Trekkies can reunite with former Star Trek actor and social justice activist George Takei on Oct. 7.
Accent Speaker’s Bureau, Pride Student Union and the Asian American Student Union chipped in to pay $45,000 for the Star Trek actor to speak during Pride History Week and Asian Kaleidoscope month, said Accent chairman Corey Flayman.
Takei is known for playing Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise on the Star Trek TV series.
"He’s going to talk about his activism for the LGBT community and his experience as an Asian-American," Flayman said.
At the event, which starts at 8 p.m., Takei will speak for 45 minutes, and then the floor will be open for student questions.
The Internet-famous actor was rated the No. 1 most influential person on Facebook in 2012 with more than 7.7 million likes, according to a press release.
Stephanie Wong, president of the Asian American Student Union, said she wants students to feel empowered at the event.
"He is an advocate for the Asian-American community, and he’s been through a lot," the 20-year-old UF political science junior said. "It’s great that these two minority communities are coming together to celebrate this event."
Students can pick up tickets to see Takei on Oct. 6 at noon at the University Box Office.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/26/2014]
