George 'Mr. Sulu' Takei addresses grads

HONOLULU, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- George "Mr. Sulu" Takei told University of Hawaii graduates his series "Star Trek" did not do a bad job of predicting the technical future.

Takei, 68, pointed out when "Star Trek" began its TV run in the 1960s, people used typewriters to write letters, slapped on a 13-cent stamp on the envelope and put them in the mailbox, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported Monday.

"But on 'Star Trek' we communicated instantaneously," he said. "We sent and received information across the galaxy through an amazing device that we called our console.

"Fast-forward 40 years, and we recognize that equipment as our computer, today found on every desk in any office or home.

"On 'Star Trek' we walked around wearing a fantastic device on our hip. Whenever we wanted to talk to someone, wherever we were, we'd tear it off, flip it open and start talking," he continued. "That futuristic gadget has now become a very real nuisance."