Actor and Internet sensation George Takei turned 75 on Friday.

For nearly 50 years, George Takei has been famous for his portrayal of Hikaru Sulu on the original '60s television show Star Trek. Takei appeared as Sulu for three seasons and six subsequent movies.

After Star Trek, Takei continued to act and perform voice-overs. Yet, like many members of the cast, his identity remained synonymous with Star Trek. It wasn't until Takei started his Facebook page on March 23, 2011 that his fame took on a whole new dimension.

Takei posts funny photos, memes and other positive content to Facebook multiple times a day, and these posts see massive engagement. Many of his posts are submitted by readers. With 1,624,780 likes on Facebook and 348,019 Twitter followers, Takei has reinvented himself as social media celebrity. (For the record, his Star Trek co-star William Shatner has roughly 145,000 Facebook likes.) While Takei has amassed a sizable following on social media, his rate of engagement might be his most impressive digital achievement.

It's not uncommon for one of Takei's posts to receive up to 50,000 likes and 30,000 shares. There are very few celebrities who regularly see engagement numbers as high as Takei's. Even Rihanna, the most liked person on Facebook, doesn't hold a clear advantage over Takei when it comes to engagement.

Rihanna boasts 54 million Facebook likes — roughly 53 million more than Takei — yet her posts attract similar engagement numbers. Takei's Facebook fans are an extremely responsive group.

Rihanna recently posted a clip from her new movie Battleship, which received roughly 20,000 likes and 1,800 shares. By comparison, a recent video from Takei doing a "Happy Dance" received 30,000 likes and 10,000 shares.

How Did George Takei Become a Social Media Superstar?

The simple answer is: Takei knows his audience very well. While he has expanded his following through strong involvement in the gay rights movement (his It's Ok to be Takei initiative, for instance) and Asian American groups (he is on the board of the Japanese American National Museum), his core fan-base consists of Star Trek fans who appreciate Takei for his self-aware humor. Takei gives his audience exactly what they want, which regularly includes Star Trek jokes and other references from geek culture.

@GeorgeTakei You make me smile everyday, thank you. Have a marvelous birthday Mr. Takei! — Wendy C (@meeknowit) April 20, 2012

It has been established that positive posts are far more popular on Facebook than negative ones. Takei seems to understand this. He puts a cheerful spin on his Facebook posts and tweets — and his audience is clearly responding.

@GeorgeTakei Happy birthday, sir. Thank you for making me smile most days, and for disliking Twilight as much as I do. — Nancy Clanton (@NancyClanton) April 20, 2012

Take a look at some of the best posts from George Takei. Also, help us wish him a happy birthday below!

15 Hilarious Memes Shared by George Takei

Wish George Takei a Happy 75th Birthday

Create a photo, meme or graphic to wish George Takei a happy birthday. Be creative and make your image embody the Takei style of humor.

Upload your photo to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Instagram or the photo-sharing service of your choice, and drag and drop it in the picture widget below, OR

Tweet your photo to @mashablehq with the hashtag #MashTakei .

We will gather the entries and post them in a gallery for George Takei to see.

Use your own image or one of these to create your Takei birthday wish:

Thumbnail courtesy of Flickr, Gage Skidmore.