John Cho on representation and his concerns with gay Sulu

Note: This interview discusses some—vague—plot points from Star Trek Beyond.
When John Cho learned that Star Trek Beyond would show that his character, Hikaru Sulu, is gay, he had a couple of concerns. One of those concerns? That George Takei, the man who originated the character, would not be happy. The younger Sulu turned out to be right, even if Takei was unhappy for reasons Cho didn’t anticipate. Takei, an out LGBT activist, called it “a twisting of [Star Trek creator] Gene [Roddenberry]’s creation.” What was supposed to be a tribute to Takei and a revolutionary moment for the franchise ended up a point of contention.
Cho, however, is ultimately proud of what Star Trek Beyond has done. After all, the actor knows something about the importance of representation. Earlier this year, his face and name were used in a campaign—#StarringJohnCho—that has highlighted how Hollywood underserves Asian actors. The A.V. Club recently spoke to Cho about the movie and the news.
The A.V. Club: In the movie, the central conflict between Krall, who thinks people thrive on conflict, and the Federation, which believes in unity, seriously resonates in this political climate. Have you guys been thinking or talking about that?
John Cho: Yes, we certainly have. When I read the script last year, it was relevant then but in particular now. We traveled to Sydney to begin this press tour, and then everything went bananas in the United States with the events in Dallas and all that stuff. It has been resonant. Obviously, coming up on this election cycle—this has been one of the strangest presidential races that I can remember—so we’ve been thinking about unity versus division, similarities versus differences. That has been on our minds as we talk about Star Trek and what it stands for, what the Starfleet stands for, and its place in culture.
AVC: Have you had any responses from people to that effect?
JC: The general audience hasn’t gotten to see the movie, but it has not escaped [journalists], and it has not escaped us. I think it does make the themes of the movie more resonant with us. Oddly, the tumult of this year reminds me of the late ’60s, when Roddenberry created Star Trek. It was a similarly divisive time in America. There were assassinations at that time. I’m trying to think of—knock on wood—how young people would feel today if our president and our leaders were shot at. But… our young people are being killed at an astonishing rate, and times seem dark. Times seem similarly dark. The message of Star Trek, if there is one, seems to be that we should try to live up to the very best that we’re capable of. Star Trek seems to be an appeal to our better nature, the side of ourselves that works toward peace and cooperation and understanding and knowledge and yearns to seek out knowledge rather than the side that wants to divide and control one another.
AVC: Could you walk people through how Simon [Pegg], Doug [Jung], and Justin [Lin] first told you that Sulu would have a husband? What was your reaction? How did you first learn it?