BEAM ME UP, SULU Needs a Little More George

BEAM ME UP, SULU (Blu-ray)

2025 / 90 min

Tribeca Films

Available at MovieZyng

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Fanboy😺

Not that this isn’t worth seeing (especially for Trekkies), but the title is somewhat misleading. Beam Me Up, Sulu suggests a documentary about George Takei himself. Considering his place in Trek history, to say nothing of his current status as an LGBTQIA+ icon, a feature length biography seems overdue.

While some of it certainly is biographical - and the best part of the film - Beam Me Up, Sulu tackles three different Trek related subjects. The most amusing is the resurrection of Yorktown: A Time to Heal, an unfinished fan film from the ‘80s conceived by film student Stan Woo, who was forced to abandon the project to focus on his studies. Still, he managed to wrangle Takei himself to participate, as well as another legendary Asian actor, James Shigeta (probably best-known on this side of the pond as Takagi from Die Hard). In addition to chuckleworthy footage of the film itself, several other participants are interviewed.

The film also delves into Star Trek’s history of erasing racial barriers and boasting the concept of inclusiveness to present an optimistic vision of the future. Lengthy segments feature interviews with other Trek actors and fans at conventions, who discuss how the show’s commitment to representation inspired them. While certainly enjoyable, this is where the film treads pretty familiar ground that has been covered plenty of times elsewhere over the decades.

"Of course, I have my own trailer."

By far, Beam Me Up, Sulu is most compelling when focusing on Takei, who candidly reveals his harrowing childhood years in a Japanese internment camp, the challenges facing Asian-American actors in an era when most available roles played into cultural stereotypes, his motivation for coming out as gay, and of course, what Star Trek meant to his career, as both an actor and role model. He also discusses his reasons for agreeing to appear in a cheap fan film while the Trek franchise was still flying high. His life is interesting enough to warrant an entire film.

In that respect, Beam Me Up, Sulu sort of short-changes us, perhaps biting off a little more than it can chew. Overall, the film is very entertaining, even inspirational at times, but the biographical segments are so powerful that scenes depicting efforts to complete Woo’s old fan film, engaging as they are, might seem anti-climactic. And it’s too bad the finished 24-minute short isn’t included (at least as a bonus feature), because it looks like a real hoot.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - Additional interview footage featuring George Takei, Eugene Roddenberry, Garrett Wang, Alexander Siddig, Christina Chong, Ian Alexander, Chase Masterton.

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