Star Trek’s first gay Klingon opens up about the negativity he’s faced: ‘Hate for the sake of hate’

Actor Karim Diané shared his perspective on the hate he’s received due to playing Star Trek’s first gay Klingon in the new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. 

The show, which has been review-bombed since its release, has faced intense right-wing backlash for its inclusion of diverse characters, including LGBTQ+ couples, and individuals with disabilities.

In a new interview, 23-year-old actor Diané, who plays first-year cadet Jay-Den Kraag, has spoken out about facing this wave of hate, and how he is navigating it.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy arrives six decades after the original Star Trek show debuted in 1966. The show synopsis says that viewers meet “a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism.” The programme blends traditional Star Trek elements (such as high-stakes space battles) with traditional high school/university tropes, including inter-college rivalry, sports matches and romance.

Jay-Den Kraag is the first openly gay Klingon character in the Star Trek franchise. Jay-Den is a cadet who is more focused on healing than being a warrior. During his journey, he develops a romantic relationship with another cadet, Kyle (Dale Whibley).

Speaking about facing “anti-woke” criticism, Diané notes a lot of the hatred is rooted in “racism, homophobia and sexism.”

‘These negative things have nothing to do with me’

Speaking to Xtra Magazine, Diané shared: “When haters or angry people attack me on the internet for something that they don’t know the truth about—because it has never come out of my mouth—I realize that it has nothing to do with me.

“It is rooted in racism, homophobia and sexism. These negative things have nothing to do with me.

He also added: “I understand that people have different opinions creatively about the show, and that is fine.

“I welcome, read and respond to some of the critiques. But the majority of it really is hate for the sake of hate.

“What I am truly focused on is the positivity. There is so much love.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Diané details his experience meeting queer icon George Takei. Takei played Sulu in the original Star Trek.

Diané explained that one of the show’s producers called him to prep him for the potential hate he might face for playing a queer Klingon. 

“They knew that I would be met with a lot of heat,” Diané said. “I decided to send George an email and just tell him about the character. The show wasn’t out yet, but I told him, “By the way, my Klingon Jay-Den is gay.””

“Ten minutes later, he and [his husband] Brad wrote back this lovely, lovely email, expressing that they had tried in the ’60s to get a queer character on the show.

“But [Star Trek creator Gene] Roddenberry had feared that, because they had already featured that interracial kiss between Uhura and Kirk, a gay character back then would have risked the series’ total cancellation.”

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is available to stream on Paramount+ now.