The Star Trek franchise has prompted conversation about significant social issues since its conception in 1966. Although the reveal has plot implications (Krall’s aggression endangers a Starfleet station where Sulu’s husband is stationed) it was also partially an homage to George Takei, the original Sulu actor who has since become a renowned LGBT activist.
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We sat down with Cho, Zoe Saldana (who plays Lt. Nyota Uhura) and director Justin Lin for a frank roundtable discussion about the legacy of “Star Trek”, representation and optimism.
But Takei has since voiced his displeasure, and said that the new character development didn’t reflect the vision that was initially set out by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. So those were, I thought, the danger areas and those were the areas that I thought we should be wary of when we were discussing Sulu’s sexuality. A script by Robert Orci, who had co-written the two previous Abrams-directed “Star Treks”, had been dropped by the producers. The filmmakers had decided on a simple, brief scene of family reunion in which we glimpse the warm, quiet embrace of the starship Enterprise helmsman, his co-parent and a child. “We obviously talk about a lot of parallels (between each end of) those 50 years in the political climate”.
Star Trek Beyond is in cinemas now. It was something that I felt like, after talking and thinking about, was a no-brainer.
“I hated the idea at first”.
Takei said that he was “delighted that there’s a gay character”. This husband will be Asian, according to a recent A.V. Club interview with Cho. I had concerns about how it would be received by George, and I had some other concerns, but it was really the handling of it that was most important to me. But if there’s one thing this franchise has taught us, across six decades, it’s this: You can’t always get a Khan when you want one.
“I think its nonchalant posture towards it is the best thing about it and the fact that it’s normalized”.
The actor gave one very good reason why fans should be especially excited for this film. Now, because of the way it was handled, in this very nonchalant way, all my worries about the way it would be perceived have essentially been nullified. “I’ve got to respect him for that”. The casual details, two or three seconds at a time, include Sulu meeting up with his boyfriend and their daughter, Spock enjoying an atypically hearty laugh at one point and Kirk’s accumulating air of world-weariness, which tones down the character’s hot-headed qualities. “The show will go down”.
Roy also played the role of 165 Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and has an un-credited role in as Yoda in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
In addition, the character of Sulu, played by George Takei, was a big step forward. Whenever he was onscreen, I was like, “Oh, he’s someone”.
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Zachary stars as Commander Spock in “Star Trek Beyond” film, his third appearance as the half-human, half-Vulcan Enterprise crew member. “It’ll just go right by you, and that’s the best thing about it”.
