There's Nothing Gay About 'Star Trek XI'

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman tells After Elton that while it was discussed, there won't be any openly gay characters featured in the upcoming "Star Trek" film.

"Nothing in the movie precludes that from being the case," Orci said. "Not everyone sounds off as to their preferences in the movie. I won't give anything away, and hopefully the franchise will last more than one movie and that can be addressed."

Kurtzman acknowledged that Star Trek has always been about diversity and inclusion, and that leaving the gay community out in the cold doesn't really support that. But if fans really want to have the gay community included, they need to go above the two writers and convince Paramount that it's the way to go.

"We'd like to see it and your support will be noted because it allows us to go back to the powers that be and go, 'When you finally hit this directly, you better support it.'"

The Star Trek franchise has a long history of false starts when it comes to gay and lesbian inclusion. "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry told fans in 1986 that he would include gay characters in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a move that would've continued Star Trek's role as a trailblazer when it comes to minority inclusion. However, despite a well-known script from "Trouble With Tribbles" writer David Gerrold, Paramount Television nixed the idea fearing that the show could lose some of its pre-primetime slots in first-run syndication in markets around the country, detracting from its family audience.

Gay themes have been addressed in later years, including a same-sex kiss in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," despite the fact it was technically initiated by a heterosexual couple. Also, it was implied that some of the characters in DS9's mirror universe were at the very least bisexual.

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