Han är inte glad
Takei hade ganska mycket att säga om det i en 2016 intervju med Hollywood Reporter och i ett inlägg 1 på hans Facebook-sida strax efter att intervjun gick live; höjdpunkter från båda inkluderar:
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Han är generellt glad att se ett öppet gay-tecken, och han är "smickrad" att de gjorde Sulu-gay som en hyllning till honom:
"I'm delighted that there's a gay character,"
Let me be clear: I am not disappointed that there is a gay character in Star Trek. On the contrary, as I made clear, I am delighted that the Star Trek franchise has addressed this issue, which is truly one of diversity. It is thrilling to know that future generations will not see LGBTs go wholly unrepresented in the Trek universe2.
[...]
I am flattered that the character of Sulu apparently was selected as an homage to me
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Han känns som om Gene Rodenberrys avsikter för karaktärerna inte respekteras:
"Unfortunately, it's a twisting of Gene's creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it's really unfortunate."
[...]
"I said, 'This movie is going to be coming out on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, the 50th anniversary of paying tribute to Gene Roddenberry, the man whose vision it was carried us through half a century. Honor him and create a new character.
On the specific question of Sulu being gay, when I was first approached with the concept, I responded that I hoped instead that Gene Roddenberry's original characters and their backgrounds would be respected. How exciting it would be instead if a new hero might be created, whose story could be fleshed out from scratch, rather than reinvented. To me, this would have been even more impactful.
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Han är också missnöjd med att Sulu är (eller var) " i garderoben ", något han tror att mänskligheten skulle ha växt ut i Star Trek universum:
"I told [John Cho, who plays Sulu in the film], '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.'" (Takei had enough negative experiences inside the Hollywood closet, he says, and strongly feels a character who came of age in the 23rd century would never find his way inside one.)
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Slutligen uttryckte han sin missnöje för Justin Lin, kände att han hördes och att förändringar skulle göras, men de var slutligen inte; han är förståeligt upprörd om detta också:
Honor [Rodenberry] and create a new character. I urged them. [Justin Lin, the director] left me feeling that that was going to happen," Takei says.
"I really tried to work with these people when at long last the issue of gay equality was going to be addressed," Takei says. "I thought after that conversation with Justin that was going to happen. Months later, when I got that email from Simon Pegg, I was kind of confused. He thinks I'm a great guy? Wonderful. But what was the point of that letter? I interpreted that as my words having been heard."
Efter att ha sett filmen ...
CNET-rapporter på kommentarer från Takei gjord vid 50 års jubileumsfester i Los Vegas; Nu när han har sett filmen själv anser Takei inte att det var en väldigt betydande eller påtaglig scen:
"If you blinked, you missed it," said Takei. "There are others who are dealing with LGBT issues much more profoundly." He called it "a whisper of a scene."
1 För enkel åtkomst har jag tagit en skärmdump av det aktuella inlägget
2 Som det har påpekats i kommentarerna, och någon annanstans på detta site, det är inte helt sant att det här är första gången Star Trek har avbildat icke-heteronormativa sexualiteter, men jag tror att det är den första bilden av manlig homosexualitet.