Hikaru Sulu was born in the 23rd century (Memory Alpha says 2237, but we must note that actor ages and character ages do not necessarily correspond) in San Francisco, California. In the second Star Trek pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, Sulu was introduced to the USS Enterprise as an astrophysicist, but soon moved to the helmsman’s position, there to remain. (”Where No Man Has Gone Before” was the third episode to air, so Sulu appears to switch positions somewhat randomly at first!)

Sulu rose in rank later, and eventually became a captain in Star Trek VI, commanding the USS Excelsior.

Sulu is a talented pilot — he has piloted the Enterprise, various shuttlecrafts, a Klingon bird of prey, and a Huey helicopter. He has also shown skill at fencing, or at least waving a sword around and intimidating people with it. Evidence suggests that he is interested in botany, as he worked with carnivorous plants at one point (in “The Man Trap”) and briefly tried to interest Lt. Kevin Reilly in botany shortly before “The Naked Time”.

Sulu’s ancestry is slightly unclear. His first name is Japanese, but his surname is the name of a province in the Philippines. In “Shore Leave”, he accidentally causes the creation of a samurai by thinking about it, which suggests Japan again. Finally, his daughter Demora (introduced briefly in Star Trek: Generations) is played by an actress of Korean parentage who is not remotely Japanese or Filipina. The answer is probably that the Sulus are mixed-race, which would make sense as Sulu’s family has apparently been in the U. S. A. since some time in the 20th century.

Here’s a list of good Sulu episodes in the original series, and why they’re good:

“The Man Trap”

Sulu has a brief scene with the Yeoman Janice Rand, his carnivorous plants, and the episode’s monster. Not a major part, though.

“The Naked Time”

Sulu goes berserk with a fencing foil. Possibly the best Sulu moment ever.

“The Enemy Within”

Sulu is in charge of a landing party stranded on a freezing planet. He nearly freezes to death, but continues cracking (weak) jokes.

“Shore Leave”

Sulu is among the crew members who beam down to explore a planet on which their thoughts and desires become reality. While there, he finds an old-style gun of the type he’s always wanted, is chased by a samurai, and in the end walks off with a beautiful woman on each arm (he does better than Kirk!)

“The Squire of Gothos”

Sulu is kidnapped by a supernatural being and turned into a statue.

“Tomorrow is Yesterday”

A highly improbable time-travel storyline makes it necessary to seek out and destroy photographic evidence of the Enterprise’s accidental visit to the 20th century. Sulu and Kirk beam down to take care of it.

“The Return of the Archons”

Makes a very brief appearance at the beginning of the episode. He is beamed aboard the Enterprise seconds after he has been taken over by the computer program that is running the planet he was exploring. He proceeds to creepily talk about paradise. The scene is short, but I consider the ruffles on his collar worth it.

“This Side of Paradise”

The entire crew of the Enterprise, under the influence of mysterious “spores,” deserts the ship. Sulu is one of the deserters, and has a decent role.

“Mirror, Mirror”

Kirk, McCoy, Uhura and Scotty wind up in an alternate universe where savage, violent and cruel behaviour is the norm. In this universe, it seems, Sulu is very normal. He sexually harasses Uhura and tries to murder Kirk. Great episode.

“Wolf in the Fold”

A being that lives on fear is on board the Enterprise, so the entire crew is pumped full of drugs to prevent their becoming frightened. Short version: This is your Sulu on drugs.

“And The Children Shall Lead”

A group of possessed children control the Enterprise by making the crew hallucinate that their worst fears are coming true. Sulu is apparently afraid of knives flying at the ship. Priceless acting from Mr. Takei.

“Day of the Dove”

See Sulu become the only male crew member who doesn’t fight with a sword in this episode. Decent role, pretty bad episode.

“The Tholian Web”

Kirk’s gone, so everyone on the ship gets a little more screen time.

“That Which Survives”

Sulu stands in for Chekov. No, I’m not joking. He discusses Russian history, stammers “but she’s so beautiful!” when attacked by a beautiful woman, and screams for Kirk to come and rescue him when faced with danger. Awesome episode.

“Turnabout Intruder”

One of Kirk’s exes takes over his body and proceeds to act weird. When Spock finds out what happened, he starts a mutiny. Sulu takes part.

(Note: Sulu was in more episodes, but these are particularly memorable ones.)

Sulu’s most notable appearances in the Star Trek movies are:

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

The famous line “Don’t call me tiny,” which George Takei didn’t like but which many fans love, was uttered in this film immediately after Sulu neatly beat up a much larger man. What struck me, though, was that in the same scene Sulu very calmly, as though he does this every day, shoots the control panel which apparently works the doors of the room. Cool.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Some people love this movie, others hate it. I’m not altogether sure which group I belong in. I do know, though, that the scene in which Sulu pilots the shuttlecraft into the Enterprise was a) cool and b) later utterly ripped off by the new Battlestar Galactica. Tsk tsk.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

It’s Captain Sulu! He lies to Starfleet Command, shouts at his officers, and blows up Klingons. He may possibly be the best part of this movie.