George Takei, the original actor who played Sulu, released a statement revealing that he is not too happy about the Starfleet officer "coming out" as gay in "Star Trek Beyond."
According to iDigital Times, the decision to make Sulu a gay character in "Star Trek Beyond" was a tribute to Takei, who came out as gay at the age of 68 and is known to be a LGBT rights activist. The actor was quoted as saying that he was "delighted" that there is now an LGBT character in the film; however, he felt that Sulu was not the right character for it.
Takei said that he would've preferred if the production team "[created] a character who has a history of being gay," and he also thought it was "unfortunate" that Sulu became the LGBT character. In "Star Trek Beyond," Sulu, who will be portrayed by John Cho, will have a husband and a daughter.
Takei's comment was respectfully disagreed by "Star Trek Beyond's" co-writer and actor Simon Pegg. According to The Guardian, Pegg said that they didn't want to create a new gay character because the character would be branded as "that gay character," and thus, he or she would not be credited for who they are and what they can accomplish as a person. They thought that Sulu already had an established reputation, so he won't be judged based on sexuality.
While this news is monumental as it is controversial, avid "Star Trek" fans would know that this is not the first time something revolutionary has happened in the "Star Trek" franchise, as the franchise featured the first interracial kiss on television between Kirk and Uhura.
With the change in Sulu's character, "Star Trek" once again breaks ground in the movie industry. Having Sulu as a gay character in "Star Trek Beyond" is even "less radical" than the interracial kiss, and it pleases the cast and crew as this characterization decision is met with great praise.
