Middle-Easterners in "Discovery"

[Lord Garth]

As a half-Iranian, I hope they have Middle-Easterners in "Discovery". Or at least actors who portray them. Preferably in a positive light. To show that we're not all terrorists. And yes, there are bigots who think this.

One time, at a high school reunion, someone was talking to me, a veteran who was in Afghanistan who suffers from PTSD, forgot what I am and casually said, "I tense up whenever I see a middle-easterner". Of course, I'm "different" but I did my best not to say anything. It wasn't the time or the place.

There was Bashir on DS9 but that was Pre-9/11. We need something Post-9/11. If it's something where I'd have to explain why, you wouldn't understand.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

As a half-Iranian, I hope they have Middle-Easterners in "Discovery". Or at least actors who portray them. Preferably in a positive light. To show that we're not all terrorists. And yes, there are bigots who think this.

One time, at a high school reunion, someone was talking to me, a veteran who was in Afghanistan who suffers from PTSD, forgot what I am and casually said, "I tense up whenever I see a middle-easterner". Of course, I'm "different" but I did my best not to say anything. It wasn't the time or the place.

There was Bashir on DS9 but that was Pre-9/11. We need something Post-9/11. If it's something where I'd have to explain why, you wouldn't understand.

Agree 100%. Positive representation is important and fits right in with Star Trek.

 

[fireproof78]

As a half-Iranian, I hope they have Middle-Easterners in "Discovery". Or at least actors who portray them. Preferably in a positive light. To show that we're not all terrorists. And yes, there are bigots who think this.

One time, at a high school reunion, someone was talking to me, a veteran who was in Afghanistan who suffers from PTSD, forgot what I am and casually said, "I tense up whenever I see a middle-easterner". Of course, I'm "different" but I did my best not to say anything. It wasn't the time or the place.

There was Bashir on DS9 but that was Pre-9/11. We need something Post-9/11. If it's something where I'd have to explain why, you wouldn't understand.

I approve, and more importantly...

Captain Robau approves.

 

[jamestyler]

I love Captain Robau. And he's alive in this timeline! Shohreh Aghdashloo deserves a not as well from the Kelvin timeline. Not a major character, but a great authority figure (that I'd also love to see transition into the Prime timeline!)

I honestly expected there to be at least one prominant middle eastern character. There's some South East background within the cast (guesswork anyway as Sharma's name has Indian links & Latif's Pakistan), not sure how much background as I'm not really one to care all that much. But I do wonder if they'll link any backgorund in other than English, Canadian, American etc.

Hopefully - Star Trek always seems to forget there are more than a few countries.

 

[KennyB]

Agreed, hope to see everyone represented and no stereotypes. I have a good feeling this writing staff will do well.

 

[Mudd]

You know what would be nice? People of really different cultures and religious beliefs represented and getting along in that "utopia."

That doesn't happen all that much in Star Trek. Instead, you get actors of different ethnic and national backgrounds required to put on different accents (unless they're British, that one's cool) and say that they're from different parts of the world. Forget about Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Christians etc living in mutual respect for one another's beliefs, because No Religion.

In order to really express their own cultures and beliefs, actors have to wear prosthetics and talk about made-up belief systems, same as traiditionally in Trek non-heterosexuals with maybe two exceptions have to be aliens or Evul. Roddenberry's utopia doesn't "delight in our differences" as he claimed, it erases them.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

No thanks Serveaux.

Religions can do their own marketing work - they certainly have enough money and power, as well as enough people with a vested interest.

Half of them will be gone or very small faiths (or humanity will have at least changed unpredictably) by the 23rd century if trends carry on in terms of education/rights/conscientiousness and I have no desire to see them shoehorned into Trek on the basis of our current prejudices that they are eternal, rather than the worldly/ephemeral social phenomena they are.

If you want a bazaar scene full of people wearing their various pagentry, someone can write a new franchise in which the rise of education and end of tribalism is less important to the show.

But let Star Trek be Star Trek.

I enjoy it in Star Wars, or Babylon 5, but I have no desire to see it in Star Trek, which is it's own thing.

 

[Lord Garth]

Just so we're clear I'm not reigious. I'm atheist. And, so you know, USS Einstein, contrary to what you think not everyone in the Middle East is Muslim.

Furthermore, are you saying that we can't have Middle Easterners or other ethnicities in Star Trek because "Star Trek should be Star Trek"? I have news for you. We're not just some fucking trend. We're people. Actual living people. Plus, this might be even more shocking to you: not all of us are in favor of regimes in the Middle East. Amazing, isn't it?

Not all of us think the same. Not all of us are the same. But we should be excluded because "let Star Trek be Star Trek"? Do you know what you said? Do you know how it sounds?

 

[Eric Cheung]

The closest right now is Shazad Latif is of Pakistani, English, and Scottish descent. But he's playing a guy named Lieutenant Ash Tyler, so the character's ancestry is less clear.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Just so we're clear I'm not reigious. I'm atheist. And, so you know, USS Einstein, contrary to what you think not everyone in the Middle East is Muslim.

I beg your pardon?

I have never believed that in my life, nor said it.

I'm half Indian, and we'll aware of how a culture is unfairly assumed to be religious.

I'm well aware about the tide of atheism sweeping the middle east, and my Iranian friends are all atheists.

 

[Tuskin38]

Just so we're clear I'm not reigious. I'm atheist. And, so you know, USS Einstein, contrary to what you think not everyone in the Middle East is Muslim.

Furthermore, are you saying that we can't have Middle Easterners or other ethnicities in Star Trek because "Star Trek should be Star Trek"? I have news for you. We're not just some fucking trend. We're people. Actual living people. Plus, this might be even more shocking to you: not all of us are in favor of regimes in the Middle East. Amazing, isn't it?

Not all of us think the same. Not all of us are the same. But we should be excluded because "let Star Trek be Star Trek"? Do you know what you said? Do you know how it sounds?

I think you completely misunderstood their post.

They were not responding to you, they were referring to Serveaux's post that mentioned religion.

 

[KennyB]

 

[Lord Garth]

Bleh. I wasn't aware of Serveaux's post. I'll search for it. Sorry USS Einstein.

Don't worry, people, things are fine.

 

[Tuskin38]

I wasn't aware of Serveaux's post. I'll search for it

It is directly above Einstein's

 

[Lord Garth]

This is silly. Um, normally, I wouldn't say this but I had Serveaux on Ignore. Which is why I didn't see the post... I only say this to explain the situation. Otherwise, I wouldn't say who I had on Ignore.

... so, yeah. Then I saw at the bottom, "View Ignored Content".

 

[Tuskin38]

Oh, well that helps explain that a lot haha.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Thankyou Lord Garth - I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

There was a time when I used to get annoyed that more Indians didn't appear in sci-fi, and when they were cast, they often had their names altered as if people couldn't handle something as simple as "Vikram" or "Rakesh" or "Kumar" or "Patel" or "Sharma". But ultimatly a lot of my annoyance was born from misplaced pride - as long as there are human actors in a show, we all share something in common with the cast. As it happens an Indian woman is in Discovery - Rekha Sharma will play the security chief, which I'm very happy about. I hope there are Iranian characters too.

 

[Cake]

I am all for less US Americans. Many are unrealistic. I mean at the time DIS plays humans have already colonized other planets and moons. And on Earth itself only a minority lives in the place of the current USA. So I wouldn't mind a character from the Middle East. They are also often stereotyping people from other places in US series and movies. A cliche free presentation of them would be nice, too.

 

[Jackson_Roykirk]

You know what would be nice? People of really different cultures and religious beliefs represented and getting along in that "utopia."

That doesn't happen all that much in Star Trek. Instead, you get actors of different ethnic and national backgrounds required to put on different accents (unless they're British, that one's cool) and say that they're from different parts of the world. Forget about Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Christians etc living in mutual respect for one another's beliefs, because No Religion.

In order to really express their own cultures and beliefs, actors have to wear prosthetics and talk about made-up belief systems, same as traiditionally in Trek non-heterosexuals with maybe two exceptions have to be aliens or Evul. Roddenberry's utopia doesn't "delight in our differences" as he claimed, it erases them.

We did have Bread and Circuses in TOS, where the Pagan Roman-analogs were persecuting the Christian-analog, although the Christian aspect was only sprung upon us in the very last scene of the episode in an "O. Henry" or "M. Night Shyamalan" a ha-style moment.

 

[Nyotarules]

As a half-Iranian, I hope they have Middle-Easterners in "Discovery". Or at least actors who portray them. Preferably in a positive light. To show that we're not all terrorists. And yes, there are bigots who think this.

One time, at a high school reunion, someone was talking to me, a veteran who was in Afghanistan who suffers from PTSD, forgot what I am and casually said, "I tense up whenever I see a middle-easterner". Of course, I'm "different" but I did my best not to say anything. It wasn't the time or the place.

There was Bashir on DS9 but that was Pre-9/11. We need something Post-9/11. If it's something where I'd have to explain why, you wouldn't understand.

If we can accept in Star Trek that humans of Western European descent are no longer racists imperialists againsts other humans with delusions of racial grandeur, and are more likely the heroes of the Federation then all other ethnic groups of humanity should be treated exactly the same.

I approve, and more importantly...

Captain Robau approves.

According to the novel, I believe Captain Robau was Cuban, but if a Spanish actor can play a Sikh character then an Asian actor can play a Hispanic character lol

It would be even more interesting to have human characters whose ancestors are not indigenous to where they were born on Earth to reflect a world where global migration is as normal as moving from one part a city to another.
E.G A brown skinned person with a Mandarin name who is from Shanghai