much of an influence it had on me, but all I can say is that I have a curiosity for life and the sciences, and an open and tolerant mind.

[AndrewChapman]

George Takei is SO amazing to listen to. I loved it when he took part in I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! back in 2008.

I'm glad he speaks highly of Gene Roddenberry being a true visionary.

I also love how he talks about how the Star Trek communicators looked incredible in the 60s and of course today we have mobile/cell phones where we can chat, send text messages, download music etc. Definitely an inspiration of Star Trek.

Scotty and Sulu are my favourite Star Trek characters.

CAPTAIN KIRK: Ahead warp factor 3, Mr. Sulu.
LT. SULU: Aye sir, warp factor 3.

[tmhwriter]

I have never liked George Takei more than in this interview. He was so interesting, and made the interview very enjoyable.

[chrisbacos]

Roddenberry was a trailblazer. While I am not a trekkie if all teachers in schools had the foresight of the Star Trek creator think of what the world would be like.

[RoseETempest]

This is a good lesson for all liberals to understand that sometimes causes and policies have to be given attention before others. Not because the others are less important, but because you can't change too much too fast. Because the south will just black out your show. ... I feel like that's a good metaphor: representatives from the south are the ones that shut down most possibilities for change.

[nenafan]

Takei!!

Great to see him doing well.

[MrAudienceMember]

Yeah, that would have killed Star Trek back then, for sure.
Interesting about the name Sulu.

[bucksdiaryfan]

I can't find any evidence to support his claims that "Plato's Stepchildren" was either (a) banned in the South or (b) the lowest rated Star Trek episode. I think he's once again feeding unsupported myths. The show was banned in Great Britain, but not in the South.

[raygordonteacheschess]

I told a friend of mine in the 1980s that Sulu sounded gay and got a big lecture on stereotyping.

[xerox]

Started watching in 1969...opened my mind and curiosity about astronomy, science...and yes...first seeds planted by Gene R. to leave religion behind...
(And very sexy women on Star Trek :-)