George Takei isn’t too pleased with Sulu’s sexuality in Star Trek Beyond

Oh my! – (sorry, we simply couldn’t resist saying that)

John Cho, who plays Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek reboot franchise, recently announced that his character would be revealed as a homosexual in the upcoming Star Trek Beyond. This was intended to be a nod to George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series and is an outspoken member of the LGBT community. Ironically, though, Mr. Takei isn’t too pleased with Mr. Sulu’s sexuality.

“I’m delighted that there’s a gay character,” Takei said to The Hollywood Reporter. “Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate.”

Takei felt that screenwriter Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin should have just created a new character who happens to be gay rather than tampering with creator Gene Roddenberry’s original vision. When Cho and Lin talked to Takei about this decision, the original Sulu actor made his opinion abundantly clear.

“I said, ‘This movie is going to be coming out on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, the 50th anniversary of paying tribute to Gene Roddenberry, the man whose vision it was carried us through half a century,” Takei stated. “Honor him and create a new character. I urged them. [Lin] left me feeling that that was going to happen.”

What do you think? Should the filmmakers have remained faithful to Roddenberry’s initial concept for Mr. Sulu or is this new direction for the character fitting?

Star Trek Beyond hits theaters on July 22.