[This post features a major spoiler about Star Trek: Discovery, so maybe don’t read this if that’s the kind of thing that you find extremely upsetting.]
Fans of Star Trek: Discovery were in mourning/catatonia Monday morning after the show appeared to kill off one of its gay characters, Dr. Hugh Culber (portrayed by Wilson Cruz._
The character made headlines in 2017 since he happened to be in a happily committed relationship in outer space with Lt. Paul Stammets (Anthony Rapp).
But it looks like that gay relationship has hit a snag, since Culber was killed off by Lt. Ash Tayler (Shazad Latif), who Culber discovered was, in fact, a Klingon sleeper agent — a revelation that caused his neck to get snapped.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“We knew that this was going to be shocking for an audience and for a community that has unfortunately been assaulted by this ‘bury your gays’ trope,” showrunner Aaron Harberts tells Entertainment Weekly.
Related: How Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ warped straight into our hearts
“But I’m an openly gay showrunner and my writing partner is nothing if not the most supportive person when it comes to LGBT portrayals on TV.”
Talking to CBS News, Harberts said:
“We thought it was going to take a little while for the audience to bond with them, get to know the characters. We didn’t realize how this couple was going to resonate with audience, and they bonded so so quickly. Our intention was to really start their story with what happens tonight.”
Twitter provided uproar and outrage.
For example, Emma is mad about it all. She wants everyone to “do better,” including you:
(STAR TREK DISCO SPOILERS)
ok, fuck star trek discovery for killing off Culber, its first gay MoC. I don’t care if it turns out it was all just a ruse and ‘he’s still alive guys, don’t worry!’ GAY CHARACTERS DO NOT NEED TO SUFFER ANY MORE THAN THEY ALREADY HAVE. DO BETTER.
— emma (@emmyzelf) January 8, 2018
Kristen is jolly, jolly cross as well. She thinks the murder is “violent to our community.”
Thanks guys, you’ve just killed off a gay character. Way to go. *Slow hand clap* You’ve just joined the ranks of so many shows on TV that have done the same. It’s not original. Its a trope. It’s violent to our community. I expect better of Star Trek. #disappointed #discovery
— Kirsten Opdebeck (@hipchic99) January 8, 2018
Meanwhile, Jeff went ahead and did something pretty extremo: He canceled his CBS All-Access subscription because he thinks it’s inappropriate to kill off fictional characters who are in “happy gay relationships”:
I canceled my CBS All-Access that I had solely for Star Trek: Discovery. It's 2018, and killing off only women and men of color and killing of happy gay relationships is so common everywhere else and I don't need to pay for more of it
— Jeff Hodges (@jmhodges) January 8, 2018
Cruz commented about the entirely pretend death of a wholly fictitious character to CBS News:
“What I’m really proud of — we learned some big things about Hugh in this episode. We see some of his genius —bedside manner—and we see him stand up to his superiors. We see things we haven’t seen and give people a preview of what’s to come.”
What’s to come? Well, Cruz promises his character is coming back like Jesus. Maybe he’ll be cloned. Maybe he has an evil brother who’s also in a happily committed gay relationship. Maybe he has an extra neck in storage.
“I would be upset if I was watching,” he tells EW, “and I think we need to give people permission to be upset.”
“It’s upsetting. It’s a disappointing moment.”
Later, he elucidates:
“I’m nervous because we are all aware of this trope throughout television which we continue to see LGBT characters, characters of color, and women killed off in very dismissive ways, and I want people to know that this is not that,” he says. “This is a chapter of this epic love story of these two characters. And this is science fiction. This is Star Trek. There are many possibilities….
When [the arc of the Discovery series] was explained to me, I got really excited — so it’s different in that way, because I’ll be back.
What I can say is that I’ve been assured that this is a long, epic story, and I know where it’s going and I’m excited about telling that story. But in order for us to tell that story, this had to happen. We’re inviting people to go on this journey, and part of this journey is going to be magnificent and some of it is going to be disappointing. There is going to be glory and triumph and heartbreak, but we will come out of it at the other end better for it, I promise you. So go on the ride with us.”
Unless you’ve already cancelled your CBS All-Access subscription.
Vince
On the credits he was listed as a guest star so his death was planned from the beginning.
jpcolter
That is not an accurate indication of the character’s death. There are many shows when an actor is listed as a guest star but they stay for the entire season.
adb
Uh, yeah. Here’s how “spoiler alert” works: to begin with, you don’t put it IN THE HEADLINE OF THE STORY OR THE FIRST SENTENCE. I haven’t seen the episode yet, but have seen several headlines referencing a ‘heartbreaking casualty’. Unfortunately, my RSS reader says “Spoiler alert: Seems Wilson Cruz’s character Dr. Hugh Hulber went and got his neck snapped by a Klingon sleeper agent.”
Idiots…
seki
Came here to say exactly the same thing!
RIGay
Other than the pilot episode, we have not watched it, and until it gets released on Netflix, it will probably stay un-watched.
Not impressed with the pilot, and many folks I’ve chatted with about the show who have watched it say the series is very dark in nature and not really following any of Gene Roddenberry’s cannons.
Net: It’s a si-fi drama. Period.
I can pass.
Kangol
I didn’t have to read this to guess that they killed off the very handsome person of color, played by Wilson Cruz. And I was right. So typical. GAG!
Al Peaston
Why am I not shocked. If they have killed one of the two main gay characters then this show is history! “Bye Felicia!”
Paco
They said it is the beginning of a story arc between the two characters. His “death” isn’t the end.
tham
They killed off the wrong husband.
jjose712
Wow, it was fast. So many years to add a gay character, so few episodes to kill him
draven
I have never seen a Star Trek, Star Wars Madea etc. movie and really don’t want to boring to me I have other things to do I’m waiting for the real Aliens to land on earth and man space ships ? to Mars.
draven
I like Flash Gordon the 1980 version. Very campy. Good cuddle movie with your boo ?
happiness17
Take a look at One Life to Live. In the mid-90s Ryan Phillippe came on the show as a gay teenager. In less than a year he was off of the shows. The producers gave into the homophobic sponsors. Fast forward to 2009 when that hunk Scott Evans came on the show as a gay cop (Kish). Homosexuality was more accepted by then. Or so it appeared that way. What transpired was a beautiful romance and sexual relationship between Scott’s character and one of the doctors. They were a great on screen couple. A couple months later without much notice the character’s of Kish and his boyfriend were abruptly wrote them off of the show. Once again the producers and their homophobia won. One would think that in 2018 LGBT characters would be more accepted on TV and the big screen. The fact that a gay character was written off from Star Trek proves that homophobia is alive and well in Hollywood.
jess_lopez
Homophobia does still exist in Hollywood but I don’t think it’s the reason why his character was apparently killed. Star Trek Discovery is being shown in CBS All Access and Netflix. The show get its revenue from subscription to those streaming services and not through TV ads and other sponsors. And I have read and heard no news about CBS All Access and Netflix losing subscribers because of a gay couple in Star Trek.
theowlmike
Sad to say from what I have seen so for is just another homophobic treatment of what a “gay relationship” has to end in. For far to long “gay and lesbian caracters” have been murder off or written off in tv series and movies. I might watch one or two more episodes to see if this get resolved in the right way for our community. But if they continue to villafile and persecute us then I will witch to another channel. Death to homophobia!
Mad Fan 89
Stop watching now. they have lied about other things on the show promising things they never intended to deliver just to get us to keep watching.
They Lie. Stop watching now.
Red_Dragon_888
Too Gay To last… When I saw that last kiss, it was the last kiss for that show.
Red_Dragon_888
I agree with the twitter reply. “FCUK YOU STAR TREK DISCOVERY!!” Just when it was fun for a special group of people to feel good about themselves, you fcuking drop and killed the Gay character of color like a Hot Potato. Then you back peddled like an Olympic champion. All to common and very disappointed. Now you are a syfy show with a Dead Gay Albatross around your neck. In addition, I have lost the love of Star Trek after seeing the murder, and hopefully, more of your fans will react just a angrily. This shows how that gay character was Too Gay to Last, and your complacency about the Gay people shows that you are Too Stupid to Care.
Knight
Sorry, but what a bunch of whiny ‘tards. If the ONLY reason you feel validated is because you see a character that shares your particular sexual preference on an internet series, then you are in desperate need of a life. Hey, how about channeling some of that emotion and energy and doing something productive; like writing your OWN book/movie/series with enough gay characters to fill an orgy at Elton John’s mansion.
Mad Fan 89
I’m guessing your Straight?
Knight
I like putting my schlong into hot guys if they have a nice ass. You tell ME…
Daniel-Reader
I’m just disappointed they killed the one who could act, the one who could actually emote. Characters die all the time if a drama is to maintain the drama. That’s not the problem. It’s more an overall problem of few characters that survive to a happy ending in any series. More of an industry problem than a show-specific one.
Mad Fan 89
They begged us to watch after decades not representing us by giving us “Star Trek’s” first Gay characters then they set it in an alternate universe (which doesn’t count as Star Trek) kill the relationship & then kill the character in a few episodes. Fuk you we’re not watching anymore, fool us once.
SiamSam
Seriously, PHUK U for the spoiler in the headline. Queerty “content creators” truly are the worst.
adb
Now, while the people running Queerty deserve no respect for spoiling not one but two key points to the show, the complainers here might want to follow up with some actual real data.
1. Culber wasn’t killed because he was gay–he was killed because he was the doctor who figured out Tyler’s (hey, that’s right, Queerty–that’s how it’s spelled!) secret.
2. The show has a lead out gay writer and two gay lead actors. To perceive the show as homophobic is ludicrous, especially as the only stable relationship we have seen on the show happens to be a gay one.
3. In the AfterTrek show Sunday night–before Twitter had a chance to complete explode–the showrunners indicated Culber wasn’t “100% dead” and would definitely be returning.
4. Uh, no, Discovery is not an ‘alternate universe’. There are plenty of shout outs to both the original series and Enterprise.
Frankly, I’m more pissed off at CBS for technically-unstable “All Access” nonsense than what happened to Culber.
ladycookie
I think they are referring to the Trek “mirror universe” where naughty versions of the Trek characters exist and sometimes die (or as in DS9’s Vedek Bareil, live), so it’s possible the head doc will return to the storyline once they return to the universe we were in when Discovery began.
Daws
The Discovery jumped to some alternate universe so there’s a chance that the death could be undone. Maybe they’ll pick up the alternate version of the good doctor. I will be bummed if that’s it for him, though. They were a sweet couple going through some s**t.
adb
Agreed–and I think the producers were surprised by how quickly audiences became fans of the couple. The alt-Culber idea could work (although the showrunner also hinted at some mycelial-network shenanigans)…
Keebler ILF
At the end of episode 9, when the ship “jumped” to an unknown location, it looked as though the ship split or duplicated itself. So the character could have been killed on one ship, but still alive on the duplicate ship. I think something like that also happened in the Next Generation series.