George Takei, 'Star Trek' icon, talks about telling his family's story — in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II — in a chamber-music work to premiere in Moab.

Something I can scratch off my bucket list: I got to interview one of my childhood heroes, George Takei.

Yes, I’m a Trekkie (not a Trekker, thank you), old enough, barely, to have watched “Star Trek,” the original series, in its first run on NBC from 1966 to 1969. I was 4 1/2 years old when the show aired its final season.

Coincidentally, Takei was 4 1/2 when he and his family were forced to sell their Los Angeles home and relocate to an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. His family were imprisoned — call it what it was — in California and Arkansas during World War II. Even after the war, Takei said, his family dealt with hardships and more racism when they returned to L.A.

Takei has told his family story in many forms, including a memoir, a Broadway musical (“Allegiance”), and a comic book. On Sept. 4, his story will be told through a chamber-music work, “Lost Freedom: A Memory,” being composed by musician/composer Kenji Bunch, that will have its world premiere at the Moab Music Festival. Takei will be there in person, narrating portions of the work.

Read my interview with Takei and Bunch here, at sltrib.com. (Yes, one must be a subscriber to read the story — so this is the perfect time to become a subscriber.)