Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Hugh Culber

As you're almost certainly aware by now, the first romantic kiss between two men in the history of Star Trek (although a kiss between Sulu and male partner was apparently edited out of Star Trek: Beyond) was between Culber and Stamets on Discovery. For those of us who had been waiting, hoping for such a moment, it was a powerfully poignant scene to be seen.

This wasn't a token gesture, or buried in layers of allegory, and the couple as characters and actors have been given a voice and celebrated in expanded media. In the Discovery season one DVD extras, Wilson Cruz warmly discussed the filming of the first kiss:

As much as I loved the brushing the teeth scene, […] [t]o be a part of that [kiss] moment in Star Trek history was a big deal for us. We were fully aware of it when it was happening, and we wanted to make sure we got it right.

The shippers and slashers of the galaxy were also naturally delighted by the franchise's first official LGBTQIA+ couple, coming up with such names as 'Stulber,' 'Space Boos,' 'Stamber,' and even 'ShroomDoc' for the duo, before Cruz and Rapp 'officialised' the name 'Culmets' during an episode of After Trek. For season four, the pair were honoured with their own official Paramount+ Valentine's Day card showing them holding hands, the text below reading "you can't replicate our love!".