It’s been a he-said, he-said sort of dialog about Star Trek Beyond’s Sulu and his sexuality, and George Takei is once again addressing the situation.
A brief history: Sulu is gay. George Takei wasn’t pleased. Simon Pegg explained his rationale. Zachary Quinto was disappointed by the disappointment. And Pegg addressed Star Trek canon.
And now Takei is speaking up again, to clarify his position and to let everyone know he understands why Pegg and the Beyond team decided to go in the direction they did.
Taking to his Facebook Wednesday morning, Takei decided to set the record “straight.” (The man cannot resist a good pun.)
He first emphasizes that he is not disappointed by the fact there is a gay character in Star Trek, but rather that Sulu has ended up being that gay character. As he has stated previously, he would have rather seen a new character established as gay in order to fully explore this person’s backstory, rather than place the title on someone whose story would now be reinvented. He believed this would have been more impactful.
As many have argued, however, this would not necessarily be the case. Bringing in a new LGBT character would, in fact, define them by such a label. Having a long-established character be revealed as LGBT would show both new and old fans that the character’s inherent appeal would not change just because they were now established as gay.
Takei’s concerns seem to be more about keeping Roddenberry’s original ideas in place, and the former Sulu actor emphasizes that although the creator had wanted LGBT characters to be a part of the franchise, the time in which the series took place did not allow that.
But it’s allowed now. It’s accepted, even expected, and many fans would like Takei to see that changing Sulu’s character still honors Roddenberry — it honors his vision of an inclusive and tolerant society, even if that vision was rejected in his time.
At the end of the day, Takei agrees to disagree, and his final thoughts are both mindful and sweet: “I wish John Cho well in the role I once played, and congratulate Simon Pegg on his daring and groundbreaking storytelling. While I would have gone with the development of a new character in this instance, I do fully understand and appreciate what they are doing — as ever, boldly going where no one has gone before. Star Trek will live long and prosper.”
Read his full message below:
