Hikaru Sulu (Star Trek)
Hikaru Kato Sulu is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. He was portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series. Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games.
Originally known simply as "Sulu", his first name, "Hikaru", appeared in a 1981 novel well over a decade after the original series had ended. John Cho assumed the role of the character in both the 2009 film Star Trek and its sequels, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.
Sulu was born in San Francisco, California on Earth during the second quarter of the 23rd century. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; TOS: "That Which Survives")
Sulu began serving aboard the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk in 2265. (TOS: "The Deadly Years") He began in the sciences division serving as the department head for Astrosciences.
That year, he was present on the bridge as the Enterprise prepared to cross the galactic barrier. Following the ship's encounter with the barrier, he attended the staff meeting to discuss the effects it had on Gary Mitchell as well as Mitchell's acquisition of new mental abilities. There, Sulu briefed that "if you want the mathematics of this, Mitchell's ability is increasing geometrically. That is, like having a penny, doubling it every day. In a month, you'll be a millionaire." (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before")
2266 By 2266, Lieutenant Sulu was a command division officer on the Enterprise, and was the senior helmsman. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
That year, Sulu announced contact with an object approaching the Enterprise at light speed, and attempted several evasive maneuvers before sounding condition alert and calling the captain to the bridge. After destroying the object, he attended a department heads meeting in the briefing room where they discussed their findings. As the encounter ensued, he coordinated with the engineering decks.
Shortly after the Enterprise destroyed the object, Kirk later noted that his times were slow, and recommended they program and repeat a series of simulated attacks and evasion maneuvers until they were proficient. As the training continued, Sulu interrupted and announced that a new, larger object (about a mile in diameter) was approaching. He subsequently had to carry out several orders that Kirk issued to then-navigator Dave Bailey, as Bailey was so shocked by the alien presence he wasn't responsive to commands.
As the contentious encounter continued, Sulu counted down the minutes to a threatened destruction of the Enterprise which turned out to be a bluff threat posed by the commander of the second object. After Kirk used his own bluff, the second object turned out to actually be a disguise for the much smaller First Federation starship Fesarius, under the command of an alien named Balok. Sulu ultimately witnessed the departure of the first of several navigators to leave after having sat next to him, as Bailey ended up volunteering to stay with Balok as the first representative of the United Federation of Planets to the First Federation. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
Best Episodes[edit]
- S1.E4 The Naked Time (Star Trek) Sep 29, 1966
- S2.E4 Mirror, Mirror (Star Trek) Oct 6, 1967