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MARCH 8, 2022 - Hikaru Sulu, you likely remember, was a trained pilot, a starship navigator, and the captain of theUSS Excelsior. So, when the United States Air Force Academy needed a speaker for its annual National Character and Leadership Symposium, perhaps it only made sense to invite the man who embodied Captain Sulu, George Takei.

Given Takeis activism on behalf of Japanese Americans and the LGBTQ+ community, perhaps it also made sense for him to speak to this years theme, Ethics and Respect for Human Dignity, which he did back on February 23, according toUSAFA Public Affairs.

Takei kicked off the event and came right to the point, speaking to cadets about the insidious nature of racism and militarism, and [saying] true democracy is impossible without promoting human rights. Takei has long been an advocate for human rights, being a gay man and havingbeen imprisoned with his family in two different internment camps, in Arkansas and Northern California, during World War II.

The latter experience is the subject of his graphic novel,They Called Us Enemy, which has been part ofreading programs at the USAFAand is required reading for freshmen. The Academy also has the Spectrum Club, a support network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning cadets and their allies, with whom Takei had dinner during his visit.

Takei noted during his address that the country must come to terms with its past mistakes if it hopes to achieve respect for human dignity, and he said, progress comes in little bursts.

For more on George Takeis address, head over to theUnited States Air Force Academy.

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Star Trek's George Takei speaks on democracy and human rights at U.S. Air Force National Character and Leadership Symposium - Daily Star Trek News