Hikaru Sulu, played by John Cho in the film reboots of ‘Star Trek’, is revealed to have a same-sex partner, along with a daughter, in the upcoming film ‘Star Trek: Beyond’.
The Herald Sun reported;
“Cho visited Sydney to promote the third movie in the franchise successfully rebooted by JJ Abrams in 2009, along with cast mates Chris Pine (Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Karl Urban (Dr McCoy) and director Justin Lin. He said the decision by writer Simon Pegg and Lin to make Sulu gay was a nod to George Takei, who played the character in the original 1960s series, and was a sign of what he hoped were changing times.”
Along with this new news, did you know that Sulu has a daughter? Yes, that’s right. According to the ET interview below, Sulu keeps a small picture of his daughter by his command station as he works. John Cho admitted that it seemed “unprofessional” but it provided the character with some home comfort.
“There is another revelation that you’ll find out in regards to this baby, but you’ll have to wait to see the movie,” he stated in the ET interview.
This is a massive moment for the Star Trek franchise and its fans, who have taken to the news extremely well, praising the franchise for its casual LGBT representation. “I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thing out it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, to not politicise one’s personal orientations,” said Cho after the news broke.