Gay Sulu in Star Trek Beyond is ‘unfortunate’ - George Takei

Veteran Star Trek actor George Takei may have been the inspiration to make favoured fan character Hikaru Sulu gay in the franchise's new film, but he has labelled the decision "really unfortunate", media outlets have reported.

Takei, who is himself gay, told the Hollywood Reporter that while he was "delighted" that Star Trek Beyond included a gay character, the new version of Sulu does not reflect the original vision of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 at age 70.

Sulu was conceived as a heterosexual character, Takei said.

“Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate,” the 79-year-old Takei told the publication.

Actor John Cho, who plays the latest Sulu - the helmsman of the starship USS Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond - told Australia's Herald Sun this week that his character is married to a man and is a father to a daughter with his partner.

Star Trek Beyond will be released in cinemas on July 22nd.

Gay advocate

Cho told the newspaper the decision to make Sulu gay was in homage to Takei, a longtime advocate of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

Takei's response came as a surprise to actor Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in Star Trek Beyond and who co-wrote the script.

Pegg said in a statement to media outlets, "I must respectfully disagree" with Takei, and that by making a franchise staple gay, the character would not be defined by it.

‘Isn’t that tokenism’

“We could have introduced a new gay character but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character’, rather than simply for who they are - and isn’t that tokenism?” Pegg asked.

“The audience would infer that there has been an LGBT presence in the Trek Universe from the beginning ... that a gay hero isn’t something new or strange,” Pegg added.

Representatives for Takei, Pegg and Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the franchise, did not return requests for comment on Friday.

The decision to make the long-time franchise staple character gay comes as Hollywood faces growing pressure to include more diversity in its blockbuster films.

There has yet to be an openly gay superhero or action star leading a film franchise.

Reuters