Hikaru Sulu
Star Trek character
File:HikaruSulu001.jpg
Captain Hikaru Sulu
Information
Species Human
Affiliation Starfleet
Position USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
USS Excelsior (NCC-2000)
Rank Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain

Hikaru Sulu is a fictional character, played by George Takei, in the original Star Trek series. He is the USS Enterprise's staff physicist in the pilot, but serves as helmsman throughout the rest of the series and films. He is promoted to captain and granted command of the USS Excelsior three years before the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. (A similar promotion and transfer were scripted for but cut from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.) Star Trek: Generations introduces his daughter, Demora, whose origins are depicted in Peter David's novel The Captain's Daughter. Takei reprised the role as part of Star Trek's 30th anniversary in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback".

The TV series, movies, and novels, show that Sulu has many interests and hobbies, including fencing, botany, ancient weapons, martial arts, and piloting.

His fate has not been documented, although it is widely assumed that he retained command of the Excelsior after Star Trek VI. The non-canon Lost Era novel The Sundered depicts a 2298 Excelsior mission under Sulu's command. In 2350, "Captain Sulu" sponsors future Voyager first officer Chakotay's entrance into Starfleet Academy (Voy: "Tattoo"), although this Sulu may have been a descendant.

Trek novelist Vonda N. McIntyre came up with "Hikaru" as the character's first name, and the name is mentioned in Star Trek: The Animated Series. However, the name did not become canon until its mention in Star Trek VI, and it was included only after Peter David, who authored the film's comic book adaptation, visited the set and convinced director Nicholas Meyer to insert it.[1] The character is meant to be of pan-Asian descent but raised in San Francisco. Hikaru is a Japanese name, while Sulu is taken from a province in the Philippines. Sulu is not a real Japanese name; the Japanese language lacks a difference between the consonants L and R, and in the Japanese version of Star Trek, the character's name is changed to Kato. The closest equivalent to SULU would be する(suru) with means "to do" in Japanese.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Comics Buyer's Guide" (1614). March 2006: 10. 

External links[edit]