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Something about Star Trek has always practically squealed "gay," from its unapologetic uniform fetish, to its multiple face-painting and dress-up opportunities, to the long-standing rumors about Klingons' massive endowments. Even one of its original stars, George "Sulu" Takei, has come out of the closet, and has since been spreading rainbow-colored, Federation pride wherever he goes. Given all that, it seems entirely egregious that none of the various incarnations of the franchise has ever so much as featured a single gay character. (Sulu doesn't count: He was still working through his issues.) But thanks to fan-made web series Star Trek: Hidden Frontier, the Gays have finally hit the bridge:

The show, produced in Southern California by a group of unpaid volunteers, takes places aboard the U.S.S. Excelsior...Without elaborate sets, the crew of volunteers must shoot the entire series on blue screen backdrops, which makes the final product a bit choppy. [...]

Because the show is produced without official sanction by Paramount, it does border on copyright infringement, even if there is no money being earned by the series itself.

"There was always a concern that [Hidden Frontier] would be singled out for a cease and desist because of its gay content" Caves admits. "Paramount can enforce its copyright for pretty much any reason, or no reason, and especially if they feel its franchise isn't being respected. I'd like to think they've seen that we've been careful and tactful with the subject matter and that has helped keep us safe."

And yet the series does tend to push the gay envelope: In one steamy scene, available on YouTube, two male characters barely survive a Christmas tree light electrocution, only to soon find themselves locked in an interspecies lipmash. We commend Paramount execs for their leniency in allowing Hidden Frontier to explore these once taboo scenarios, and boldly go where many a Kirk-on-Spock fanfic has gone before.