Star Trek's Mr. Sulu ties the knot

When the California Supreme Court made the historic decision to strike down a ban on same-sex marriage earlier this year, Star Trek actor George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman, were some of the first in line for a license. This Sunday, September 14, the pair made it official in a Los Angeles ceremony that included nearly 200 of their friends.

George Takei and Brad Altman.

Takei and Altman chose to marry at downtown LA's Japanese American National Museum, and were joined at the altar by fellow Star Trek alumni Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols, who acted as best man and matron of honor, respectively. The Buddhist ceremony boasted some international flair thanks to Native American wedding rings, a bagpipe procession, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and more.

Civil rights activism has been a lifelong passion for Takei, whose family was held in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, and he views his marriage as another step in the movement for equality.

"We have a relationship that's been stronger and longer-lived than some of our straight friends, and yet we were not equal," Takei told the Associated Press. "What this does is give us that dignity; [it's] being part of the American system and being whole. We're making the American system whole as well, as America is becoming more equal."

That heartfelt sentiment went home with the wedding guests, each of whom was given an assortment of Japanese tea-ceremony treats packaged in boxes bearing the phrase "May sweet equality live long and prosper."

TV.com wishes all the best to the newlyweds, and invites you to share your congratulations in the comments section. Ain't love grand?