SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 – Star Trek’s Asian connections go back to the beginning, with George Takei’s role as Sulu in Star Trek: The Original Series. Those connections continue to spread, as one Asian country demonstrated recently.

According to Barron’s, Star Trek fans assembled in Beijing last weekend for the first official franchise fan gathering in mainland China. Taking place in a shopping mall, the event allowed attendees to take pictures with cutouts of Star Trek stars and see collectible figures on display. In the main event space, there were trivia contests and previews of an upcoming series on a Chinese streaming service.

Star Trek and science fiction generally are growing in popularity in China. One fan at the event noted about Star Trek, "It expresses the best imagination of mankind at that time about the future... For people of that generation, it wasn't about work or making money, but rather about self-realisation and achieving goals."

For more on Star Trek and science fiction in China, head over to Barron’s.