George Takei: ‘I’ve spent two minutes longer in zero gravity than Shatner’

The Star Trek actor answers your questions on Leonard Nimoy, the bathroom facilities on the USS Enterprise and the correct way to eat kangaroo penis

George, you’ve lived long, how’s prospering going? MosesQuest
I’ll be celebrating my 89th birthday in less than two months, I’m enjoying life wonderfully, and here I am talking to the Guardian!

Do you have a beauty regime? Because – let’s be honest – you look great. TooMuchSpareTime
Well, thank you for the compliment. I believe in discipline. I do want to – as we say – live long and prosper. There were so many Sunday mornings I woke up groaning: “I’ll never do that again,” after debauched nights at college spent on the beer bus. I’ve learned that, if you take care of yourself, mother nature will be good to you. I was a marathoner. I started in my 40s, my husband, Brad, trained me, and I’ve done six in total. The last was the London marathon in 1991. London’s one of my favourite cities. You have to run over cobbles, so it was horrible on the ankles. I ended up aching all over, leaning on buildings for support. I recently had surgery on my foot, so I think that is life teaching me not to engage in any more crazy 26.2-mile runs for a while.

Would you have liked the opportunity to go to space like Shatner did? Ludders
I’ve spent two minutes longer in zero gravity than William Shatner. I was in Las Vegas, where they have zero gravity flights. You fly straight up, and the interior of the plane is covered with mattresses. The pressure is enormous – this crushing weight on your whole body, then suddenly your legs and your body start floating. We went in a parabolic pattern, so I was gravity-less for five minutes. Bill was only gravity-less for three.

The first blueprints of the Enterprise sold as fan merch famously showed no lavatories. Where did you boldly go? MissIdahoPotato
We make technological progress with each new development, whether it’s space travel or hygiene. What you have never seen is what it’s like underneath my console. I don’t have to get up at all.

How many kangaroo penises have you eaten since leaving I’m A Celebrity …? TurangaLeela2
I’m constantly learning in life. One thing I never thought I’d have to learn was how to chew on kangaroo penis. It’s a rubbery, leathery sort of thing. You chew and chew, and nothing happens, so you have to gnaw at it in small pieces. It’s very time-consuming. Eventually, you grind it down to the point where you can swallow a little piece. You take another piece, chew on that, and soften it up so you can swallow it. That’s how you do it: you keep on chewing.

Has Homer Simpson forgiven you for nearly killing him by serving him the deadly fugu sushi in the second series of The Simpsons? TopTramp
There was a famous kabuki actor [Bandō Mitsugorō VIII] who loved fugu, and had a special sushi maker. The poison is in a little sack under the gills. If the sushi maker quickly cuts near the top of the sack, the poison is completely removed. But a fugu connoisseur likes a little of that poison to come in, because you feel a bit of effervescent on your tongue, so that’s where the high comes from. But then you develop a resistance, so you ask the sushi maker to let a little more poison in before you cut the sack off. Mitsugorō died because he kept wanting more and more of that blast.

What was it like getting fired by Donald Trump on the US version of The Apprentice? Dr_J_A_Zoidberg
Donald Trump’s favourite word is “hoax”. Each team were given a department store’s show windows in New York to display Ivanka Trump’s designs for her purses, blouses and afternoon and evening outfits. Arsenio Hall came up with this great idea: get twins from a modelling agency, to give the illusion that they were changing outfit instantly, like a magic trick. I thought our idea was far more engaging and eye-catching, but the women’s team won, because it was Donald Trump’s game, and he controls it.

Would you consider running for president yourself? YorkshireExPat and NorthwichTom
You’ve seen the behaviour of Donald Trump. I’m nearly 89 years old. I enjoy my downtime, my afternoon naps, and a leisurely dinner. I am a good American citizen, and I do serve on some public commissions. But I don’t need to be president.

Which anecdotes about Leonard Nimoy still make you laugh? Raymonde
All the things that made Spock so fascinating as a half human/half alien were because Leonard was such a creative, imaginative and extraordinarily inventive actor. In the script, he had to greet a delegation of representatives from an alien planet by extending his hand. Leonard said: “Extending a hand is a very aggressive gesture, it should be something less threatening. The Jewish faith have this gesture with an open palm, to greet and say: ‘Live long and prosper.’”

The first season set up lots of facts about the Vulcan civilisation. He was being attacked by another alien, and the script had him punching the guy out. He said: “This is illogical. Why expend all this energy and risk tearing tissues and skin to incapacitate them? Spock wants to pinch the nerve centre that connects the brain to the rest of the body with his enormous Vulcan strength. All he has to do is pinch any adversary and they’ll collapse with no violence or broken bones or skin.”

Another aspect was his humanity. When they sold the rights to the Star Trek cartoon, the animation company hired Bill Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Majel Barrett [Christine Chapel] and Jimmy Doohan [Scotty], with Jimmy Doohan and Leonard Nimoy voicing all the other male characters and Majel Barrett all the female characters. Leonard said: “What is important about Star Trek is the diversity. Coming together, working as a team. The two people who most represent diversity are Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and George Takei as Sulu. If they can’t be a part of this show, it’s not Star Trek and I’m not interested in doing it.” It was amazing that an actor was willing to sacrifice a job for two of his colleagues. That says a great deal about Leonard Nimoy – his sense of integrity in using whatever leverage he had for the sake of his two colleagues.

Did fame come as a culture shock? RPDolan

At university, I won best supporting actor two years in a row. I was cast in one of the most prestigious shows on television, Playhouse 90, when I was still a college student. I’d been a working actor for five years when I had that interview with Gene Roddenberry [Star Trek creator], and I really wanted the role. Gene’s philosophy was a real inspiration, in that my character was Asian, but not in any way stereotypical as a buffoon or a villain, which was the role most offered to Asian actors. It was a joy to do Star Trek, but it wasn’t a sudden thing.

What advice would you give the younger George Takei? ACertainDonkey
Pay attention. Be inquisitive. Learn through life, and you will become like me …

What Star Trek lesson do we need to pay most attention to right now, with all the crises going on in the world? graciec
Leonard came up with a gesture that represents infinite diversity. It’s a great philosophy. If all of the people with different backgrounds, talents and histories can work together, society will be a better, richer, more vibrant and interesting place. But part of that diversity is evil. The good angels will defy the darker angels. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations is a philosophy that is very important and positive in contributing to a better society.

• Beam Me Up, Sulu is on digital platforms in the US from 17 February, and coming to the UK soon