In the start of a new series of Lifechangers, Kevin Fong talks to three people about their lives in science.

His first conversation is with a man better known for his life in science fiction, George Takei, the Japanese American actor who played Sulu in the TV series, Star Trek. They discuss the voyages of the Starship Enterprise and the ideas of other worlds featured in Star Trek. He talks about his own epic life journey – how his family was imprisoned when the US joined the Second World War and his campaigning against social injustice.

Photo: George Takei making the Live Long and Prosper symbol, © Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images