Bryan Fuller has been quoted as saying that his Star Trek TV series will prioritise diversity, but it appears as if Star Trek Beyond is going to beat the former Hannibal showrunner to it!

John Cho has revealed in an interview with Australia’s Herald Sun that Hiraku Sulu will be portrayed as being gay in the movie from director Justin Lin. While the previous version of the character was never shown with any romantic partners, his daughter – Demora – was featured in the 1994 Star Trek Generations movie, so this is a bit of a departure from canon.

Or is it? It turns out that Cho’s version will have a husband and daughter in Star Trek Beyond as a way of paying homage to the actor who originally played the character, George Takei.

“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 politicize one’s personal orientations,” Cho explained to the site.

This being revealed ahead of the movie’s release does feel like something of a publicity stunt to get people talking about Star Trek Beyond, but it definitely feels as if the reasoning behind this happening comes from a good place. We’ll hopefully learn more about Sulu’s husband and daughter when the movie reaches cinemas this month. See the latest trailer right here.