Three actors have already been cast for the upcoming CBS sci-fi series "Star Trek: Discovery," and one of them is said to be gay.
According to Entertainment Weekly, actors Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp will be joining actress Michelle Yeoh as one of the first set of actors revealed in the forthcoming TV show based on the renowned sci-fi franchise.
With all the rumors going on about Yeoh's character in the series, it already has been confirmed that she will be playing as the Starfleet Captain of the spacefaring vessel Shenzhou named Captain Georgiou.
Joining the spaceship Shenzhou's Starfleet Captain is the Starfleet Science Officer named Lt. Saru, who will played by actor Doug Jones. The character is said to be an alien species never before seen in the "Star Trek" universe. This is actually quite fitting since he played the role so well as Abe Sapien from the "Hellboy" film series and his portrayal of Fauno or Pale Man in "Pan's Labyrinth."
Anthony Rapp, on the other hand, will be taking the role of Lt. Stamets, the Starfleet's astromycologist, which is a fungus expert - in space, of course. He was one of the Starfleet Science Officers assigned to the Starship Discovery. The character is also confirmed to be one who will be gay.
Tackling on the issue of homosexuality in the Star Trek series, the film "Star Trek Beyond" already confirmed Lt. Sulu's sexuality, which is a rather bold move made from the directors and producers. It's no surprise, however, that this move has received a lot of backlash since it was already considered too late to reinvent the character in such a way due to the fact that Sulu's character stretches all the way back to the classic series.
George Takei, the actor well-known to have portrayed the original Sulu, still hopes that the franchise will be conceptualizing another gay character instead of just reinventing preexisting ones.
Former executive producer Bryan Fuller has already been adamant in putting a gay character in the series in spite of the numerous backlashes they initially received.
"Star Trek: Discovery" will be premiering on May 2017 on CBS Access.