ElaborateBackstory™
So my muse doesn't get jealous of Lynn's Uhura. :)
Hikaru Sulu is the son of Ted & Mizuki Sulu. Tetsuya "Ted" Sulu, a third-generation Japanese American from Hawaii, is a research professor in atmospheric physics and boasts some Filipino heritage, as evidenced by the Sulu surname. Mizuki Sulu née Onizuka, also a Japanese American, is a quantum physics researcher and hails from California. Her father Ben Onizuka worked in the film industry near Los Angeles, but he retired to a rural farm town near the San Francisco area where Hikaru visited him often as a child. Ben was named after Ben Kuroki, a World World II airman, and hearing this story is how Hikaru first became interested in flight. Spending summers on his grandfather's small farm also sparked his love of plants as well as his fascination with space. Though San Francisco is home to Starfleet headquarters, it was in the country where Hikaru could see the majesty of space with his own eyes.
Hikaru would describe his past as "unremarkable"; by his reckoning, he had led a relatively normal, happy, uneventful life, prior to the Narada incident. He was a serious student and a fast learner. He skipped high school, and by 20 he had finished his graduate work in astrophysics and botany. His parents weren't thrilled with his enlisting in Starfleet, though they understood why since there were great opportunities for astrophysicists, especially planet-side. They were very supportive of his academic pursuits and various hobbies like fencing, but he kept his flying lessons secret from them for years. They thought flight, even on Earth, was a far too dangerous occupation for someone who could be so successful (and much safer) in a science lab. It wasn't until he told them he had passed the starship helmsman test at the Academy that they found out about his plans to serve aboard a starship. His first assignment as helmsman would be aboard the Enterprise on her maiden voyage.
One incident in Hikaru's life, however, was less conventional. His best friend since childhood was Laura Fairlie. Practically inseparable from the age of 7, they remained close even after Hikaru began college. By the time they were 18, their feelings toward each other had changed, and they began dating. A year later, they were engaged. Though he dreamed of exploring space on a starship one day, Hikaru focused on finding positions in Starfleet that would keep him on Earth after they were married. Two months before the wedding was to take place, however, Laura called off the engagement. She told Hikaru that she didn't feel right about it, that she felt she wasn't where she was supposed to be-she wished she could explain it better, that she was so terribly sorry, that she loved him-she always would, that she hoped he would understand and one day be able to forgive her. Heartbroken, he didn't understand, but he did forgive her. They were both 20; perhaps she just wasn't ready. Cold feet seemed too cruel a word for it. A part of him wanted to believe she would change her mind, but he knew that more than their engagement was over. Shortly thereafter, Hikaru decided to take the helmsman exam and began his training for the position on the Enterprise. He had his first love to fall back on, at least.
He was able to get over his feelings for Laura rather quickly. Losing her friendship fully eclipsed the broken engagement. In the year following their split, the only news they've heard of each other has been communicated through their family and mutual friends. At times, he wonders what she's heard, if anything, about the Narada incident. If she's heard, she hasn't tried to contact him. Over a year later, though, Hikaru still avoids talking about this part of his life, even with his friends, if he can help it. Few even know he was ever engaged, particularly anyone that didn't know him before the breakup. It's something he would much rather forget-the time he almost married his best friend. Consequently, Hikaru hasn't pursued any romantic relationships and is much more cautious in forming close friendships.
Hikaru Sulu is the son of Ted & Mizuki Sulu. Tetsuya "Ted" Sulu, a third-generation Japanese American from Hawaii, is a research professor in atmospheric physics and boasts some Filipino heritage, as evidenced by the Sulu surname. Mizuki Sulu née Onizuka, also a Japanese American, is a quantum physics researcher and hails from California. Her father Ben Onizuka worked in the film industry near Los Angeles, but he retired to a rural farm town near the San Francisco area where Hikaru visited him often as a child. Ben was named after Ben Kuroki, a World World II airman, and hearing this story is how Hikaru first became interested in flight. Spending summers on his grandfather's small farm also sparked his love of plants as well as his fascination with space. Though San Francisco is home to Starfleet headquarters, it was in the country where Hikaru could see the majesty of space with his own eyes.
Hikaru would describe his past as "unremarkable"; by his reckoning, he had led a relatively normal, happy, uneventful life, prior to the Narada incident. He was a serious student and a fast learner. He skipped high school, and by 20 he had finished his graduate work in astrophysics and botany. His parents weren't thrilled with his enlisting in Starfleet, though they understood why since there were great opportunities for astrophysicists, especially planet-side. They were very supportive of his academic pursuits and various hobbies like fencing, but he kept his flying lessons secret from them for years. They thought flight, even on Earth, was a far too dangerous occupation for someone who could be so successful (and much safer) in a science lab. It wasn't until he told them he had passed the starship helmsman test at the Academy that they found out about his plans to serve aboard a starship. His first assignment as helmsman would be aboard the Enterprise on her maiden voyage.
One incident in Hikaru's life, however, was less conventional. His best friend since childhood was Laura Fairlie. Practically inseparable from the age of 7, they remained close even after Hikaru began college. By the time they were 18, their feelings toward each other had changed, and they began dating. A year later, they were engaged. Though he dreamed of exploring space on a starship one day, Hikaru focused on finding positions in Starfleet that would keep him on Earth after they were married. Two months before the wedding was to take place, however, Laura called off the engagement. She told Hikaru that she didn't feel right about it, that she felt she wasn't where she was supposed to be-she wished she could explain it better, that she was so terribly sorry, that she loved him-she always would, that she hoped he would understand and one day be able to forgive her. Heartbroken, he didn't understand, but he did forgive her. They were both 20; perhaps she just wasn't ready. Cold feet seemed too cruel a word for it. A part of him wanted to believe she would change her mind, but he knew that more than their engagement was over. Shortly thereafter, Hikaru decided to take the helmsman exam and began his training for the position on the Enterprise. He had his first love to fall back on, at least.
He was able to get over his feelings for Laura rather quickly. Losing her friendship fully eclipsed the broken engagement. In the year following their split, the only news they've heard of each other has been communicated through their family and mutual friends. At times, he wonders what she's heard, if anything, about the Narada incident. If she's heard, she hasn't tried to contact him. Over a year later, though, Hikaru still avoids talking about this part of his life, even with his friends, if he can help it. Few even know he was ever engaged, particularly anyone that didn't know him before the breakup. It's something he would much rather forget-the time he almost married his best friend. Consequently, Hikaru hasn't pursued any romantic relationships and is much more cautious in forming close friendships.