Were Hikaru Sulu and his daughter estranged?

[The Rock]

At the beginning of Star Trek: Generations, when Kirk and Chekov meet Demora Sulu, Kirk said to her, "Your father must be very proud" to which she replied "I hope so, sir" in a somewhat somber manner.

It makes me wonder if she and her father weren't on speaking terms at that point. For one, he wasn't even there to celebrate the Enterprise-B's maiden voyager with her. But OK, let's say that he was on a mission on the Excelsior and couldn't make it, right? Well, that exchange of dialogue seemed to me as if she hasn't even told him about her post as the helmsman on the freakin' FLAGSHIP of the Federation since she said that she hoped he was proud of her. That scene always made me kind of sad!

Was there ever a novel that gave any insight about the nature of their relationship with each other?

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Was there ever a novel that gave any insight about the nature of their relationship with each other?

The big one is The Captain's Daughter by Peter David. He tells the story of Demora's life up until the time of Generations and all the ups and downs of her relationship with her father. Highly recommended.

 

[The Rock]

The big one is The Captain's Daughter by Peter David. He tells the story of Demora's life up until the time of Generations and all the ups and downs of her relationship with her father. Highly recommended.

Will do! So I take it, according to that book, they had a tumultuous relationship?

 

[JonnyQuest037]

And I haven't seen the scene in ages, but I read Demora's attitude as more that she was really nervous about meeting THE Captain Kirk for the first time since she was a child. But the idea that she & her father were estranged at the time is an interesting possibility.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

So I take it, according to that book, they had a tumultuous relationship?

At times, yeah. The impressive thing that David did in that book was that he incorporated the continuity of the TOS movies and he still found a way for Hikaru to not be an absentee father 90% of the time. I think it's telling that David has several daughters himself, so he may have done a fair amount of writing from life there.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Will do! So I take it, according to that book, they had a tumultuous relationship?

According to "The Captain's Daughter":

Spoiler: Demora's Origin

Demora was the product of a one-night stand Sulu had on shore leave and never knew about her existence, until she was 7-ish when her mother died and she specified that Demora went to live with him

With that backstory, it makes their relationship understandable, as well as the apparent lack of closeness between them in GEN.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Ignoring the novels - with no disrespect to any of their many fine authors - and just going by screen canon, it seems to me that they probably were *not* estranged. Or at least, nowhere nearly as estranged as Kirk was from his son David, because Kirk wonders aloud about how Sulu found the time, and since Kirk *did* have offspring, it seems to me that he must've been reflecting on time to actually be a parent that is in a child's life.

I took her comment to have more to do with the nature of relationships between parents and their children in many Asian cultures - in my experience, at least, outright expressions of approval are less common than in Western societies because they want their kids to continue striving and not rest on their laurels.

 

[Pauln6]

Demora features in the Phase II fan episode World Enough and Time with Sulu.

 

[Tenacity]

or one, he wasn't even there to celebrate the Enterprise-B's maiden voyager with her

Might not have been her first posting,

the freakin' FLAGSHIP of the Federation

What leads you to believe that the Enterprise B is a flagship?

 

[The Rock]

Ignoring the novels - with no respect to any of their many fine authors - and just going by screen canon, it seems to me that they probably were *not* estranged. Or at least, nowhere nearly as estranged as Kirk was from his son David, because Kirk wonders aloud about how Sulu found the time, and since Kirk *did* have offspring, it seems to me that he must've been reflecting on time to actually be a parent that is in a child's life.

I took her comment to have more to do with the nature of relationships between parents and their children in many Asian cultures - in my experience, at least, outright expressions of approval are less common than in Western societies because they want their kids to continue striving and not rest on their laurels.

Ah, good point!

Might not have been her first posting,What leads you to believe that the Enterprise B is a flagship?

Cause I figured it was the newest and most advanced ship at that time.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I just took it as Demora had been busy at the Academy and Sulu was most likely off on some adventure aboard Excelsior, unable to be there when the Enterprise-B launched So, not really estranged, per se, just busy

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Demora was always closer to her other father, Ben, because Hikaru was on deployment for five-years at a time.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

^ Can't be Demora, unless she either entered Starfleet far later in life or had difficulties making Ensign for years.

 

[Pauln6]

^ Can't be Demora, unless she either entered Starfleet far later in life or had difficulties making Ensign for years.

Many astronauts only train after years working in other professions. McCoy, Chapel, and Rand possibly fall into this category, so there is no reason to suppose Demora couldn't be older.

That said, Kirk seemed completely unaware of her existence, which suggests she was born after the end of the second 5 year mission. Unclear why, while working for Kirk in TWOK and beyond that why she wasn't mentioned to Kirk though.

 

[Jayson1]

One thing to take from that scene is Sulu and Kirk are kind of estranged. He doesn't know much about his daughter and hasn't seen her since she was young which must be 20 plus years ago from that moment in time. Perhaps they have a feud that matches Shatner and Takei's.


Jason

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Many astronauts only train after years working in other professions. McCoy, Chapel, and Rand possibly fall into this category, so there is no reason to suppose Demora couldn't be older.

That said, Kirk seemed completely unaware of her existence, which suggests she was born after the end of the second 5 year mission. Unclear why, while working for Kirk in TWOK and beyond that why she wasn't mentioned to Kirk though.

When Kirk and Chekov discuss the former meeting her, Chekov indicates a height just out of shot, which would make her a child twelve years earlier (when the meeting occured). If the E-B is her first posting, she'd be around 22, so minus four years at the Academy that would make her about 10 in 2281.

 

[Timo]

Which of course is perfect for allowing Sulu some time outside the starship bridge, as the Enterprise is being refitted and her officers possibly enjoying some well-earned leave in the 2270-72 brackets.

But Kirk unaware of her existence? Nope, he has merely forgotten, and recalls after a bit of prompting, including recalling the specific time he first/last met her. Nothing to suggest that he would have been unaware in 2281, either, or surprised much, or anything. It's just that Sulu's lifestyle is alien to Kirk...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Jedman67]

Demora Sulu was raised by Hikaru's parents in Belarus after the attack on Khitomer.

 

[Ronald Held]

Kirk has other things on his mind to distract him,such as not being His ship.

 

[Pauln6]

Which of course is perfect for allowing Sulu some time outside the starship bridge, as the Enterprise is being refitted and her officers possibly enjoying some well-earned leave in the 2270-72 brackets.

But Kirk unaware of her existence? Nope, he has merely forgotten, and recalls after a bit of prompting, including recalling the specific time he first/last met her. Nothing to suggest that he would have been unaware in 2281, either, or surprised much, or anything. It's just that Sulu's lifestyle is alien to Kirk...

Timo Saloniemi

Yeah I was thinking of where he asks the others when Sulu had time for a family. It's a bit sad if this implies that none of the others ever had families.