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Even though the main focus in the original series of Star Trek was on the trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, played by George Takei, is just as important. As the ship's helmsman, Sulu helped save the Enterprise and its crew on more than one occasion. He's highly proficient at his job, but also friendly and kind toward others, making him one of the more popular crew members.
The series never gave much space to Sulu's private life, but a few episodes did place him in a more important position. Sulu didn't just appear in the original series either, but also in the renewed Star Trek movie series, in which John Cho plays him. Despite Sulu's rich history in multiple forms of media, there are still some things about him that even the biggest Star Trek fans might not know.
5 Sulu Almost Didn't Appear In The Original Star Trek Movies
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After his initial appearance in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), George Takei was hesitant about appearing in the sequel, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982). In the end, he changed his mind when William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, called George Takei and persuaded him to join the cast.
Takei did, and he appeared in the rest of the original movies as well. Fans of the original crew will no doubt agree that the movies just wouldn't have been the same without Hikaru Sulu!
4 His Date Of Birth
Unlike other Star Trek characters, Sulu doesn't have a set date of birth. What is known is that he studied piloting at the Starfleet Academy. Sulu then went on to join the starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk's command in 2265.
When he joined the crew, he was 29, which means he was most likely born in 2236, making him three years younger than Captain Kirk, six years younger than Spock, and a whole nine years younger than Doctor McCoy. Interestingly enough, having been born in 1937, George Takei is also the youngest actor of the original main crew, with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy being both born in 1931.
3 Sulu's Various Hobbies
Even though his work as the ship's helmsman took up a lot of his time, Sulu also had interesting hobbies. He was fond of antique firearms and loved fencing. He proved this when he chased the crewmen around with his sword in the episode The Naked Time! This episode is also George Takei's favorite Star Trek episode.
In his spare time, Sulu enjoyed exercising and practicing martial arts. He was also an accomplished botanist and had his own botanic garden on the ship, taking careful care of all the plants. One particular hobby that both Sulu and Captain Picard had was enjoying a good hot cup of tea. While Sulu's hobbies rarely ever had a significant impact on the plot of the series, they presented ample opportunities to learn even more about his character.
2 His Romantic Relationships And Family
Captain Kirk was the one who had the most romances in the original series. The series hinted at the fact that Sulu was attracted to Uhura several times, both in the original and in the evil mirror universe, but nothing seemed to have happened between them. In one of the Star Trek novels, Sulu had a long-term relationship with a fellow officer Mai Duyen Trinh, but she later died during an accident, something Sulu had a hard time coming to terms with. His other interest in the lesser-known characters in the series and movies didn't lead anywhere either.
However, unlike other members of the crew, Sulu did become a father when his daughter Demora was born sometime in the 2270s. Demora followed in her father's footsteps and also became a helmsman. It hasn't been specified who Demora's mother is in the movies, but other Star Trek stories call the mother Susan Ling or Yoshika Sulu. As for Demora, not only did she work as a helmsman on the Enterprise, but she eventually went on to become a captain of the ship Enterprise-B!
Sulu doesn't just have a daughter in the original movies either, but also in the Abrams universe where John Cho portrays him. In Star Trek Beyond (2016), Sulu briefly appears accompanied by his husband and their young daughter. Considering the daughter's age, it looks like Sulu and his husband have been together for years and in the brief scene the three characters share, they come across as a happy family. This version of Sulu is also supposed to have a sister named Yuki, at least according to a Star Trek comic book storyline. Yuki is also serving on the Enterprise, but as an engineering officer.
1 His Life Before Starfleet
The movies never provided as many details about Sulu as subsequent novels and other Star Trek forms of media did. As such, there are plenty of small details about Sulu that those who only watched the show and the movies might not be familiar with. In one novel, for example, it's stated that Sulu's full name is Hikaru Kato Sulu.
Interestingly enough, Sulu's first name didn't appear in Star Trek movies until 1991 and the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country even though the original series first aired in the 1960s! Another source material claims that Sulu's middle name wasn't Kato, but instead, Walter. Sulu's place of birth is similarly contested. He could have been born in Los Angeles, in Hawaii, or even on Alpha Mensa V. In the end, it's up to each fan to decide which name they like most for Sulu.