In case you missed it, the news is out: Sulu is gay.
The next Star Trek movie, Star Trek Beyond, will include scenes that show Sulu raising a daughter with his (husband?) same sex partner. Commentary from the actor, John Cho, indicates it will not be a major plot point, but rather a passing story item.
Cho says writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung have revealed Sulu’s orientation in tribute to George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series and movies. Takei came out publically in 2005, and married his long-time partner, Brad Altman in 2008.
This will be the first gay character in Star Trek canon. Famous for the first inter-racial kiss on American television, Star Trek breaks new ground for the franchise. And to think… it only took 48 years to go from Kirk kissing Uruha, to a gay Sulu.
I’m hoping Sulu’s husband is black, just to freak out the few remaining folks who needed their fainting couches when that kiss flashed across their screens in 1968. That would be just too sweet. Bless their hearts.
Star Trek Beyond arrives in theaters July 22.