"A Matter of Honor"
Yes, Wesley, I'm sure all Benzites look alike to you!
Yes, Wesley, I'm sure all Benzites look alike to you!
Wesley Crusher: Racist
- Thread starter Trekker4747
- Start date
Yeah, that's exactly what Wesley is 
If anything, Mendon is the racist.
But considering the same actor played both characters, they really do look alike to me.
If anything, Mendon is the racist.
But considering the same actor played both characters, they really do look alike to me.
Yeah, that's exactly what Wesley is
I'm pretty sure the OP is only having a little bit of fun. After all, both Mordock and Mendon were played by John Patch, perhaps as a way to subtly and humorously further Wesley's faux pas.
Aw, lots of people in ST were racist, or specie-ist.
How many times does someone remark "Typical Klingon, always yadda yadda yadda" or "That would be the Romulan way of..." or "Leave it to the Ferengi to..." or "Only a Vulcan would do something something".
No one seems to mind generalizing entire races. But use that same language when talking about Irish or Japanese or Jews or Africans or French or Hindus or any other human group...
How many times does someone remark "Typical Klingon, always yadda yadda yadda" or "That would be the Romulan way of..." or "Leave it to the Ferengi to..." or "Only a Vulcan would do something something".
No one seems to mind generalizing entire races. But use that same language when talking about Irish or Japanese or Jews or Africans or French or Hindus or any other human group...
Putch.
And didn't they write the dialogue to cover the fact that they were using the same guy, as opposed to casting him again due to the dialogue?
Found on Memory Alpha:
Of returning to play Mendon, Putch recalled; "I was all very impressed by that. I thought, 'Ah, they love me, they love me.' What they really loved was that it was me, because they'd spent all that money on making that blue head and it was form fitted to me...I don't fault them for that. I would have done the same thing, but it's funny how you are naive about these things when you're just an actor."
Of returning to play Mendon, Putch recalled; "I was all very impressed by that. I thought, 'Ah, they love me, they love me.' What they really loved was that it was me, because they'd spent all that money on making that blue head and it was form fitted to me...I don't fault them for that. I would have done the same thing, but it's funny how you are naive about these things when you're just an actor."
I don't blame Wesley. Benzites all look alike to me, too. I'm sure if Wesley had known his friend longer than a few days (to be physically around him), he'd have picked up on specific nuances and body language and that would have clued him in that the other Benzite was a different person.
It's when we're not used to specific groups of people that we have trouble differentiating them. Even cats - somebody once asked me how I could tell my two tuxedo cats apart. Well, considering one was bigger than the other (and male, vs the smaller female), and their markings were noticeably different, plus the fact I'd raised both of them from kittenhood, their voices and body language were very different, the female was the mother of the male, etc.... But to somebody who knows very little about cats, they all tend to look alike.
It's when we're not used to specific groups of people that we have trouble differentiating them. Even cats - somebody once asked me how I could tell my two tuxedo cats apart. Well, considering one was bigger than the other (and male, vs the smaller female), and their markings were noticeably different, plus the fact I'd raised both of them from kittenhood, their voices and body language were very different, the female was the mother of the male, etc....
But to somebody who knows very little about cats, they all tend to look alike.
True, but in the Star Trek world contrary to our real world, those generalisations appear to be based on fact. It's not prejudice if it's true. (which is actually even worse than if just some of the characters were racist)
Calling Wesley "racist" was a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it just comes across as odd to me that he would see a Benzite step off the transporter pad, someone who he was just told was not a new officer but part of the exchange program and immediately assume that he's his friend simply because they happen to be of the same species.
They had different names and, honestly, it never even dawned on me that it was the same actor. Hell, I think the two had somewhat different personalities.
I think any confusion for the audience could have been better cleared up than having Wesley pretty much wondering how Benzites can tell one another apart. Mendon should have responded with, "How do you humans tell one another apart? You all look alike to me!"
They had different names and, honestly, it never even dawned on me that it was the same actor. Hell, I think the two had somewhat different personalities.
I think any confusion for the audience could have been better cleared up than having Wesley pretty much wondering how Benzites can tell one another apart. Mendon should have responded with, "How do you humans tell one another apart? You all look alike to me!"
Mendon says "we're from the same geostructure, naturally we all look alike." Which, pretty much, is saying "we're all from the same planet, you idiot, of COURSE we all look alike!"
Humans are better than the aliens, so it's okay.
Some of us do have trouble telling people apart and we are not racists. I'm in customer service and I have a hard time. One blonde white woman from another? Not easy. One Shaven-headed square-jawed black man from another? Not easy. Yeah, I can't always tell black people apart, but it's also white people, latino, etc.
Yeah, that's exactly what Wesley is
If anything, Mendon is the racist.
But considering the same actor played both characters, they really do look alike to me.
They even sound alike.
If you think about it, every race/species in Trek is stereotyped, as in known for a particular way of acting, thinking, behaving, doing things, etc.
Putch.
All Putches look the same to me!
Yeah, that's exactly what Wesley is
If anything, Mendon is the racist.
But considering the same actor played both characters, they really do look alike to me.
LOL!
I was going to do an eye-rollie and say something like "typical Trekkies can't tell when someone is obviously posting in good humor..." but then I realized that now *I* was being prejucide and generalizing.
Does "Geostructure" mean planet though, or is just another word that means something vaguely similar to family/household? Perhaps Mordock & Mendon were cousins.
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