George Takei Is Coming to Somerville

Ask anyone which Star Trek star they’d most like to hang out with, and odds are good they’ll say George Takei. The star who played Captain Kirk’s loyal helmsman on the USS Enterprise is arguably even more popular today than former co-stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

Takei’s giant fan base might have something to do with his connection with younger generations. Even those unfamiliar with Star Trek can find something to love on his Facebook, where Takei curates a top-notch collection of Internet memes. If you aren’t following the page yet, make it so.

Next Monday, you can meet Mr. Sulu himself when Takei visits Somerville for a special screening of his documentary, To Be Takei, hosted by the Boston Asian American Film Festival. Takei will take part in a Q&A after the screening at Somerville Theatre.

The documentary is an all-inclusive look at Takei’s life, both personal and professional. If the phrase “only gets better with age” applies to anyone, George Takei is a prime example.

At 77, Takei has much life experience to share, having truly gone where no other stars of his time have gone before. Since the ’60s, he has stepped far outside the box of “that Asian American actor on Star Trek.”

In 2005, Takei revealed that he was gay and in a long-term same-sex relationship. He has since been a strong advocate for gay rights. Earlier this year, he put on his serious hat again to give a talk at TEDxKyoto about being forced into internment camps as a child during World War II.

Still not impressed? Watch his talk—titled “Why I Love a Country That Once Betrayed Me”—below. His moving and insightful assessment of what it means to be a patriot will likely win you over. (Resistance is futile.)

$25, Monday, November 3, 7 p.m., Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, baaff.org.