We Must Learn From History, Says Takei

He's guided the Enterprise through the stars, but George Takei was a little more down to Earth when he took part in an online chat to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage month.

During the chat, organised by the Washington Post, Takei was asked for his thoughts on the standing of the Asian American community, particularly in light of the release of the film 'Pearl Harbor.'

"I have yet to see the film, 'Pearl Harbor,' but there is great unease in the Asian American community over its potential repercussions," said Takei. "I understand that the attack sequence is very dramatically depicted. Movies can very effectively rouse emotions that can trigger violent reactions in some of the less stable people in this country. In recent times, we have seen some cases of irrational racial violence perpetrated by radical extremists. I sincerely hope that 'Pearl Harbor' will not generate such reactions and actions."

Takei implored people worldwide to try to learn from the mistakes of their ancestors. "I hope you know that when Pearl Harbor was bombed, American citizens of Japanese ancestry were dramatically impacted," he said. "We were put in American concentration camps. Today, there still are yahoos ignorant of this history and make threatening calls to organizations like the Japanese American Citizens League because of its press conference on the potential impact of 'Pearl Harbor' on Asian Americans. We must learn from history and try to make the America of today a better nation."

The actor spoke about the positive influence of his role as Sulu, and how it was only a first step on the road for greater recognition of Asian Americans in the entertainment industry. "Today, we have many gifted Asian American writers, directors, cinematographer and other artists in the industry," Takei said. "What we need to do is grow an audience for roles and subject matter that represent the Asian American experience."

The complete transcript, in which Takei talked about some of his own experiences during the war as well as the craft of acting, can be found here at the Washington Post's website.

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