We gratefully acknowledge distributor Movie Zyng/AV Entertainment, who provided the product for this review.
Beam Me Up Sulu is a charming and interesting documentary, ostensibly the story of Yorktown: A Time to Heal, a lost Star Trek student film starring George Takei (Star Trek’s Hikaru Sulu), but ultimately covering a lot of thematic ground around its subjects. The documentary is notably exec-produced by Eugene Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
Back in the 80s, the world of Star Trek was reinvigorated, thanks to its successful reboot as a series of motion pictures following up on the original television series from the late 60s. It was in this time frame that a group of student filmmakers set out to develop a fan film. This in and of itself was nothing extraordinary or unusual, but for one fascinating deviation:
Somehow, inexplicably, the scrappy crew got the real Sulu to join their cast.
Not only that, they managed to pull in veteran actor James Shigeta as well. Both actors, of Japanese descent, took interest in the project due to its scrappy director, a young Asian aspiring filmmaker named Stan Woo.
This story of how this unfolded is quite endearing and fun to watch, playing not only as a love letter to Star Trek but to amateur guerrilla filmmaking as well, and for the first half of the film, I’m sure I had a big grin on my face.
The film lies at the intersection of two stories: George Takei and Star Trek fandom, and it dives headlong into both tangents.
Takei’s story is fascinating; especially as he has been a key voice for representation – first as an Asian actor, then later in life after coming out as a gay man. As a youth, Takei’s family was interned during World War II, which deeply impacted his identity both as an American and as “other”. The documentary is framed around the story of the student film which Takei took part in, and how that film was lost, found, and completed, but it turns out the real story here is (in my opinion) the celebration of Takei, and his motivations for helping a young Asian filmmaker, as part of a bigger picture of what he’s about.
The film also expends similar effort into a celebration of fandom, but this Convention-level view feels tangential and the film starts to lose steam, though I did latch onto an important theme: Star Trek has always been attractive to people who feel like outsiders, and that’s a feature, not a bug. It’s part of the show’s DNA, and creator Gene Roddenberry’s inclusive and humanist worldview.
Packed with interviews of both the student creators as well as known Star Trek personalities, Beam Me Up Sulu is a celebration of Star Trek, but through a specific lens: the franchise’s unique push for positive societal change, and the fan community that’s fueled by that sentiment. It’s an exploration worth making, and not just for Trekkies.
The Package
Beam Me Up Sulu is now available on MOD Blu-ray from Tribeca Films.
Special Features and Extras
For viewers who wish to keep the conversation going after the credits roll, the disc has generous bonus features including 90 minutes of expanded interviews.
Notably missing from the extras is the short film itself, Yorktown: A Time to Heal. Presumably this is for copyright reasons concerning the film’s use of Star Trek characters and properties. (The film can be watched on Youtube).
- Trailer (2:13)
- Bonus Interviews (1:31:15):
- George Takei (19:09)
- Eugene Roddenberry (10:29)
- Garrett Wang (18:09)
- Alexander Siddig (16:01)
- Christina Chong (9:19)
- Ian Alexander (9:44)
- Chase Masterson (8:20)
- ‘Yorktown’ Behind the Scenes Slideshow (2:20)
A/V Out
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Beam Me Up Sulu Blu-ray – Buy Direct at Movie Zyng
