Two weeks from now, Star Trek Beyond will go where no Star Trek has gone before… it will open to audiences worldwide with a franchise first: an openly gay character.
Hikaru Sulu (famously portrayed by George Takei) will venture into uncharted territory as he becomes the first known homosexual in the vast multi-world, varied species universe.
This update to the beloved character has not come without its share of respectful criticism, most notably from Takei himself.
In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Takei said, “I’m delighted there is a gay character. Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s (Roddenberry) creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate.”
Many cast members of Star Trek Beyond are supportive of the change, most notably the movies co-writer Simon Pegg. While saying he appreciated all Takei did for the original series, he “respectfully disagreed with him.” Pegg added that the movie’s creators “loved the idea [of a gay ‘Star Trek’ character] being someone we already knew because the audience have a preexisting opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice.”
John Cho, who plays the Sulu in the reboots, appreciated the approach “which was not to make a big thing out of it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, not to politicize one’s personal orientations.”
Only time will tell if this re-imagining will pay dividends in regards to paving new roads for additional LGBT characters in movies.
