George Takei has clarified his position on Sulu being gay in the new Star Trek film.
The creators behind Star Trek: Beyond revealed fan favorite character Sulu would be gay in tribute to Takei, and the monumental announcement was met largely with praise.
But the unlikely criticism came from the original Sulu actor.
Takei took to Facebook to clarify what he meant when he voiced his ‘displeasure’, and he insists it was just a disagreement as to how he personally would have introduced a LGBTI character.
By Joe Morgan – Full Story at Gay Star News
What I said on FB about this a few days ago:
The Star Trek franchise or the writers or producers are not taking any sort of risk in outing a loved character – Takei did that in the real world for them. All they’re doing is riding on his coat tails and saying, essentially, “You know the original actor for Sulu is gay, so we’ll just say the new Sulu is gay and everyone will think we’re being brave and cutting edge”, when really they’re not taking any active risk at all. Everyone’s respect for Takei gives them a clear run. He tested the ground for them, and made it safe.
It’s… well, it’s weak. Patronising and weak.
If they really wanted to be audacious and strike a blow against homophobia, to take a step towards a future where LGBT characters are just men and women doing their jobs and are not being defined by their sexuality, then make a rebooted Kirk gay. At least it would be a less safe option, more of a significant step and less tokenistic.