The actor, who plays Sulu in the sci-fi sequel, says a ‘welcome-home kiss’ was edited out of the final version

John Cho has claimed that a “welcome-home kiss’ between two male characters was removed from the sci-fi sequel Star Trek Beyond.

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In the big-budget adventure, Cho’s character Sulu is revealed to have a daughter with his male partner, but Cho says that there was originally supposed to be more affection.

“There was a kiss that I think is not there any more,” he said in an interview with Vulture. “It wasn’t like a make-out session. We’re at the airport with our daughter. It was a welcome-home kiss. I’m actually proud of that scene, because it was pretty tough.”

Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the script, insists that the representation of the gay couple is well-handled and might be explored further in future films.

“It’s not coy,” he said. “You have to modulate in such a way that it doesn’t become a big thing. That was one of the reasons why we made it an existing character because it felt like part of the fabric. If the story evolves in the next film to feature his personal relationship in some way then of course it will, but if it doesn’t then it won’t because it’s all about the good of the story rather than doing it for the sake of it.”

The decision to address Sulu’s sexuality in the film has had a mixed response. George Takei, who originally played the character in Gene Roddenberry’s TV show, was both “delighted” with the decision to include an LGBT character in the film but disappointed it was Sulu.

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“While I understand that we are in an alternate timeline with the new Trek movies, for me it seemed less than necessary to tinker with an existing character in order to fulfill Gene’s hope of a truly diverse Trek universe,” he said in a Facebook post.

This summer has also seen a gay couple feature in Independence Day: Resurgence and Kate McKinnon plays a lesbian character in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot, which the director claims was also neutered.

“I hate to be coy about it,” Feig said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “But when you’re dealing with the studios and that kind of thing … If you know Kate at all she’s this kind of pansexual beast where it’s just like everybody who’s around her falls in love with her and she’s so loving to everybody she’s around. I wanted to let that come out in this character.”