George Takei

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George Takei

Since I was very little, I grew up surrounded by Star Trek. Both my parents were fans, and my mother became a writer for science fiction magazines and interviewed dozens of actors and writers who worked for the show. My house was filled with Star Trek video tapes, action figures, magazines, and the occasional computer game. As such, when the first thing that I learned about Heroes was that George Takei was in it, I was more than a little excited. My mom had met him when she was only fourteen, and he is the only person who has the distinction of having an autographed picture of himself hanging up in my mom's office. In addition, I have always loved Japan and Japanese culture, so despite his insistence on not wanting to be viewed as a stereotypical Japanese person, that association endeared him to me.

Takei plays Kaito Nakamura, the father of one of the show's main characters, Hiro Nakamura. He first appears in Season One when Hiro and his friend Ando begin their quest to find the sword of Takezo Kensei, which will supposedly restore Hiro's powers. Takei is the head of the Yamagato Industries, a major company based in Tokyo, Japan, where, not so coincidentally, Hiro and Ando work. Once Hiro and Ando leave for the United States, Kaito finds himself in trouble with the shareholders of his company, who do not believe that someone who cannot even handle his own son should be in charge of such a large corporation. He attempts to bring Hiro back to Japan to save his company, but Hiro shows him that he has a worthy successor in Kimiko, Hiro's sister, who should be able to prove to the shareholders that the company is in good hands.

Takei first received an email back when Heroes had first begun that the show featured a Japanese person who liked Star Trek, so he started watching the series. He later got a call from his agent saying that the show's creators wanted him to audition for the part of Kaito. The rest is history. Of course, it is only appropriate for him to be Hiro's father, and it is great that the writers recognized this. He was the very epitome of the stern, powerful Japanese father in all the right ways, a role which I am sure he played partially from experience, from his family.

The entire dialogue between Hiro, Ando, Kimiko, and Kaito also revealed a lot about Hiro, specifically why he is so happy about his power. Clearly he is happy that he has some reason to escape from life working for his father. So Takei's character's introduction serves that major purpose, to give Hiro a greater background than that of just a cubicle worker. Plus, just hearing them talk, hearing Kaito and Kimiko chastise Hiro in that oh-so Japanese way was awesome. Even the little extra bit, with Ando trying to hug Kimiko and her response, a simple bow, was excellent. Takei's presence injected so much Japanese-ness in an already amazing show. Interesting, for someone who had originally refused to play a samurai in a famous Star Trek episode.

Aenedis
Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:01:52 +0000

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