IDW are a publisher confident that this wave of momentum will continue following the release of the new film, so much so that they are ending their current Star Trek ongoing series and replacing it with a new series telling the further adventures of the USS Enterprise in the wake of the events in Star Trek Beyond. “I think it’s really unfortunate”. Times seem similarly dark.
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Film critic Walter Metz reviews Star Trek Beyond for this edition of SIU Reviews. “Star Trek is not just about literal exploration, but also the exploration of ourselves”.
What was supposed to be a progressive moment for blockbuster cinema got a little more complicated after it turned out George Takei wasn’t overly impressed with Sulu becoming gay in the rebooted franchise.
Earlier in July, the Australia-based Herald Sun reported that Hikaru Sulu, played by John Cho, would havea husband and a daughter in “Star Trek Beyond”. Nevertheless, Takei was vocally opposed to the revelation. But I was actually concerned that he wouldn’t like it for a different reason.
Speaking to Vulture’s E. Alex Chung, the 44-year-old actor disclosed that a scene was shot featuring Sulu and his husband (played by screenwriter Doug Jung) sharing a smooch. “I know that was hard, that he couldn’t come out and that he had crafted a straight character”.
What was meant as a gesture toward inclusion and diversity in the Star Trek universe became a mini-controversy in the weeks before Star Trek Beyond’s opening, and now we’ve caught up with John Cho to talk Sulu. I thought that would be the most normal thing, that there was zero shame in the future. It turned out that George’s objection was mostly, as I understand it, ‘This isn’t canon’. “But that’s what I was anxious about”.
Cho said he was anxious that Takei, who originated the role of Sulu 50 years ago, would object to the character being in a same-sex relationship in the new film because “he couldn’t come out [earlier] and that he had crafted a straight character”.
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It appears now that there’s no bad blood on either side, and Cho has continued that narrative by doubling down on his admiration for Takei in a new interview.
