“He lived up to his full potential, and I think that is the goal of all of us.”
Star Trek fans have been fortunate enough over the years to be inundated with a number of memorable doctors, all of whom appeared within the confines of the beloved science fiction franchise. And while Leonard McCoy, Phlox, and the EMH are without question fan favorites, Commander Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) often flies under the radar.
Nevertheless, Cruz, who played Culber in all five seasons of Discovery, recently recalled the “first gay couple in the franchise” while attending this year’s Broadcast+Cable Hall of Fame event honoring Star Trek as “The Franchise of the Year.” Cruz said (per TrekMovie.com): I think first and foremost, he was a part of the first gay couple in the franchise that was part of canon that was obviously gay — with my very good friend who I miss every day, I love Anthony Rapp.
Cruz also said about his character, Dr. Culber, during the same interview:
“When you’re given a second chance at life, you want to do it right because you know there’s no time to waste. And he took a look at his love and his career and his ambitions, and he took a second look at all of that and created a life that he deserved. And I think that benefited not only him and his marriage, but also the ship. He lived up to his full potential, and I think that is the goal of all of us, and really the challenge that Star Trek asks of all of us.”
For those who may be new to the Star Trek fandom, the character of Dr. Culber was killed off in season 1 of Discovery, only to be resurrected in year two. Culber and his husband, Paul Stamets (Rapp), are also among the starship’s crew which successfully made the jaunt from the 23rd to the 32nd century.
While I enjoyed watching both Culber and Stamets’ storylines play out, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) remains my favorite Discovery character of all time. And season 2 is still peak Discovery, as far as I’m concerned, because of Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck), and Una Chin-Riley’s (Rebecca Romijn) involvement in the streaming series.
Where does Commander Culber rank among your favorite Star Trek doctors? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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