Star Trek’s original Sulu is navigating through space again… now as a large rock. The asteroid formerly known as 1994 GT9, located between Mars and Jupiter, has been renamed 7307 Takei in honor of George Takei. The actor tells The Associated Press he was honored to become a fixture of space, stating:
I am now a heavenly body. I found out about it yesterday. … I was blown away. It came out of the clear, blue sky — just like an asteroid.
Takei’s asteroid is about 5 miles in diameter and was discovered in 1994 by Japanese astronomers Takeshi Urata and Yoshisada Shimizu who are both prolific asteroid hunters. However, the name was suggested by Mount Holyoke University astronomer Tom Burbine. Professor Burbine tells TrekMovie.com why he lobbied for Takei’s celestial honor:
I have been a Star Trek fan all my life. One of the reasons for working in astronomy is my love of Trek. I also became a huge fan of George from his appearances on the Howard Stern Show where I learned about his public service and what a nice guy he is. I thought that a nice way to honor him would be to name an asteroid after him for all eternity.
Takei is not the first Trek alum to receive such an honor. The 4659 Roddenberry was named for Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, while the 68410 Nichols was named for Takei’s co-star, Nichelle Nichols (Uhura). Takei notes, though, that he and his castmates never sought such achievements:
[We were] privileged to work on a show that had this kind of a vision for our future, but we’re actors … Yes, we all lobbied … for a star on Hollywood Boulevard, but never a star up in the heavens.
Takei’s current coordinates
For more: see the original AP report and 7307 Takei’s entry at JPL.
Awesome.
Congrats, George!
I wonder what’s more interesting. Working with John Wayne or having an asteroid named after you?
Some people think it must be kind of a cool bragging thing to say, “they named an asteroid for me.” I don’t think so.
I mean, what if it’s that one killer asteroid coming for us and Billy Bob Thorton decides he has to send up Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck to blow it up? That wouldn’t be cool. Because I’m pretty sure that Bruce Willis is too freakin’ busy. Affleck can’t do it alone you know?
You wouldn’t want to worry about being associated with a killer asteroid. Would you? It be like having a disease named after you–which I never understood.
I say from now on we name asteroids after bad guys. Not good guys.
Then when the news comes that in 200,000 years the Earth may have to be worried about Darth Vader–a big ass asteroid–it will make some sense.
And people will certainly be willing to give donations to fight the disease hitler. Maybe if we did that some guy named Joe Chlamydia might be able to get a date more easily.
Name a body after many Trek characters. Their portrayal deserves this. For man a pro and non pro space what is out there person a link to finding an interest in real science if often through science fiction. “Go Sulu, GO!”.
regarding those asteroid movies of 1998 – Armageddon had a couple of Trek references in (in fact just about every Michael Bay movie has – The Island, Transformers) but with Deep Impact – I remeber thinking how awesome it would have been had they cast Shatner in the Robert Duvall role…not as a piss take or anything – just had him in that role playing it serious…
Just wonderful…. I’m so glad that these people, whom we all treasure, are being honored in such an appropriate manner.
^3. From the orbital diagram it looks like 7307 Takei can be expected to remain out of our way in the asteroid belt. If it ever dropped below the belt and came at Earth, we’d have to whip out our probe and 7307 Takei would take it up the asteroid until it blew.
The joke just gets longer is all. Now Kirk is like toilet paper because he battles Klingons around Uranus to save Sulu’s asteroid.
Helloooooo.
(^Takei on Family Guy reference.)
#3 NotBob – you are awfully funny so early in the morning (it’s not yet 7:00 am on the west coast anyway). What did you smoke for breakfast?
#8 good attempt, but too obvious.
Here’s hoping an asteroid doesn’t really come out of the clear, blue sky any time soon. :-P
Oh My, an asteroid sppeding towards Uranus
speeding even
Is 7307 the next number in line for the amount of asteroids thus discovered? I wonder who #1701 was named after.
#13 Driver — 1701 Okavango (formerly 1953 NJ) is a main-belt asteroid discovered by Joseph Churns in 1953. It was probably named for the Okavongo Delta in Botswana.
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=1701
Sorry, that’s Churms, not Churns
I should have googled that myself. I found the same answer – 1953 J Churms discovers asteroid #1701 Okavango. Which is indeed a river in Africa.
#3
I’m sorry for my fascism, but it bugged me too much. Aren’t Asteroids by definition not a threat, because they are on a stable solar orbit in an Asteroid Belt? I thought the ones that were potentially harmful were called Meteors.
^17. Meteors are objects burning up in the atmosphere seen as a streak of light. Meteoroids are such objects that survive and are found on the ground. Asteroids are not confined to the asteroid belt.
eek. Apparently I am mistaken. I spoke before research.
Does any of us not have anything to do?
@18 Meteoroids?
Is 7307 Takei Hollow and Can You Touch Its Sky?
# 20 Then, what are you doing? By the way, it should have been “DO any of us…….” That’s your English lesson of the day.
#23
Good Lord. Thanks for making my point. Now go tape your glasses. That’s your “don’t be such a dweeb” lesson for the day.
#24 Thanks, I needed that. Now I am going to go find something to do. Bye.
People here know about asteroids, too?
I used to love playing Asteroids at the arcade. But it was hard to maneuver the ship, so I would spin around shooting until I got blasted.
#8. CmdrR
I am crying… too funny. :)
wasn’t a crater on the moon or mars also named after someone from star trek?
Can someone remind me where that “Oh My” of his came from? I know I remember hearing him say it, but can’t for the life of me remember where.
Was it in Trek, or some place like Family Guy or the Shatner Roast?
He’s said it at conventions and appearences many times.
I think the crater was named after Nancy.
George is a happy guy. Good for him!
Takei said, “Oh My” on 3rd Rock from the Sun when he guested as himself at a Star Trek convention. He said that when he saw the hotel bill.
He gets an honor and some people make crude jokes about him because of his sexuality.
Yep, unbelievably cool.
number 33, are just you homophobic, or didnt any of your parents children live……
“Oh my…”
good on ya Goerge, and congrats!
Re, “Oh my”
I remember hearing it on the Howard Stern show all the time.
Takei was a guest frequently a few years back.
34. Xena & Gabrielle – October 3, 2007
“number 33, are just you homophobic, or didnt any of your parents children live…..”
What are you babbling about? I said he should not be the brunt of crude jokes. How is that homophobic?
Some parents teach their children to read and even type…
perhaps the SARCASM was beyond you?
#34 Xena…
I’ll take that apology now…
Anthony, I get warned over a “tongue” remark…..and you’re allowing “Uranus” jokes?? C’MON!!!
we are sorry…thought u meant it the other way about!
I’m the 40th!!!!!!!
I don’t know what’s so great about stating where I post; but apparently some posters get tickled silly over pointing out the blatantly obvious. And I just proved that I cannot be an twit by showing that I attended college. I did so with the cunning use of the semicolon. And it is a fact that it is a punctuation mark that really only serves the purpose of showing that you spent at least some time time in college.
Snake – October 3, 2007
I like Shatner and all…and I hope to oneday write a script that has William Shatner playing a fictional version of himself. In it Shatner watches the Matrix and is fascinated by the name Keanu. Not the actor himself, mind you. Just the name. He says it over and over again in an overexagerated slow kind of way. You know, “Keeeee aaaa nuuuuuuu.” Keanu Reeves will not be in the script, but I would like to have Kevin Bacon make a cameo. Not as himself but as a video store owner. And just for like a minute. It’ll either be a big hit or no one will go to see it. Oh, yeah, and Bruce Campbell has to be in it too.
With that said, I disagree. I think at that time Shatner may have distracted too many people in that particular movie. Besides I mean it’s Gus from Lonesome Dove!
Although, now that remakes are all the rage, why not redo the Twilight Zone the movie again? Have Shatner play the guy who sees the Gremlin on the plane?
9. JBS – October 3, 2007
I assure you I did not smoke anything other than Winstons for breakfast. I did have a hell of a time picking out what wine goes best with corn flakes though (ok I ripped of Geroge Carlin. Sue me.) But on a more somber not I was “let go” from my job, (“let go” is a nice way of saying they didn’t want to pay for emplyees anymore) so I have free time until I get a phone call from one of the many places I have applied to. So, I plan on being goofy.
Ah ha ha, love the Takei
#40 Notbob
LMAO!! Very funny! After having the wine, are you sure you meant to type Notbob, or was it supposed to be NUTJOB???
Love your rants!
# 30
Takei also says “oh my” in his voice performance for the “Star Trek: Shattered Universe” video game for the PS2. It’s actually kinda funny because he says it after the mirror sulu shouts something in a maniacal voice to the effect of “I won’t stop until I reduce your ship to a shattered burning WRECK!”
Then normal Sulu then says “oh my” and the battle begins.
There, I’ve gotten my geek on for the day!
#39 Xena and Gabby,
Apology accepted.
Congrats George!!! You are one class act.
Met Takei and Koenig in Milton Keynes, England last weekend.
Takei doing great biz due to his role in Heroes, $40 an autograph.
Koenig not doing so well i.e. no one interested in him.
Nelix, Troi and the Holo Dr just looked embarrassed by the lack of support.
Star Trek is finished people – and the new movie will put the nail in the coffin.
You can’t re-boot the franchise – because my children think it’s crap.
See u guys in another 20 years when we are talking about the OS.