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- 'Star Trek' Icon George Takei, 88, Opens Up About Past Trauma</p>
<p>Sheli FrankAugust 9, 2025 at 4:14 PM</p>
<p>Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic</p>
<p>'Star Trek' Icon George Takei, 88, Opens Up About Past Trauma originally appeared on Parade.</p>
<p>On TV screens in 1966, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu boldly soared through the universe to discover lands "where no man has gone before."</p>
<p>Now, Star Trek's George Takei, who played that iconic character, is ready "to boldly go" where even Sulu never dared go before–deep into his own traumatic past.</p>
<p>At 88 years old, Takei is an open book, but it wasn't always that way. In a recent interview with California Liveabout his new graphic memoir, It Rhymes with Takei, the beloved actor and activist opened up about his childhood experiences in Japanese Internment camps and why he felt he had to hide essential parts of himself to succeed in his acting career.</p>
<p>The interview took place at a location filled with profound meaning for Takei: the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. While he was happily married there, the site holds much darker memories from his childhood. During World War II, it was a reporting center where Japanese-American families, including Takei's own, were forced to gather before being taken to internment camps.</p>
<p>Takei vividly recalled the horror of that moment as a young child.</p>
<p>"When we were brought here by soldiers with bayonets on their rifles, it was the most terrorizing (sic.) thing for a 5-year-old kid to see his father have a bayonet at his face," he recounted. "We were loaded onto the buses. And so this is where the internment began for us. This is ground zero for our imprisonment."</p>
<p>In the comments section of a clip of the interview, posted on the official Instagram for Top Shelf Productions, which is the publisher of Takei's new book, fans rushed to show their support for Takei.</p>
<p>"Love you George, I'm sorry for your family back during ww2," wrote one heartfelt fan.</p>
<p>Another commenter referenced the famous Star Trek Vulcan salute and hand gesture, "live long and prosper," writing, "🖖 LLAP, Mr. Sulu!"</p>
<p>View this post on Instagram</p>
<p>A post shared by Top Shelf Productions (@topshelfcomix)</p>
<p>The graphic novel also explores Takei's coming out as gay later in life. When asked why now was the right time to share the story, the actor ruefully admitted, "Well actually it's a little late. I came out at age 68. I'm 88 now."</p>
<p>The reason for the long wait to publicly admit his orientation, he revealed, was the harsh reality of the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>"I had aspirations to be an actor, and can you imagine back in the '60s, a young actor saying 'I'm talented, I can do it, hire me, I'm gay.'?" Takei looked at the interviewer. "What's the prospect of my getting hired?"</p>
<p>Though Takei might not have felt safe to be open about his childhood internment or his sexuality while aboard the starship Enterprise, in the same interview, he spoke proudly of the impact the show had on society at large, helping to pave the way for a more understanding and open-minded future… one in which he can now freely speak about both topics.</p>
<p>"That impact was intentional and that intention came from Gene Roddenberry, the producer, writer, creator of Star Trek," Takei said, his face radiating warmth and pride. "He said 'I'm putting this 300 years in the future, and by that time we would've learned something. We would have learned that our diversity is what gives us strength. Our diversity is what makes our lives interesting.'"</p>
<p>'Star Trek' Icon George Takei, 88, Opens Up About Past Trauma first appeared on Parade on Aug 9, 2025</p>
<p>This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.</p>
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