George Takei blasted Donald Trump for treating nuclear policy "as some game" in an editorial for The Daily Beast Wednesday. This comes after he recently wrote a tweet in response to the president-elect's remarks on Twitter and MSNBC about the need to strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal. 

"It’s hard to believe he needs reminding, but nuclear weapons are not toys, nor are they chips to be wagered in some kind of high stakes poker match," the actor wrote in The Daily Beast. "I am among a dwindling number still around who remember the first time atomic weapons were used — at that time to end a terrible world war."

Takei reflected on his own family's loss after the devastation caused by the U.S. atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in 1945. He revealed that his aunt and cousin were "among the over one hundred thousand" left dead following the aftermath of the bombing of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final stages of World War II.

Bearing in mind the loss and global danger posed by nuclear proliferation, Takei condemned Trump's tweet and subsequent comments in December regarding U.S. nuclear policy. The former reality TV show host wrote on Twitter that America "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes" on Dec. 22, and followed up by calling for an "arms race" in an interview with MSNBC on Dec. 23.

Nuclear policy experts share Takei's concerns about the president-elect's statements, according to NBC News. Though Trump's transition team has attempted to downplay his comments, arguing that he meant only to emphasize the importance of avoiding nuclear proliferation, experts worry that Trump may inadvertently launch an arms race when he assumes office.  

"The sudden reversal by Mr. Trump not only walks us back from this vision [of a nuclear-free world]; it replaces it with a threat of further escalation and instability," Takei went on to write in The Daily Beast. "Paired with his equally cavalier talk about proliferation — suggesting that nations such as Saudi Arabia and Japan should acquire nuclear weapons—we are perilously close to uncorking the genie from the bottle for good."