George Takei talks about Asian and LGBT content on Star Trek

George Takei is somewhat like the Posh Spice of Star Trek, the one who was least expected to be one of the most visible alumni of an iconic pop cultural group.

Of course, that's where the comparisons end. Because he smiles.

Well, more importantly, a major factor of Takei's post-Trek relevancy comes from his involvement in social causes.  

In the video below, he talks about issues in Star Trek that later became subjects he would become an advocate for, namely Asian American issues and LGBT rights.

He discusses being an Asian character on the series, and explains about how the name Sulu came to be, during a search for a non-culturally specific Asian name.

He also talks about how he asked about LGBT characters on Star Trek. Series creator Gene Roddenberry, he says, explained that an interracial kiss on the series between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) turned into a ratings disaster. (Even to this day, interracial relationships remain a hot-button topic, as a 2013 Cheerios ad featuring interracial parents discovered.)

Accordingly, as socially progressive as the series aimed to be, including openly LGBT characters would be risking the survival of the show at the time, which gives an indication of how far we've come since then. 

Takei also points out how Trek technology predated technology that has become common place today, such as cell phones. Unfortunately, we haven't yet seen an equivalent to being beamed up. But perhaps we will soon.