Has Star Trek's Sulu Always Been Gay? It's Complited

Contents:

• HAS STAR TREK'S SULU ALWAYS BEEN GAY? IT'S COMPLITED
• SULU IS GAY IN 'STAR TREK BEYOND,' MAKG FRANCHISE HISTORY
• ‘STAR TREK BEYOND’ NFIRMS THAT HIKA SULU IS GAY
• GEE TAKEI LLS 'STAR TREK BEYOND' GAY SULU SCENE 'A WHISPER'
• ‘STAR TREK’ GETS ITS FIRST LGBTQ CHARACTER: SULU IS REVEALED TO BE GAY
• 'STAR TREK BEYOND'S SULU IS THE FRANCHISE'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER
• SULU IS AN OUT AND PROUD GAY MAN STAR TREK BEYOND, ACRDG TO JOHN CHOMUCH LIKE GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED THE ORIGAL SULU THE FIRST STAR TREK TV SERI.BY HILLARY BISJULY 7, 2016LEFT, OM CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAG; RIGHT, URTY OF PARAMOUNT PICTUR.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELOOKS LIKE STAR TREK BEYOND WILL BOLDLY GO WHERE NO STAR TREK FILM HAS GONE BEFORE: MELBOURNE’S HERALD SUN REPORTS THAT THE UPG MOVIE WILL PICT U.S.S. ENTERPRISE HELMSMAN HIKA SULU AS A GAY MAN RAISG A DGHTER WH HIS PARTNER. (VANY FAIR HAS REACHED OUT TO PARAMOUNT FOR NFIRMATN AND MENT, AND WILL UPDATE THIS POST ACRDGLY WHEN WE HEAR BACK.)SUCH A MOVE WOULD MARK A TONE FOR THE STAR TREK ANCHISE, WHICH, THOUGH FAMOLY TRAILBLAZG TERMS OF DIVERSY AND PROGRSIVE STORYL, HAS NEVER BEFORE FEATURED AN OPENLY GAY CREW MEMBER. JT DON’T EXPECT A DRAMATIC G-OUT MOMENT FOR SULU: “I LIKED THE APPROACH, WHICH WAS NOT TO MAKE A BIG THG OUT ,” ACTOR JOHN CHO, WHO PLAYS SULU THE NEW FILMS, TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “WHICH IS WHERE I HOPE WE ARE GOG AS A SPECI, TO NOT POLICIZE ONE’S PERSONAL ORIENTATNS.”CHO ALSO DITED THAT STAR TREK BEYOND SCREENWRER (AND -STAR) SIMON PEGG AND DIRECTOR JT L CID TO MAKE SULU OPENLY GAY AS AN HOMAGE TO GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED SULU ON THE ORIGAL STAR TREK SERI. (SULU WAS NEVER GIVEN A ROMANTIC PARTNER OF EHER SEX PREV STAR TREK RNATNS, THOUGH HE DID HAVE A DGHTER.) THOUGH CLOSETED DURG THE SHOW’S N THE 1960S, TAKEI ME OUT PUBLICLY 2005, WHEN HE REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN WH HIS PARTNER, BRAD ALTMAN, FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. THE PAIR MARRIED 2008.THE EXCG WORD ABOUT SULU’S ORIENTATN—AS WELL AS S LOW-KEY REVEAL—IS A NICE B OF POSIVE NEWS G OUT OF A PRS TOUR MARRED BY TRAGEDY: CHO, HIS ST, AND THE RT OF THE STAR TREK TEAM IS STILL GRAPPLG WH THE TRAGIC ATH OF THEIR RA ANTON YELCH, WHO DIED SUDNLY JUNE AT THE AGE OF 27. “IT’S VASTATG LOSG SOMEONE YOUR FAY,” CHO’S -STAR KARL URBAN TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “I’M HAVG A DIFFICULT TIME G TO GRIPS WH TALKG ABOUT HIM THE PAST TENSE—’S VERY RAW AND VERY PAFUL.”STAR TREK BEYOND OPENS JULY 22.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOHILLARY BIS
• GEE TAKEI: MAKG SULU GAY NEW STAR TREK IS 'REALLY UNFORTUNATE'

HAS STAR TREK'S SULU ALWAYS BEEN GAY? IT'S COMPLITED

On Thursday, the Herald Sun announced that the character Hika Sulu will be revealed to be gay Star Trek Beyond, which hs theaters July 22.

Gee Takei, who played Sulu the origal show and who has been a proment LGBT activist sce g out as gay jt over a ago, told the Hollywood Reporter that he has been agast revealg the character as gay sce he first heard was unr nsiratn last year. “I’m lighted that there’s a gay character,” Takei told THR. He believed ma more sense to create a new character who has always been gay, rather than brgg Sulu out of a prumed closet.

He said that he om a place of utmost rpect for Takei, and agre that ’s disappotg that “the screen versn of the most clive, tolerant universe science fictn hasn’t featured an LGBT character until now.” But he also exprsed a ncern, which he discsed wh L and -wrer Doug Jung, that a new gay character may have been perceived by the dience as a token gay character, “primarily fed by their sexualy.” Pegg believ Rodnberry’s cisn not to velop a gay character earlier was a product of his time, not of his visn. Their sexual orientatn is jt one of many personal aspects, not the fg characteristic.” Based on the movie’s timele, the cisn to make Sulu gay do not necsate his havg been the closet, Pegg explas, and prum that there has been an LGBT prence sce the begng of the anchise’s universe.

SULU IS GAY IN 'STAR TREK BEYOND,' MAKG FRANCHISE HISTORY

Hika Sulu is now known as the first openly gay character  Star Trek, but the character's sexualy hasn't always been so clear-cut. In 2005, 36 years after Star Trek: The Origal Seri end, Sulu's origal actor, Gee Takei, publicly me out as gay. Wantg to honor this legacy, Simon Pegg me up wh the ia of havg Sulu be gay  J.

‘STAR TREK BEYOND’ NFIRMS THAT HIKA SULU IS GAY

John Cho supported the ia, as did Zachary Quto, the actor who played Spock and who publicly me out as gay 2011. Why Takei Was Upset That Sulu Beme Gay. Takei publicly disagreed wh wrer and Stty actor, Simon Pegg about the plan to make Sulu gay.

While he wholeheartedly supported the cln of LGBTQ+ characters  Star Trek, he thought a new character should be created stead of makg Sulu nonilly gay. Pegg was also wary of Takei's advice to create a new character simply to fulfill the purpose of havg a gay character, as he thought that would lim the character to tokenism. Was Sulu Gay In The Wir Star Trek Canon?

The fact that his dghter existed many of the novels and gam don't preclu the possibily that Sulu might be gay. Abrams' Star Trek exist on different timel, 's possible to say that both a straight Sulu and a gay Sulu exist as part of the multiverse's non. One of the “Star Trek” universe’s most beloved characters is revealed to be gay the latt stallment of the inic anchise.

GEE TAKEI LLS 'STAR TREK BEYOND' GAY SULU SCENE 'A WHISPER'

“I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thg out , which is where I hope we are gog as a speci, to not policize one’s personal orientatns, ” he and Pegg’s cisn to pict Sulu as a gay man was a nod to Gee Takei, who played the role the origal 1960s “Star Trek” televisn seri and six subsequent films, Cho said. Takei, 79, me out as gay 2005, and has sce gone on to bee an outspoken advote for LGBT rights.

UPDATE: After news of this story broke, Takei lled the cisn to pict Sulu as a gay man “really unfortunate” a Hollywood Reporter terview. In a tribute to his ongog legacy as an in of the Star Trek anchise, wrer Simon Pegg and director Jt L cid make Sulu nonilly gay the upg movie. While Hollywood still has a long way to go terms of queer reprentatn, feels appropriate for Star Trek to be the first big sci-fi anchise to clu a gay character s ma st.

‘STAR TREK’ GETS ITS FIRST LGBTQ CHARACTER: SULU IS REVEALED TO BE GAY

Neverthels, Takei — who announced he was gay 2005  — was fully attuned to the gay equaly nversatn gag momentum at the time. Te to s tle, the latt big-screen outg, Star Trek Beyond, has gone where none have gone before: Star John Cho — who assum the Sulu mantle for the third time the reboots — has told Atralia’s Herald Sun that the character is revealed to be gay.

'STAR TREK BEYOND'S SULU IS THE FRANCHISE'S FIRST GAY CHARACTER

He had never asked for Sulu to be gay. “I’m lighted that there’s a gay character,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Takei tried to nvce him to make a new character gay stead. “I told him, ‘Be imagative and create a character who has a history of beg gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, sudnly beg revealed as beg closeted.'” (Takei had enough negative experienc si the Hollywood closet, he says, and strongly feels a character who me of age the 23rd century would never fd his way si one.).

SULU IS AN OUT AND PROUD GAY MAN STAR TREK BEYOND, ACRDG TO JOHN CHOMUCH LIKE GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED THE ORIGAL SULU THE FIRST STAR TREK TV SERI.BY HILLARY BISJULY 7, 2016LEFT, OM CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAG; RIGHT, URTY OF PARAMOUNT PICTUR.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELOOKS LIKE STAR TREK BEYOND WILL BOLDLY GO WHERE NO STAR TREK FILM HAS GONE BEFORE: MELBOURNE’S HERALD SUN REPORTS THAT THE UPG MOVIE WILL PICT U.S.S. ENTERPRISE HELMSMAN HIKA SULU AS A GAY MAN RAISG A DGHTER WH HIS PARTNER. (VANY FAIR HAS REACHED OUT TO PARAMOUNT FOR NFIRMATN AND MENT, AND WILL UPDATE THIS POST ACRDGLY WHEN WE HEAR BACK.)SUCH A MOVE WOULD MARK A TONE FOR THE STAR TREK ANCHISE, WHICH, THOUGH FAMOLY TRAILBLAZG TERMS OF DIVERSY AND PROGRSIVE STORYL, HAS NEVER BEFORE FEATURED AN OPENLY GAY CREW MEMBER. JT DON’T EXPECT A DRAMATIC G-OUT MOMENT FOR SULU: “I LIKED THE APPROACH, WHICH WAS NOT TO MAKE A BIG THG OUT ,” ACTOR JOHN CHO, WHO PLAYS SULU THE NEW FILMS, TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “WHICH IS WHERE I HOPE WE ARE GOG AS A SPECI, TO NOT POLICIZE ONE’S PERSONAL ORIENTATNS.”CHO ALSO DITED THAT STAR TREK BEYOND SCREENWRER (AND -STAR) SIMON PEGG AND DIRECTOR JT L CID TO MAKE SULU OPENLY GAY AS AN HOMAGE TO GEE TAKEI, THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED SULU ON THE ORIGAL STAR TREK SERI. (SULU WAS NEVER GIVEN A ROMANTIC PARTNER OF EHER SEX PREV STAR TREK RNATNS, THOUGH HE DID HAVE A DGHTER.) THOUGH CLOSETED DURG THE SHOW’S N THE 1960S, TAKEI ME OUT PUBLICLY 2005, WHEN HE REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN WH HIS PARTNER, BRAD ALTMAN, FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. THE PAIR MARRIED 2008.THE EXCG WORD ABOUT SULU’S ORIENTATN—AS WELL AS S LOW-KEY REVEAL—IS A NICE B OF POSIVE NEWS G OUT OF A PRS TOUR MARRED BY TRAGEDY: CHO, HIS ST, AND THE RT OF THE STAR TREK TEAM IS STILL GRAPPLG WH THE TRAGIC ATH OF THEIR RA ANTON YELCH, WHO DIED SUDNLY JUNE AT THE AGE OF 27. “IT’S VASTATG LOSG SOMEONE YOUR FAY,” CHO’S -STAR KARL URBAN TOLD THE HERALD SUN. “I’M HAVG A DIFFICULT TIME G TO GRIPS WH TALKG ABOUT HIM THE PAST TENSE—’S VERY RAW AND VERY PAFUL.”STAR TREK BEYOND OPENS JULY 22.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOHILLARY BIS

In other words, assumg non orthodoxy, this storyle suggt Sulu would have had to have first been gay and married, only to then go to the closet years later. Not long after Cho’s bombshell ll me another, this one om L, aga rmg him that Sulu was ed to be gay Star Trek Beyond.

Jt had talked to him!'” Takei was certa the creative team had rethought their cisn to make Sulu gay. Cho said was bound to e out that his character was gay, and “what should he do?” A disappoted Takei told Cho to go about his promotnal duti, but that he was “not gog to change” his md on the matter. “I really tried to work wh the people when at long last the issue of gay equaly was gog to be addrsed,” Takei says.

Takei for his part is hopg to take Sulu new directns as well, potentially on CBS’ upg Star Trek seri, slated to premiere January and -n by Alex Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller, who is openly gay. The reboot versn of Sulu is gay, we learned "Beyond, " the third of the new movi. Takei has said publicly he is agast the ia of Sulu beg gay, and he had plenty to say about here at the 50th anniversary Star Trek nventn Las Vegas.

GEE TAKEI: MAKG SULU GAY NEW STAR TREK IS 'REALLY UNFORTUNATE'

Takei would have preferred for the reboot filmmakers to create a new gay character. " Takei says he has agreed to disagree on the issue of gay Sulu wh the movie's -wrer Simon Pegg, wh whom he has exchanged emails. Wh the release of the upg Star Trek Beyond, the long-lived sci-fi anchise is gog to boldly go where ’s never gone before wh the revelatn that Hika Sulu — the helmsman of the Starship Enterprise played by John Cho — is gay.

Although the anchise has featured gut characters who have hted at same-sex relatnships onscreen (and spoff novels have featured gay characters), Sulu will serve as the first nonilly onscreen LGBTQ character the seri — but, wh the movie seri likely to ntue beyond Beyond and a new TV seri lnchg next year, hopefully far om the last. 'Star Trek Beyond's Sulu Is the Franchise's First Gay Character.

It's been nfirmed that USS Enterprise helmsman Litenant Hika Sulu is, fact, gay. That mak Sulu the first openly gay character the storied anchise.