Rating: 
Summary: He's not the 'Sulu' you knew from Star Trek
Review: Like many other people, I've grown up watching Star Trek in syndication. Sulu is at the helm in most of the episodes.George Takei brings the role to life. I bought To The Stars on a pretense of it being another Star Trek book, but it's much more than that. Only the latter half talks about Star Trek, while the earlier half talks about his boyhood experience in Japanese Prison Camps, his adolescence, and his early career in theater and film. Later, he talks about his involvement in politics, which continues to be the other big love of his life next to Star Trek. He learns at a young age that in order to make change, you have to get involved, which he does. When he gets the role of Sulu, Takei talks passionately about breaking the Asian stereotype of servant or sidekick and being part of a show, which believes that a future where all races and creeds could coexist and no one would be held back. On screen, that's what the show is, but off screen, there's a lot of tension and ego clashes, largely due to William Shatner. It's painfully obvious that Takei and Shatner aren't friends. This tension goes straight through the making of the movies as well. Takei has nice things to say about everyone except Shatner and the producer Harve Bennett, who refused to promote Sulu in the first five movies. Ultimately, Takei fights for and wins Sulu's promotion to captain, but this doesn't happen until Star Trek VI, the last film with the original cast, and long after Harve Bennett leaves. I get the impression from reading the book that Takei has to work three times as hard to be considered an equal in a business (show business) that is unfair to Asian Americans. I have had the good fortune of getting to meet George Takei. I told him his book is a fascinating read. He's outwardly friendly. He truly is the way he writes and his personality leaps off every page. In conclusion, To The Stars is more than just a Star Trek autobiography. It's an inspiring book for all readers and lends itself to the possibility that dreams do in fact come true.
Rating:
Summary: Charming! An upbeat story by a talented man.
Review: This book is worth reading whether or not you're a Sulu fan. I found the chapters on Takei's early years in the WWII Japanese interment camps even more interesting than the Star Trek years. Though the fact of interment, itself, is grim, Takei lets us view life in the camps through the eyes of a child. Innocence and curiosity shine through. His memories are surprisingly upbeat, in spite of the horrors of displacement and prejudice. He recalls childhood friends he met in the camps (two of whom are named Ford and Chevy Nakayama--how wonderfully symbolic of their Japanese and American ancestry!) There are rich descriptions of Takei's own Japanese-American heritage throughout the book, as well. I enjoyed "meeting" his family through this book: his mother, who was determined to keep family life warm and friendly despite their barbed-wire environment; his father, who gave such a meaningful description of American ideals, notwithstanding society's frequent failure to live up to its ideals. George Takei's life is an embodiment of the true human spirit. My only regret is that the book wasn't longer. What was in the unabridged edition, I wonder?
Rating: 
Summary: Is George Takei gay?
Review: This is a fascinating book. I think those interested in artists' lives and Asian-American studies should especially read it. Still, what stood out to me the most is the lack of love in this book. George never mentions getting married or wanting to get married. He never mentions going out on dates. He never mentions going to his high school prom. He never says he was too busy for a love life. He mentions that other Star Trek actors and other relatives are married, but he never says anything about himself. Surely a famous actor would get lots of invitations for romance. Thus, this book begs the question of Mr. Takei's sexual orientation.
And by the way, he makes William Shatner seem like a jerk. Shatner fans may be horrified.
Rating:
Summary: Is George Takei gay?
Review: This is a fascinating book. I think those interested in artists' lives and Asian-American studies should especially read it. Still, what stood out to me the most is the lack of love in this book. George never mentions getting married or wanting to get married. He never mentions going out on dates. He never mentions going to his high school prom. He never says he was too busy for a love life. He mentions that other Star Trek actors and other relatives are married, but he never says anything about himself. Surely a famous actor would get lots of invitations for romance. Thus, this book begs the question of Mr. Takei's sexual orientation.
And by the way, he makes William Shatner seem like a jerk. Shatner fans may be horrified.
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