With Star Trek: Beyond hitting theatres in just a few weeks, actor John Cho has officially revealed that the new movie will be taking a big step forward by changing the sexuality of one of its core characters. The new movie will apparently reveal that Sulu is gay, but instead of making a big deal about it, they have decided to handle it in a rather casual manner: by showing a family photo of him together with his male spouse and daughter. The choice to make Sulu gay was obviously intended as a nod to George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series and movies and also came out as gay in 2005. Takei has since become a well-known LGBT activist and one might assume that he would be delighted with this development. Unfortunately it seems that is not the case. Here’s what Takei had to say about it:

“I’m delighted that there’s a gay character. Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate… I told [Cho], ‘Be imaginative and create a character who has a history of being gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, suddenly being revealed as being closeted.'”

So it would seem that Takei’s objection has to do with the fact that Sulu is a closeted gay character who kept his sexuality a secret. However, since the new movies take place before the original series on an alternate timeline, I’m not sure his argument totally holds up. Simon Pegg, who was one of the writers on the new film, has since responded to Takei’s comments:

“He’s right, it is unfortunate; it’s unfortunate that the screen version of the most inclusive, tolerant universe in science-fiction hasn’t featured an LGBT character until now. We could have introduced a new gay character but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character,’ rather than simply for who they are and isn’t that tokenism?

Justin Lin, Doug Jung and I loved the idea of it being someone we already knew because the audience have a pre-existing opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice. Their sexual orientation is just one of many personal aspects, not the defining characteristic. Also, the audience would infer that there has been an LGBT presence in the Trek Universe from the beginning (at least in the Kelvin timeline), that a gay hero isn’t something new or strange. It’s also important to note that at no point do we suggest that our Sulu was ever closeted, why would he need to be? It’s just hasn’t come up before.”

George Takei wishes they would have stayed loyal to Roddenberry’s original vision, but Pegg argues that his vision was also a compromise based on the current views at the time. For the record, Zachary Quinto has also stated that he is “disappointed by the fact that George was disappointed.” What do you think, should they have introduced a new gay character or does it make a stronger statement when it is a primary cast member? Should they have listened to George Takei or is he missing the point here?