Star Trek Beyond cast at a Dubai press conference. (Photo : Getty Images/ Francois Nel)
"Star Trek: Beyond" is one of the highly anticipated movies this year, especially since Captain Kirk's character would be a little different than before this time. In addition, Mr. Hikaru Sulu is back again in the third installment of the franchise, and this time quite proudly.
John Cho, who plays the character of Sulu in "Star Trek: Beyond," recently told Herald Sun that in the movie, his character has a daughter and a same sex partner as well. This makes him the first openly gay character in any film by the "Star Trek" franchise, but it is not a big deal in the "Star Trek" world.
One of the most loved and appreciated characters in the upcoming "Star Trek" movie has been openly revealed to be gay. However, Cho said that the filmmakers decided to keep it a low-key affair throughout the production and promotion of the movie.
"I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thing out of it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, to not politicize one's personal orientations," Cho told the publication.
Cho further explained how the decision to make Sulu a gay character was a nod to George Takei, who played Sulu's character in the original 1960s series, "Star Trek: The Original Series." Takei came put openly in 2005 and has been a sincere and a notable LGBT activist since then. The decision by the film's director Justin Lin and writer Simon Pegg was a nod to Takei, who was a sign of what he believed was "changing times," Variety has learned.
"Star Trek" franchise has been quite instrumental in eliminating social barriers. The franchise, which is celebrating its 50th year, was the first one to screen an interracial kiss in the history of US television. Takei, who was long gone to become a prominent LGBTIQ rights activist, decided not to reveal his sexual orientation at that time because of the fear of ruining his career.
"If I wanted to work as an actor I had to keep it a secret," Takei said during an interview in 2015. "Back then I couldn't marry a white person - that was against the law here, miscegenation. But now I am married to a white dude so we have changed."
"Star Trek: Beyond" will try to win San Diego Comic-Con through a world premiere on July 20. The movie itself would hit the box office on July 22.
The following is the trailer of the upcoming movie:
