10 Behind The Scenes Reasons For Star Trek Characters' Quirks

10. Sulu Wields A Rapier

The Naked Time was an early episode of the Original Series, which centered on a virus that makes those infected act drunk and, yes, it was as ridiculous as it sounds. If it's ringing a bell for you, that's because the idea was copied wholesale for The Next Generation's third episode, The Naked Now.

Despite how absurd it all is, George Takei is incredible here. He was approached early into filming by director Marc Daniels, who informed him that Sulu would be removing his shirt and going berserk in the episode. In addition to this, he would wield either a Samurai sword or a fencing foil. Takei asked him to select the latter, citing the reason that while a Samurai sword would be culturally appropriate, by the 23rd century a man should be free to pick his hobby regardless of his ethnicity.

For the next three days, Takei spent all of his free time practicing with the weapon and doing as many push ups as possible. He recalled an incident where James Doohan very nearly found himself skewered when he stepped around a corner at the wrong moment. This story spread across the lot and, per Takei, the fear in Shatner's eyes was very real during their showdown on the bridge!

This is now an iconic image, thanks entirely to a savvy choice by George Takei.