To Be Takei Review
By David Kempler
Oh George, Oh My
Jennifer M. Kroot's "To Be Takei" is an overview of the life of George Takei. The key to whether or not you might enjoy it will depend upon if you know who he is, but it is a love-fest for those of us who already know and love the man.
Fans of the Star Trek franchise know George as Sulu, the token Asian on the Starship Enterprise. In every episode, except for perhaps two or three, his dialog was confined to phrases like "Aye, Aye Captain", but because of how the show became ingrained in our culture, he, along with the other regulars, have attained a cult-like following.
After the show ended, George's career was mostly confined to signing photos at Star Trek conventions, until one fateful day when he appeared on the Howard Stern radio show, on November 12, 1990. George was unfamiliar with Stern and his off-color reputation. I was listening to the show that day and it was great listening. For the very first time, the public became aware of George, apart from his role as Sulu.
George was shocked by the overt sexuality and irreverence that Stern followers were well aware of, but what made the appearance special was George's ability to simultaneously be astonished and yet roll with it. It was incredibly endearing to the listening audience and to Howard and his staff members. At one point during the show, George exclaimed "Oh, My" to one of Howard's antics. Combined with George's magnificently dignified speaking voice, it singlehandedly re-launched George's career. He soon had a commercial for Sharp television, where after watching the quality of the set, he responded "Oh, My". George was once again in the public eye.
Kroot and Takei take us through it all with a very light touch, even when the topic is deadly serious. As a young child, Takei and his family were imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp on the West Coast. Upon their release, George pursued a career as an actor. This was an easy task for no one. For an Asian, it was exceedingly unlikely to result in success, not to mention that he had to hide the fact that he was gay. But George made it.
The rest of "To Be Takei" is remarkable in the warmth exhibited by George and the equal amount of warmth towards him, by just about everyone. It is difficult to walk away after watching it, to feel anything but love, or at the very least, heavy like towards George. No, this isn't a hard-hitting exposé, or an attempt to cause controversy. It's merely an examination of a successful man who didn't have to step all over others to get there. Usually conflict is essential to good storytelling, and while conflict is mentioned here, it's really all about decency, warmth, and good feelings. Yet, it works.
