Star Trek has always imagined a brighter future. There’s no money, racism, or homophobia. It’s a better planet — and galaxy — than what we have now. At the same time, the show has pushed forward progress in the real world. The original 1966-1969 series featured the first kiss between white and Black characters on TV: Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) and Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
With a smooch between husbands Dr. Hugh Culber and chief engineer Paul Stamets — played by, respectively, Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp — Star Trek: Discovery took the franchise’s long-held values to new frontiers. They’re not only the first two gay lead characters on a Star Trek show; now, four seasons in, they’re a part of one of the best queer families on television. And they’re showing LGBTQ+ fans that their futures are bright as well.
Cruz, 48, has been playing gay characters for nearly three decades. His first TV role was as Rickie Vasquez in ABC’s , which made him the first out gay actor to play a gay character in a leading role on U.S. prime-time TV. Even though he’s been portraying gay
