Film

George Takei Supports Star Trek’s First Gay Klingon Character & Actor

24 February 2026

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 7 – “Ko’Zeine”

George Takei lends his full support to Karim Diané, who plays Star Trek’s first gay Klingon in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Takei played Lieutenant (later Captain) Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek: The Original Series. A closeted gay actor, George came out in 2005 and revealed his 18-year relationship with his husband, Brad Altman.

Karim Diané plays Jay-Den Kraag, the first full-blooded Klingon main character in a Star Trek series since Worf (Michael Dorn) in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Jay-Den and his boyfriend, Kyle Djokovic (Dale Whibley), went public with their relationship and planned to vacation in Ibiza in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 7.

On his Instagram and other social media accounts, Karim Diané shared the letters from Brad and George Takei lending their support. George and Brad wrote about how “meaningful” it is for Karim to step into a queer role in Star Trek, because “There are young people watching who need to see someone like you as a main character.” Read Brad and George Takei’s touching messages below:

Karim Diané explained that he met Brad and George Takei at a Broadway play months ago. The Takeis wrote, “It truly feels like the stars aligned for us to meet.” Diané and Takei saw each other again on New Year’s Day when they appeared on the Star Trek float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena.

Canonically, Mr. Sulu is not gay and has a daughter, Demora Sulu (Jacqueline Kim), who followed Hikaru’s footsteps as the helmsman of the USS Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. However, in the alternate reality of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies, Sulu (John Cho) was gay and had a husband seen in Star Trek Beyond, in honor of George Takei.

Jay-Den Kraag became a Klingon warrior in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 4, and the shy and soulful cadet began a flirtation with Kyle from the War College an episode earlier. Meanwhile, Jay-Den has another potential romantic partner in Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), who is understandably envious of Kyle and Jay-Den’s relationship.

George Takei’s life as an actor and passionate LGBTQ+ activist is chronicled in the new documentary, Beam Me Up, Sulu.

Karim Diané’s portrayal of the fashionably skirt-wearing Jay-Den Kraag is an important step forward for Star Trek‘s continuing mission of diversity and representation. Star Trek has always been about welcoming and celebrating all people who wish to positively contribute to Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic vision of the future.

What began with George Takei now continues with Karim Diané in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.