Over the course of seven decades, actor and activist George Takei boldly journeyed from a WWII internment camp to the helm of the starship Enterprise to the daily news feeds of five million Facebook fans.
“To Be Takei,” a documentary chronicling the “Star Trek” actor’s playful and profound trek for life, liberty and love, will be shown at Ithaca College on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. in Textor 101. It is free and open to the public.
Best known for playing Sulu on the original “Star Trek” television series and six movies that followed, Takei has more recently found himself an unlikely social media star. He uses his highly visible platform and quirky sense of humor to serve as an outspoken advocate for LGBT and other civil rights. His recent projects include the stage musical “Allegiance,” drawn from his experience of growing up in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II, and his 2013 book, “Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet.”
Produced and directed by Jennifer M. Kroot, “To Be Takei” had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
The Ithaca College screening comes just about on the 50th anniversary of “Star Trek” — the show’s first episode aired on September 8, 1966. It is part of the Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series, sponsored by the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Education, Outreach, and Services. The theme of this year’s series is “Queer Voices, Queer Stories.”
For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/lgbt.