George Takei portrayed Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek television series from the 1960s. Now actor John Cho portrays the iconic character in the newer Star Trek movie franchise, this time involved in a same-sex relationship.
Takei seemed unhappy by this move, according to fans and many news outlets. However, the openly-gay actor says his recent comments were taken the wrong way. After saying it was unfortunate for the character to be portrayed that way, he clarified what he meant on his Facebook account.
“Let me be clear: I am not disappointed that there is a gay character in ‘Star Trek‘. On the contrary, as I made clear, I am delighted that the ‘Star Trek‘ franchise has addressed this issue, which is truly one of diversity. It is thrilling to know that future generations will not see LGBTs go wholly unrepresented in the Trek universe,” the actor explained.
Takei continued, “On the specific question of Sulu being gay, when I was first approached with the concept, I responded that I hoped instead that Gene Roddenberry’s original characters and their backgrounds would be respected. How exciting it would be instead if a new hero might be created, whose story could be fleshed out from scratch, rather than reinvented. To me, this would have been even more impactful.”
The writer and director of Stark Trek Beyond wanted to pay homage to Takei by making Sulu gay. Takei said he was flattered, but felt it went against Gene Roddenberry’s vision, who is the creator of the original Star Trek.
The 79-year-old actor wrote, “While I understand that we are in an alternate timeline with the new ‘Trek‘ movies, for me it seemed less than necessary to tinker with an existing character in order to fulfill Gene’s hope of a truly diverse ‘Trek’ universe…”
Concluding his detailed post, he added, “But ‘Star Trek‘ has always pushed the boundaries and opened new opportunities for actors, including myself. I am eternally grateful to have been part of this incredible and continuing family.”