Lt. Sulu
From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi
Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu was originally the staff physicist aboard the USS Enterprise on the original Star Trek television series. He was later transferred to helm. He was promoted to captain in later Star Trek films. Little is known about the life of the character played by George Takei, though he has been mentioned (and briefly appeared) in the later Star Trek series Star Trek: Voyager.
Biography
Hikaru Sulu was born in San Francisco, Earth, in 2237. Although of Asian decent, he was raised in San Francisco, home of Starfleet headquarters. He received the standard Starfleet education and in 2265 was assigned to the Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk.
Sulu's first name was never given in the 60+ episodes of the original series. Hikaru was mentioned in the novels and Star Trek: The Animated Series, though neither are considered canon. It wasn't until author Peter David visited the set of the sixth Star Trek film and convinced Nicholas Meyer, the director, to put the name in the film.
The surname is taken from a province in the Philippines, while Hikaru is a Japanese name. In the Japanese version of Star Trek, he is referred to as Kato.
Lt. Sulu has many interests he pursued while serving aboard the Enterprise. These included collecting ancient weapons, fencing, martial arts, and piloting various craft of different time periods. He was known as an expert in ancient Earth firearms and projectile weapons.
Family
It is known that Sulu had one daughter, Demora, born in 2271. She held the same position as her father of helmsman. According to the Star Trek Starship Creator game, Demora's daughter was named Yoshiko, Sulu's wife for a time. There is no evidence of marriage date, divorce or death times. Information in Star Trek novels seems to contradict this, however, and no canon information gives the true story.
Sulu Trivia
- Lt. Sulu sponsored Chakotay's entrance into Starfleet Academy. Chakotay later became first officer aboard the USS Voyager.
- In the fourth Star Trek movie, the crew of the Enterprise found themselves on Earth in the 1980s trying to save the whales. Sulu was assigned to convert the cargo bay of a starship into a whale tank. To do this, he had to transport plexiglass across San Francisco. To do this, he managed to borrow a Huey 204 helicopter and pilot it, fulfilling a childhood dream of his. Afterwards he found it difficult to remember how to pilot a starship.
- In 2290 he was promoted to captain. He was given command of the USS Excelsior.
- Sulu defied Starfleet orders to mount a rescue mission to recover Kirk and Spock.
- Lt. Sulu and Ensign Chekov were good friends aboard the Enterprise.
Related Star Trek Links
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