George Takei was just one of many people taking part in the 40th annual Pride Parade in Seattle, Washington this past weekend. The activist, known best for his role as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, served as the parade’s Celebrity Grand Marshal. The parade started along Seattle’s Fourth Avenue at just about 11:00 A.M.

“Well 40 years ago, what seemed unimaginable, today is reality,” Takei said. “We look forward to the day – I think this decade – when we will indeed have the United States of America.”

Rapper Macklemore also made a surprise appearance at the parade. One of his recent hits with Ryan Lewis is called Same Love. It talks about the hate of prejudice and how the love that two people–any two people–share shouldn’t be judged. He was met with loud cheers from the Pride Parade watchers.

Two hundred groups took part in Seattle’s Pride Parade. The city’s first openly gay mayor–Ed Murray–served as community grand marshal.

The first parade was held 40 years ago on a budget of just $500. Some of the original organizers of that event were in attendance on Saturday.

Check out these shots of both George Takei and Macklemore in Seattle’s Pride Parade.

In addition to being a huge gay rights activist and a Star Wars icon, George Takei is also known for making lots of silly puns which find their way all over the internet. He is an avid public speaker about his family’s experience in a Japanese-American war camp, too.

So how do you pronounce George’s last name? That’s a really popular question. It’s ‘Ta-KAY.’ The 77-year-old has likely corrected other people’s pronunciation of his name throughout his entire life.

Kudos to George Takei, Macklemore, Mayor Ed Murray and more for making Seattle’s 40th Pride Parade a huge success. The parade is likely part of the reason the city was recently named the ‘most friendly LGBT city’ in America.

Image via Facebook