Captain Kirk may be portrayed as bisexual in new ‘Star Trek’ series

Captain Kirk was iconically portrayed as a huge ladies man in the original Star Trek series, but a huge change in an updated characterization could see his sexuality blurring a few lines, according to Pink News.

Daniel Richtman, a Hollywood insider, has recently suggested that the network is “toying with the idea of making captain Kirk bi” in the new series — a sequel to Discovery and a prequel to The Original Series.

The announcement about the newest interaction of the Star Trek series was made last month by CBS, with a video of the cast explaining how excited they were to be continuing to portray their characters. 

It was also reported that Kirk would make an appearance, with Jake Cannavale of The Mandalorian rumored to be taking over the role, which was originally played by William Shatner. Kirk’s promiscuity was a recurring theme on the original show, so it will be interesting to see what the response will be. 

The show’s creator Gene Roddenbery depicted him as the epitome of masculinity and frequently highlighted “his sexual exploits with gorgeous females of every size, shape and type”, while simultaneously being “married to” the Enterprise.

The decision is likely to polarize fans, since Kirk has never been portrayed as anything other than straight in the Star Trek world, and it was never hinted that he had any other sexual interests other than women.                                                                       

He wouldn’t be the first character to have a sexuality rewrite, though: Star Trek Beyond saw Sulu portrayed as a married gay man with a daughter.Actor Geoge Takei said he was thrilled with the news but also slightly disappointed, having urged director Justin Linn to “honour” Roddenberry and create a new LGBT+ character rather than make an existing one gay.