As a teen I was, of course, a total fan of ST:TOS. "Mr. Sulu" was always my favorite character, next to Spock. When I heard that Frank Chin's "Year of the Dragon was going to be broadcast (on PBS, IIRC) I told my folks I had to see it. No surprise, I thought it was great. The production was very theatrical, by which I mean it was shot pretty much as a stage performance with mostly (or entirely) interior sets. No big budget here. It told the tale of a modern Chinese-American family living in Chinatown and struggling to deal with various social and family issues.
Takei played the "angry son" type of character and I believe Pat Suzuki played his sister. They were both great. I especially remember a really funny scene where the elderly, very traditional grandmother suddenly pulls out a joint and sits there smoking pot while George & Pat look on amazed. "Recreational Drug Use" was nothing new in old China! It was shown as meaning grandma's not all she seems and NOT as some comment on Western Imperialism or the Opium Wars, etc.
Years later, in July 1985, I was still a HUGE ST fan and of Sci-Fi in general. But in no way connected to the fan community that had been growing since the mid-70's. So I took a chance and went to my 1st ST Con held in the old Marriot down by National Airport that serves Wash., D.C. There were maybe 300-500 people there. Nothing like Cons are today. After, the main guest (Mr. Takei) had spoken he would sit behind a small table and greet, autograph, maybe field a question from each and EVERY fan in that long line. George was great! My turn came, and instead of asking ST-stuff like everybody else I told him how much I liked "Year of the Dragon." You should've seen his eyes light up! He made a few brief remarks back including, "Yes, that was some of the best work I have ever done!" And in fact, George probably had more lines in that one teleplay than he had in his entire ST oeuvre! So if you're a ST fan or a fan of Takei you really should make an effort to track this down. There's more of his acting here than the entire ST Series (sadly) and it is a fine play. Enjoy!
Takei played the "angry son" type of character and I believe Pat Suzuki played his sister. They were both great. I especially remember a really funny scene where the elderly, very traditional grandmother suddenly pulls out a joint and sits there smoking pot while George & Pat look on amazed. "Recreational Drug Use" was nothing new in old China! It was shown as meaning grandma's not all she seems and NOT as some comment on Western Imperialism or the Opium Wars, etc.
Years later, in July 1985, I was still a HUGE ST fan and of Sci-Fi in general. But in no way connected to the fan community that had been growing since the mid-70's. So I took a chance and went to my 1st ST Con held in the old Marriot down by National Airport that serves Wash., D.C. There were maybe 300-500 people there. Nothing like Cons are today. After, the main guest (Mr. Takei) had spoken he would sit behind a small table and greet, autograph, maybe field a question from each and EVERY fan in that long line. George was great! My turn came, and instead of asking ST-stuff like everybody else I told him how much I liked "Year of the Dragon." You should've seen his eyes light up! He made a few brief remarks back including, "Yes, that was some of the best work I have ever done!" And in fact, George probably had more lines in that one teleplay than he had in his entire ST oeuvre! So if you're a ST fan or a fan of Takei you really should make an effort to track this down. There's more of his acting here than the entire ST Series (sadly) and it is a fine play. Enjoy!
