What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Nyotarules]

WTF is with Hollywood mix & matching Asian Ethnicities and roles played by actors?

Hikaru Sulu is of Japanese Heritage = George Takei = Correct matching relative to real life actors heritage

TNG = No Asians on main cast, Recurring Guest: Keiko O'Brien = Japanese Heritage = Rosalind Chao (Chinese Heritage) = Incorrect matching relative to real life actors heritage

DS9 = No Asians on main cast, Recurring Guest: Keiko O'Brien = Japanese Heritage = Rosalind Chao (Chinese Heritage) = Incorrect matching relative to real life actors heritage

VOY = Harry Kim = Korean Heritage = Garret Wang (Chinese Heritage) = Incorrect matching relative to real life actors heritage

ENT = Hoshi Sato = Japanese Heritage = Linda Park (Korean Heritage) = Incorrect matching relative to real life actors heritage

ST Reboot Film = Hikaru Sulu = John Cho (Korean Heritage) = Incorrect matching relative to real life actors heritage

Why can't they cast to the correct ethnicity or make adjustments like in Agents of SHIELD where Chloe Benett had her character adjusted to reflect her IRL half Caucasian / half Chinese heritage?

Euro American Charlton Heston played Hebrew Moses
Anglo American Elizabeth Taylor played Egyptian Cleopatra
English James Bond played by Scottish Sean Connery and Irish Pierce Brosnan
English Yorkshireman Patrick Stewart played Frenchman Jean Luc Picard
American Nichelle Nichols and Zoe Saldana played West African Nyota Uhura
American LeVar Burton played Somalian Geordi LaForge
Black British with Sierra Leone parents Idris Elba plays Norse Heimdall
etc etc etc
In the Star Trek universe Harry Kim could be born in Nigeria or anywhere on Earth, and be called Harry Obefemi, since global migration should be as easy as catching a bus. Perhaps the next reboot should be more adventurous and have White Captain X with an Asian surname, Black Captain Y with a so called Indian surname, etc names should not reflect the ethnic boxes of the present.
Besides its not called 'acting' for nothing. What is needed are for more nonwhite actors Black, Asian etc to play roles that lots of white people play by default, and not play roles just to fill an Asian actor and Black actor slots

 

[Oddish]

Fandom has nothing to do with it, simply a trend in the shows. Didn’t Chakotay, Paris and Torres all finish Voyager with their original ranks as well?

Chakotay was as high as he could go without Janeway dying. Paris had to overcome a well deserved reduction in rank. And B'Elanna should have been bumped up to senior lieutenant. The discrepancy is just less obnoxious with her because of the provisional rank bar she wore through most of the series.

 

[BillJ]

The discrepancy is just less obnoxious with her because of the provisional rank bar she wore through most of the series.

I am not sure why it was less obnoxious she went without a promotion for seven years?

 

[Morgan Primus]

Isn’t it possible that the USS Voyager, so far away from Starfleet, experienced lapses in promotions being carried out in a timely fashion?

 

[Morgan Primus]

It wasn’t like they could easily be re-assigned.

 

[Nyotarules]

Never saw the mockery, to be honest.

At least the TOS crew had experience under their belt and not just stepped out of school. The same plot would worked if the crew were ten years older working at the academy as lecturers or ended up stationed on the Enterprise in roles that reflected their 'just graduated' status. A hospital would not make a recent medical student Chief of Surgery just because he/she saves the world

 

[BillJ]

Isn’t it possible that the USS Voyager, so far away from Starfleet, experienced lapses in promotions being carried out in a timely fashion?

Janeway would have the option to give field promotions to officers, just like she granted field commissions to the Maquis.

 

[BillJ]

At least the TOS crew had some experience under their belt and not just stepped out of school. The same plot would worked if the crew were ten years older working at the academy as lecturers or ended up stationed on the Enterprise in roles that reflected their just graduated status.

Paramount wanted an origin story and the crew together in their places at the end of the film. I think the movie makes the best of those requirements. It is fun and exciting, with some flaws that were mandated by the studio.

 

[Oddish]

It was less visible. To see B'Elanna's rank, you have to freeze the episode you're streaming when her collar is close to the camera, then put your nose six inches from the screen. Harry's single pip is plainly visible.

Also, if Torres were promoted from JG to LT, she would be... Lieutenant Torres. Just like before. If Harry were promoted, he would be Lieutenant Kim.

 

[BillJ]

It was less visible. To see B'Elanna's rank, you have to freeze the episode you're streaming when her collar is close to the camera, then put your nose six inches from the screen. Harry's single pip is plainly visible.

Also, if Torres were promoted from JG to LT, she would be... Lieutenant Torres. Just like before. If Harry were promoted, he would be Lieutenant Kim.

I figure no one got promoted so Paramount wouldn’t have to spend money changing the credits.

 

[fireproof78]

Paramount wanted an origin story and the crew together in their places at the end of the film. I think the movie makes the best of those requirements. It is fun and exciting, with some flaws that were mandated by the studio.

Exactly. I get that suspension of disbelief rules work differently for everyone but some creative licensing was going to be expected.

At the end its just a fun film, warts and all. And the stupid writer's strike probably did them no favors either.

 

[Morgan Primus]

She is listed as Lieutenant Junior Grade on Memory Alpha

 

[Oddish]

I figure no one got promoted so Paramount wouldn’t have to spend money changing the credits.

They had to do that when Seven replaced Kes. And at other times too, I think.

 

[Tenacity]

The only exception was Data on TNG; his progress was blocked by Riker and Picard's both refusing promotion

Starfleet had hundreds if not thousands of ships. How would Data's rank and career advancement be dependant on Piacrd's and Riker's advancement? Again there are other ships.

Kirk being made a captain at 25 was a stupid idea and makes a mockery of TOS Trek

Shatner-Kirk climbed through the rank "the old fashion way." We heard of different ships, different postings in various departments. He learned over time how to be a senior officer,

Pine-Kirk did good in ST'09, and he should have been rewarded, maybe a nice medal and a favorable notation in his record. But what did he know about the actual day to day operation of a large ship? Things that only come from years of "on the job training?" No one comes out of school ready to be the boss.

 

[BillJ]

They had to do that when Seven replaced Kes. And at other times too, I think.

The only time was when Ryan joined the show. Nothing else changed as far as I remember, everyone else were in the same positions for the entire run and the music and visuals remained the same.

 

[Orphalesion]

Anglo American Elizabeth Taylor played Egyptian Cleopatra

Cleopatra was of Macedonian ancestry.

But other than that I agree that actor background and character background do not need to be the same (within reason of course, don't a white person if the character is supposed and stated to be black and then use makeup to match that, for example)
So I think there's nothing wrong with casting a Chinese man to play a Korean, or a British man to play a Russian. Really limiting your casting choices so that the actor's background matches the character's 1:1 would be ridiculous and might lead to an inferior product. Like really? Walter Koenig instead of Sean Connery, just because Koenig's grandparents lived in Russia?In what universe would that make any sense??

Though in Star Trek, where the backgrounds of characters, most of the time are really just window dressing, I agree that they could have easily changed Harry to be Chinese to match the actor. It would not have made an iota of difference.

 

[Morgan Primus]

Cleopatra was of Macedonian ancestry.

But other than that I agree that actor background and character background do not need to be the same (within reason of course, don't a white person if the character is supposed and stated to be black and then use makeup to match that, for example)
So I think there's nothing wrong with casting a Chinese man to play a Korean, or a British man to play a Russian. Really limiting your casting choices so that the actor's background matches the character's 1:1 would be ridiculous and might lead to an inferior product. Like really? Walter Koenig instead of Sean Connery, just because Koenig's grandparents lived in Russia?In what universe would that make any sense??

T.

I don’t think it’s that important either, after all they cast a Russian Jew from Boston as a Vulcan, lol. History was made

 

[ananta]

Here goes...Lwaxanna Troi was a wonderful character. I just saw some complaining about her on another thread so I guess this will be a controversial opinion but I always really enjoyed her. She was something totally rare on TV — a woman of a certain age who was exuberant, passionate, lived life to the full, was utterly comfortable in her own skin, gregarious, larger than life, didn’t suffer fools and didn’t take life too seriously. Frankly, I sometimes think she’s a lot more human than just about any of the TNG’s rather dull cast. There was also a tragic side to the character and had greater depth than many acknowledge. Plus she was played by Majel Barrett, Trek’s First Lady, and I think she did a marvellous job.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Could’ve called him Joe Smith and had him be a generic white guy and the character would’ve played exactly the same

That's mostly the writing staff's fault for not coming up with more storyline bits for Harry.

Well, it couldn't be Harry Wang.

For obvious reasons.

Euro American Charlton Heston played Hebrew Moses
Anglo American Elizabeth Taylor played Egyptian Cleopatra
English James Bond played by Scottish Sean Connery and Irish Pierce Brosnan
English Yorkshireman Patrick Stewart played Frenchman Jean Luc Picard
American Nichelle Nichols and Zoe Saldana played West African Nyota Uhura
American LeVar Burton played Somalian Geordi LaForge
Black British with Sierra Leone parents Idris Elba plays Norse Heimdall
etc etc etc
In the Star Trek universe Harry Kim could be born in Nigeria or anywhere on Earth, and be called Harry Obefemi, since global migration should be as easy as catching a bus. Perhaps the next reboot should be more adventurous and have White Captain X with an Asian surname, Black Captain Y with a so called Indian surname, etc names should not reflect the ethnic boxes of the present.
Besides its not called 'acting' for nothing. What is needed are for more nonwhite actors Black, Asian etc to play roles that lots of white people play by default, and not play roles just to fill an Asian actor and Black actor slots

And we can actually incorporate the actors IRL Ethnic Heritage into the backgrounds of their characters.
It works better that way IMO.

 

[Morgan Primus]

Other than Number One, I think Maje shined best in that role of Luxwana Troi.

Nurse Chapel was a doomed character from the start.