45 minutes. That’s all the time George Takei had on stage at ConnectiCon on Sunday. The long line of fans waiting to ask questions was disassembled after only a few had the opportunity to take the mic.
That’s what happens when the special guest isn’t giving flat, boilerplate responses.
Takei’s talk, to a not surprisingly filled room, began on a note of loss. Remembering many colleagues who passed, including Leonard Nimoy, gave Takei the structure for talking about each of their contributions to Star Trek.
He moved from talking television to plugging Allegiance, what he calls his “legacy project” and “parents’ experience.” Takei’s Broadway musical, set to open this fall, deals with Japanese American internment.
Speaking of his and his parents’ lives, Takei remarked that he is working on a second autobiography, Down to Earth, which will cover the portion of his life that was invisible in To the Stars. What boosted him out of the closet, he said, was how “livid” he felt when former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriages. Takei said he went on to publicly blast the actor/politician, fully expecting Takei’s own “career to recede,” but this outrage and outing actually caused his career to “blossom.”
One fan asked if being so active on social media was difficult, especially when Takei receives criticism.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity created by fans.”
“I’m an activist […] and I’ve been able to vocalize,” Takei said.
He recapped his remarks on Clarence Thomas, something for which he recently received some heat.
In an age of cyberbullying, when every word and action is under the microscope, Takei has survived and remained vocal. That’s what the younger, more vulnerable members of the audience could take away from Takei’s ever-so-brief talk: someone from various minority groups who has been open and outspoken can still receive two standing ovations and the Vulcan salute.
