NEW YORK — USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu is portrayed as gay in “Star Trek Beyond,” but George Takei, who originated the role, isn’t pleased.
A scene in the upcoming film plainly presents Sulu, played by John Cho, with a male spouse raising an infant daughter. Cho told Australia’s Herald Sun that he liked that the approach doesn’t “make a big thing” out of it.
But Takei, who came out in 2005, called the decision “unfortunate.” The 79-year-old actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn’t like the character being altered. Takei instead urged the filmmakers to create a new gay character.
Screenplay writer Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin said they intended to pay homage to Takei as an LGBT activist. In a statement Friday, Pegg said he “respectfully (disagreed)” with Takei.
– The Associated Press
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.