Wesley Crusher: Racist - Page 4

RB_Kandy · September 16 2012, 04:32 AM

Greg Cox wrote:

To be fair, while the various Star Trek alien species were often assigned certain broad cultural traits, the shows took pains to show variations among each race, so they weren't all the same.

As far back as "Balance of Terror," each of the featured Romulans had very different personalities and philosophies. You had the war-weary Commander who just wanted peace and that ambitious underling who wanted battle and glory and political advancement. Not the same at all, even though they came from the same imperial culture.

Ditto for the Ferengi. Sure, the Ferengi are all about profit in general, but Quark, Rom, Nog, the Grand Nagus, etcetera all had very different priorities.

Even among the Vulcans, I think it's safe to say that Spock or T'Pol would not have done the same things Valeris did . . . .

Now that you mention it, you're right, there have been instances where races have been shown to have diverse goals and attitudes.

Maurice · September 16 2012, 10:22 AM

Mr_Homn wrote:

edit nevermind, embed youtube didnt work

[ yt ] url [ /yt]
Minus the spaces

Mr_Homn · September 16 2012, 10:45 AM

Maurice wrote:

Mr_Homn wrote:

edit nevermind, embed youtube didnt work

[ yt ] url [ /yt]
Minus the spaces

i know, but i was trying to embed it to where it started at a specific time (i know how to do that as well

) but it wouldn't work. no worries

thanks though

Trekker4747 · September 16 2012, 11:13 AM

Yeah, some reason you can't embed a YT video here that starts at a specific time.

CaptainStoner · September 18 2012, 11:08 PM

I think the scene worked perfectly. I liked the benzite character, and there he is....wesley mirrors the audience reaction....hey! Its the blue dude....then the blue dude is like no, we are just podmates, and are physically identical...it is a subtle, light, brilliant comment on "race" relations that maintains the positive GR view - because wesley is not making the same error as a modern white man is known to - they literally are the same guy - it had to be the same guy for it to work - a genius bit of sci fi - i just wish there had been a Benzite regular on one of the crews - you know they be putting herb in those vaporizers

Term180 · September 21 2012, 06:41 PM

All jokes aside, I actually did think of him as a bit racist when he reacted as he had to the fact that his crush turned out to be a shapeshifter in one episode.
If beauty is truly on the inside, what difference should it make if the girl can shapeshift?

Wesley should know human women do the same thing, only they use makeup, wax, and razors to look less like sasquatch.

To Wes' credit, he did seem to kinda get over it, though to me, it seemed like it was more because he knew she wasn't going to be on the ship much longer anyways, like a bad date that was finally coming to an end.

However, he did find her transporting molecules attractive enough, so maybe beauty is on the inside!

CaptainStoner · September 22 2012, 02:09 AM

Term180 wrote:

All jokes aside, I actually did think of him as a bit racist when he reacted as he had to the fact that his crush turned out to be a shapeshifter in one episode.
If beauty is truly on the inside, what difference should it make if the girl can shapeshift?

Wesley should know human women do the same thing, only they use makeup, wax, and razors to look less like sasquatch.

To Wes' credit, he did seem to kinda get over it, though to me, it seemed like it was more because he knew she wasn't going to be on the ship much longer anyways, like a bad date that was finally coming to an end.

However, he did find her transporting molecules attractive enough, so maybe beauty is on the inside!

i think the direction for wesley was to be quite harsh at first, though my take on it is more justifiable betrayal than species-ism. Relationship involves trust, and all that jazz...

Nick086 · September 25 2012, 01:16 AM

Trekker4747 wrote:

"A Matter of Honor"

The new crew members and a part of an exchange program, a Benzite, beam aboard.

Wesley: Mordock! You couldn't have graduated from the academy already!

Mendon: Mordock? I am Mendon.

Wesley: Oh, sorry, I though you were a friend of mine.

Mendon: We are from the same geostructure, naturally we all look alike.

Wesley: How do you tell each other apart?

Mendon: ... We just do.

Yes, Wesley, I'm sure all Benzites look alike to you!

Wow lol that just the type of topics I would see on the IMDB boards. I'm surprise we don't have topics questioning the character's sexuality.

T'Girl · September 25 2012, 03:18 AM

Trekker4747 wrote:

"A Matter of Honor"

The new crew members and a part of an exchange program, a Benzite, beam aboard.

Wesley: Mordock! You couldn't have graduated from the academy already!

Mendon: Mordock? I am Mendon.

Wesley: Oh, sorry, I though you were a friend of mine.

Mendon: We are from the same geostructure, naturally we all look alike.

Wesley: How do you tell each other apart?

Mendon: ... We just do.

Yes, Wesley, I'm sure all Benzites look alike to you!

I don't see this as any different than Wesley confusing two Humans siblings who are identical twins.

I might change one line of dialog ...

Mendon: Mordock? I am Mendon.
Wesley: My mistake Mendon, I mistook you for someone else, the fault was mine.

Worf's Beard · September 28 2012, 03:16 PM

Trekker4747 wrote:

Yes, Wesley, I'm sure all Benzites look alike to you!

Heh, I have to admit that I jokingly thought that as well when he said that line. Naturally, he wasn't being racist (specist?) and was trying to get on with the character, but seeing it's annoying Wesley, I'm willing to think the worst of him.

Trekker4747 · September 28 2012, 09:23 PM

Well, yeah, it's obvious what is meant by the scene. But I wonder if anyone really would have thought he was the same, earlier, Benzite? It certainly never occurred to me since if it was it'd be a plot point in the episode and that'd make no sense; since there's no way Mordock would be a serving officer now and we were just told Mendon was part of alien exchange program.

It would've been better to do the scene with Wesley saying, "Hey! My friend Mordock is a Benzite!"
"Yes, Mordock. The first Benzite in your Starfleet. There's much praise for him back on our homeworld."

Explains to the audience what's going on (yeah, this is the same actor, but it's not the same guy Wesley met earlier) and doesn't make Wesley a clueless ass who just sees a blue catfish-alien and automatically assumes it to be a guy he met a year earlier.

The "Racist" comment, again, is tongue-in-cheek as obviously what's going on is trying to explain things to the audience, Benzites just might have some aspect of their genes that does allow for "identical twins" to occur in the general population without there being and genetic relationship between the individuals. But the way it comes across on first blush just sounds odd.

FKnight · October 1 2012, 05:56 AM

Can't see anything racist here. It's Mendon himself who pretty much says, "there's a bunch of us that look exactly the same so your mistake is pretty much normal." Not at all similar to someone confusing Levar Burton and Avery Brooks.

Bynars all look alike, though. It's fine though. Some of my best friends are Bynars.

Therin of Andor · October 2 2012, 07:42 AM

Circus Peanut wrote:

It would've been better to do the scene with Wesley saying, "Hey! My friend Mordock is a Benzite!"
"Yes, Mordock. The first Benzite in your Starfleet. There's much praise for him back on our homeworld."

Explains to the audience what's going on (yeah, this is the same actor, but it's not the same guy Wesley met earlier)

But that neither gives us any (science fictiony) information about Benzites, nor explains why the production chose to use the same actor.

The audience would be left saying, "But it is the same guy!"

September 16 2012, 11:13 AM	#49
Trekker4747 To boldly go... Location: Kansas City	Re: Wesley Crusher: Racist Yeah, some reason you can't embed a YT video here that starts at a specific time. __________________ Just because it's futuristic doesn't mean it's practical.

September 18 2012, 11:08 PM	#50
CaptainStoner Knuckle-dragging TNZ Denizen Location: Hill dweller	Re: Wesley Crusher: Racist I think the scene worked perfectly. I liked the benzite character, and there he is....wesley mirrors the audience reaction....hey! Its the blue dude....then the blue dude is like no, we are just podmates, and are physically identical...it is a subtle, light, brilliant comment on "race" relations that maintains the positive GR view - because wesley is not making the same error as a modern white man is known to - they literally are the same guy - it had to be the same guy for it to work - a genius bit of sci fi - i just wish there had been a Benzite regular on one of the crews - you know they be putting herb in those vaporizers

September 21 2012, 06:41 PM	#51
Term180 Cadet Location: Roanoke, VA	Re: Wesley Crusher: Racist All jokes aside, I actually did think of him as a bit racist when he reacted as he had to the fact that his crush turned out to be a shapeshifter in one episode. If beauty is truly on the inside, what difference should it make if the girl can shapeshift? Wesley should know human women do the same thing, only they use makeup, wax, and razors to look less like sasquatch. To Wes' credit, he did seem to kinda get over it, though to me, it seemed like it was more because he knew she wasn't going to be on the ship much longer anyways, like a bad date that was finally coming to an end. However, he did find her transporting molecules attractive enough, so maybe beauty is on the inside!

September 28 2012, 09:23 PM	#56
Trekker4747 To boldly go... Location: Kansas City	Re: Wesley Crusher: Racist Well, yeah, it's obvious what is meant by the scene. But I wonder if anyone really would have thought he was the same, earlier, Benzite? It certainly never occurred to me since if it was it'd be a plot point in the episode and that'd make no sense; since there's no way Mordock would be a serving officer now and we were just told Mendon was part of alien exchange program. It would've been better to do the scene with Wesley saying, "Hey! My friend Mordock is a Benzite!" "Yes, Mordock. The first Benzite in your Starfleet. There's much praise for him back on our homeworld." Explains to the audience what's going on (yeah, this is the same actor, but it's not the same guy Wesley met earlier) and doesn't make Wesley a clueless ass who just sees a blue catfish-alien and automatically assumes it to be a guy he met a year earlier. The "Racist" comment, again, is tongue-in-cheek as obviously what's going on is trying to explain things to the audience, Benzites just might have some aspect of their genes that does allow for "identical twins" to occur in the general population without there being and genetic relationship between the individuals. But the way it comes across on first blush just sounds odd. __________________ Just because it's futuristic doesn't mean it's practical.

October 1 2012, 05:56 AM	#57
FKnight Commander	Re: Wesley Crusher: Racist Can't see anything racist here. It's Mendon himself who pretty much says, "there's a bunch of us that look exactly the same so your mistake is pretty much normal." Not at all similar to someone confusing Levar Burton and Avery Brooks. Bynars all look alike, though. It's fine though. Some of my best friends are Bynars. __________________ "You have been examined. Your ship must be destroyed. We make assumption you have a deity, or deities, or some such beliefs which comfort you. We therefore grant you ten Earth time periods known as minutes to make preparations."

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