Star Trek’s first gay Klingon actor shares touching email from George Takei
Karim Diané and George Takei (Instagram/team_karim)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy actor Karim Diané has shared a “lovely” email of encouragement sent to him by icon George Takei.
Diané plays Starfleet cadet Jay-Den Kraag, the franchise’s first out gay Klingon character.
Posting to Instagram on 23 February, the actor shared a picture of himself and gay actor and activist George Takei sitting together while doing the famous Vulcan salute from Star Trek.
Diané explained that Takei and his husband Brad had given him permission to share screenshots of the email they sent him a few months ago, which helped to “further illuminate” the world in which Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was writing in the 1960s, and “why certain stories couldn’t be told yet, even when the intention was there”.
“Reading about your experience – the fears, the courage, and ultimately the pride – you carry as you step into this new role is deeply moving. George understands that journey in a way few can,” the email read.
It shared how Takei spoke to Roddenberry about LGBTQ+ representation while the original series was airing, but “the risks were too high”.
“When Star Trek featured the groundbreaking Kirk-Uhura interracial kiss, it led to blacklisting in several Southern states,” the email continued. “Roddenberry feared that tackling same-sex love themes might result in our outright cancellation. How extraordinary that we have now arrived at a moment where characters like yours exist in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – something George has always hoped for.”
In a second email, Brad Takei wrote: “What your Klingon character is doing carries real weight. There is something profoundly moving about seeing a Klingon character who defies stereotypes – a young cadet discovering himself while honouring his heritage.”
He continued: “In the 1960s […] the obstacles felt insurmountable. The risks weren’t abstract – they were existential. To watch you inhabit a queer Klingon in Starfleet Academy in 2026 is to see that future finally arrive! There are young people watching who need to see someone like you as a main character in the franchise we all love.”
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