FILE PHOTO - In this July 7, 2016 file photo, actor John Cho arrives at the premier of "Star Trek Beyond" in Sydney, Australia.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File
July 10, 2016 - 6:00 AM
NEW YORK - USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu is portrayed as gay in "Star Trek Beyond," but George Takei, who originated the role, isn't pleased.
A scene in the upcoming film plainly presents Sulu, played by John Cho, with a male spouse raising an infant daughter. Cho told Australia's Herald Sun that he liked that the approach doesn't "make a big thing" out of it.
But Takei, who came out in 2005, called the decision "unfortunate." The 79-year-old actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn't like the character being altered. Takei instead urged the filmmakers to create a new gay character.
Screenplay writer Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin say they intended to pay homage to Takei as an LGBT activist. In a statement Friday, Pegg said he "respectfully (disagreed)" with Takei.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016