George Takei Set for Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for Sci-Fi Spectacular!, 2/20-23

Hosted by George Takei and led by Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) presents Sci-Fi Spectacular!, Thursday, February 20 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, and Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22 at 8p.m. and Sunday, February 23 at 3p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

George Takei, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu in the acclaimed television and film series Star Trek, has become a social media phenomenon in recent years, with nearly 5.7 million Facebook "likes" and more than 900,000 followers on Twitter. Last performed for Baltimore audiences in 2008, the Sci-Fi Spectacular! features musical selections from science fiction's best films and television programs, including Star Wars, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Star Trek.

Actor, author, social media mega-power and social justice activist. George Takei has risen from internment camp inmate to one of the most recognizable voices in America, calling for equal rights and social change.

Born George Hosato Takei in April 1937, George was born in Los Angeles and lived the first few years of his life there. During World War II, however, George and his family were imprisoned in an internment camp named Rohwer in the swamps of southeast Arkansas, then later were relocated to a camp in the desolate, harsh region of Northern California called Tule Lake. George moved back to L.A. after the war, graduating from Los Angeles High School in 1956. He earned a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley in 1960 and an M.A. in 1964.

George began his acting career in the late 1950s, but his breakthrough role came in 1965 as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek. George starred in three seasons of Star Trek and, beginning in 1979, reprised his iconic role in six Star Trek movies.

In the 2000s, George increasingly became a symbol for and an outspoken advocate of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. As an openly gay man, he became a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's "Coming Out" project and in 2006, embarked upon a nationwide speaking tour called Equality Trek, where he talked about his life, his relationship with his now-husband Brad Takei and encouraging others to share their own personal stories. As the unofficial "King of Facebook," George now has nearly 5.7 million Facebook "likes" (and more than 900,000 Twitter followers), and uses his reach to continue to call for equal rights for the LGBT community, among other social justice issues.

Educating the public about the Japanese American internment during World War II is also a passion for George. In 2012, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, he starred in the musical Allegiance, a ground-breaking musical about the Japanese American internment. George calls Allegiance his legacy project and the musical is bound for Broadway in 2014.

Tickets range from $29 to $94 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

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