John Cho helps Sulu to boldly come out as gay in Star Trek Beyond

He's boldly going where no gay man has gone before.

Yes, it's true—Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu will come out of the closet in Star Trek Beyond.

Sulu was portrayed by Japanese American actor George Takei in the TV series and film adaptation. Takei came out as gay in 2005 and has since become a vocal LGBT activist, taking on the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Westboro Baptist Church, and Stephen Baldwin over queer political issues.

Korean American actor John Cho, who portrays the young Sulu in the recent reboot film series, told media in Sydney, Australia, that Sulu will be depicted in the latest installment, which was shot in Vancouver and opens on July 22, as being in a same-sex relationship and raising a daughter.

He explained that it was a salute to Takei.

Interestingly, in an interview in 2014 with the Georgia Straight, Takei had said, “I thought Sulu should have had a family, and that he should have been more pivotal to the workings of the drama.”

In a 2013 interview, Cho told the Straight that he admires Takei because of his devotion to the greater good.

“There’s a certain currency that fame affords you,” Cho said. “Some people hoard that currency, and he’s always been willing to spend it in the service of causes he believes in. For that I really respect him.”

Meanwhile, the cast is still mourning the death of their 27-year-old costar Anton Yelchin, who was killed when his SUV rolled backwards and pinned him against a brick post on June 19. Yelchin portrays Russian navigator Pavel Chekov in the film franchise.