George Takei: ‘I wanted gay rights episode of Star Trek’
By Sam Rigby
George Takei has revealed that he asked Star Trek creator Gene Roddenbery to write an episode referencing gay rights in the US.
The actor – who starred in the original 1965 television series – said that he was a fan of Roddenberry’s references to women’s rights and racism in episodes of the science fiction show.
Speaking on Real Time with Bill Maher: “He said, ‘We do use metaphors to deal with contemporary issues’, but he was treading a very tight rope, because of the fact he was dealing with issues… and he said that if he pushed the envelope too far, then he wouldn’t be able to deal with any issue at all.”
Star Trek encountered backlash in Southern US states after airing an interracial kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura, which prompted Roddenbery’s reluctance to tackle gay rights.
“We were blacked out in the South and our ratings plummeted,” Takei recalled.
Earlier this year, Takei described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “dangerous man” after the introduction of anti-gay laws in the country – read more here.
Meanwhile, the 77-year-old also released a video of himself lip-syncing to Let It Go from Disney’s Frozen, after the Westboro Baptist Church attempted to use it as a protest song against gay marriage – watch the video here.