Actor George Takei has said that it is "really unfortunate" that the character he played in Star Trek is revealed as being gay in the latest big-screen instalment of the franchise, and that a new gay character should have been created instead.
His comments come after John Cho, who plays Starship Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu in director Justin Lin's new film, revealed that his character is now a father with a same-sex partner in Star Trek Beyond, making him the first openly gay character in the sci-fi series.
Takei, who played Sulu in the 1960s Star Trek television series and a number of movies, said he tried to convince director Lin to create a new gay character rather than "twisting" the ideas of the show's creator.
The 79-year-old actor, who is openly gay, said that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was a "strong supporter of LGBT equality" but he envisaged Sulu as a heterosexual.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I'm delighted that there's a gay character. Unfortunately, it's a twisting of Gene's creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it's really unfortunate."
George Takei as Sulu and Walter Koenig as Chekov in the Star Trek TV series
Takei said that he learned about his character's new sexuality after a receiving a phone call from Cho, and said: "I told him, 'Be imaginative and create a character who has a history of being gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, suddenly being revealed as being closeted'."
The American actor added that he tried to persuade Star Trek Beyond director Lin to "honour" Roddenberry on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek and "create a new character".
"I urged them," Takei said. "He left me feeling that that was going to happen."
Cho said that Lin and Star Trek Beyond writer and star Simon Pegg made the decision on Sulu's sexuality in a nod to Takei.
He told Australia's Herald Sun newspaper: "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 politicise one's personal orientations."
Star Trek Beyond will be released on July 22.
