YEAR OF THE DRAGON, THE (PBS 1/15/75) George Takei, Pat Suzuki, Keenan Shimizu, Conrad Yama, Doug Higgins, Tina Chen, Lilah Kan

A stirring portrait of cultural identity, family obligation, and generational conflict, The Year of the Dragon is a landmark American television play that first aired on PBS in 1975 as part of its acclaimed Hollywood Television Theatre series.

Adapted from Frank Chin’s powerful and provocative stage play, this groundbreaking production was one of the first nationally broadcast dramas to center the Asian American experience.

Chin’s edgy, unflinching story deconstructs stereotypes and shines a light on the complexities of life in San Francisco’s Chinatown. George Takei (of "Star Trek" fame) stars as Fred Eng, a sharp-witted tour operator who masks his disdain for the tourists while quietly struggling with the weight of his heritage and the suffocating expectations of his tradition-bound family.

Fred’s carefully controlled world unravels when his dying father stuns the family by revealing the existence of a long-hidden second wife—sparking an emotional reckoning that forces Fred to confront not just his father’s legacy, but his own place in a society that sees him as both insider and outsider.

Cast also includes Pat Suzuki, Keenan Shimizu, Conrad Yama, Doug Higgins, Tina Chen, Lilah Kan.

With poignant writing, authentic performances, and rare early representation of Asian American life, The Year of the Dragon remains a compelling, courageous, and relevant work—decades ahead of its time.