Star Trek Thursday

Tim Russ (center) performs with Diana Perkins on percussion and vocals, Jim Martin on beatbox and Bill Burchell (not pictured) on keyboards and vocals.

The Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo hosted an outdoor concert by the Tim Russ Crew and a screening of “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” on July 27. The band, led by actor Tim Russ (Tuvok on “Star Trek: Voyager”), performed a mix of pop, rock, blues, old school and roots music. John Esaki of JANM served as emcee. Actor/activist George Takei introduced the 1991 film, in which his character, Sulu, is captain of his own ship, the USS Excelsior, and emphasized the need for the “Star Trek” philosophy of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations” in today’s political climate. He also noted that JANM’s original home, the former Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple building on First and Central, was the place where local Japanese Americans had to assemble in 1942 before being taken to camp by bus. Takei and Russ worked together in a 1996 episode of “Voyager” titled “Flashback,” in which it is revealed that Tuvok served aboard Sulu’s ship during the events of “Star Trek VI.”

Photos by J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo

Actor/activist George Takei hugged Tim Russ before introducing “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” the last movie to feature the entire cast of the original series.

Tim Russ signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans, some of them dressed in Starfleet uniforms.