Directors’ Statement

“Where I come from, size, shape, or color makes no difference.”
—Captain James T. Kirk

Sixty years ago, Gene Roddenberry wrote these words into the script of Plato's Stepchildren, an episode of a show called Star Trek that was soon to be canceled by NBC. The line is delivered by Captain Kirk, reassuring a disenfranchised person on an alien world that Earth, in his time, has moved past prejudice. A skilled and visionary writer, Roddenberry had written more poetic dialogue and crafted more groundbreaking ideas; indeed he probably thought this one to be somewhat self-evident. But, aired in the turmoil of 1960s America, they were powerful words. Six decades later that message of inclusivity resonates through Star Trek's enduring popularity, and through the documentary film we have spent 4 years working on.

A show that ran for just three seasons in the 1960s has since spawned 12 spin-off shows, 13 feature films and millions of devoted fans from around the world. One of those fans is Stan Woo who, in 1985 at the age of 21, set out to make his own Star Trek film, not just in tribute to the show he loved but actually starring his childhood hero: actor George Takei, who graciously and extraordinarily agreed to reprise his role as Lieutenant Commander Sulu for Stan's film. Stan and his crew toiled on this labor of love - a film of questionable quality but unquestionable heart - for 36 years, through mishaps and misunderstandings, in the face of financial struggles and unspeakable tragedy, and finally released their film in 2022. When we heard their story, we were moved to tell it.

Much like the crew of the USS Enterprise on their voyage of exploration, we are making Beam Me Up, Sulu to answer a question. It's a question that was sparked by Stan's story and it's a question you yourself may have contemplated at one time or another, perhaps upon seeing a trailer for yet another Star Trek movie, or maybe while suspiciously eyeing someone dressed in a Starfleet uniform on the way to a convention: Why does Star Trek mean so much to so many people?

In trying to answer this question, we have interviewed actors and academics, writers and producers, and fans of all stripes, young and old, with and without disabilities, people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We have spent two years and a good deal of our own money capturing footage on our own strange new worlds, from Las Vegas, Nevada to London, England.

We believe that the answer to that question lies in the film we have created and that it offers a window to a brighter future, just as Gene Roddenberry’s creation did sixty years ago. We invite you to discover it for yourself and, in the words of Mr. Spock,

May you live long and prosper.

Timour Gregory & Sasha Schneider
Directors, Beam Me Up, Sulu