Out actor Zachary Quinto is
disappointed with George Takei's response to the decision to make
Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise, gay in Star Trek
Beyond.
In promoting the upcoming film while in
Australia, John Cho, who plays Sulu in the movie franchise rebooted
by JJ Abrams in 2009, told the Herald Sun that Sulu is seen in
the film raising a daughter with his same-sex partner and that the
decision to make the character gay was a nod to Takei, who played the
character in the original NBC series and came out gay in 2005.
Takei told The Hollywood Reporter
that he had encouraged the cast and crew of the film to “create a
character who has a history of being gay, rather than Sulu, who has
been straight all this time, suddenly being revealed as being
closeted” and called the decision “unfortunate.”
“As a member of the LGBT community
myself,” Quinto
responded, “I was disappointed by the fact that George was
disappointed.”
“I get it. He [Takei] has had his own
personal journey and has his own personal relationship with this
character but, you know, as we established in the first Star Trek
film in 2009, we've created an alternate universe. And my hope is
that eventually George can be strengthened by the enormously positive
response from especially young people who are heartened by and
inspired by this really tasteful and beautiful portrayal of something
that I think is gaining acceptance and inclusion in our societies
across the world, and should be.”
“Come on, George,” he added.