12 Star Trek Characters Who Changed The Most

3. Sulu

Seven of Nine Jeri Ryan
CBS

Hikaru Sulu has been a staple of Star Trek since the second pilot episode, appearing in blue alongside Scotty, Spock and Kirk. For much of the original series, he didn't have an awful lot to do. The attached photo is one of his most memorable scenes certainly, standing out among the waves of shouting that the ship is going to warp.

Sulu would not truly come into his own until the movies began. His role in the Motion Picture may have been small, but this expands in the Wrath of Khan before being given a slightly meatier role in the Search for Spock.

This Sulu is not just fiercely loyal to his shipmates, but is also integral in breaking McCoy out of jail. He manages to use his charm to get around the guard, while also teaching the man a lesson to never call him tiny. The Voyage Home sees him piloting an old helicopter while the Final Frontier sees him lost in the woods with Chekov.

Captain Hikaru Sulu however is the man to open the Undiscovered Country, giving the character his greatest arc in the franchise. His loyalty remains, along with a sense of duty and daring. At the time in the movies, the Enterprise and the Excelsior were the two most well known ships in the fleet, coming together to tackle the Klingons.

Sulu, after the main players, was the character from the original series with the most potential, thankfully given his time to shine.

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Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick