Chief Kyle rocks
- Thread starter Baba101
- Start date
Chief Kyle Kyle? is he a descendant of Major Major?
British IIRC.
The novels call him John Kyle, but early fanfic from the LA conventions boasted he was Winston Kyle. DC Comics' "Who's Who in Star Trek" settled on Thomas, IIRC.
The debate about UK vs Australian comes because John Winston, originally from Leeds in Yorkshire, England, but who moved to USA at a young age, was supposedly reverting to his family accent when performing Kyle - but many UK ST fans thought he must have been trying for an Australian accent, since it didn't sound very Yorkshire.
I thought the Oz-Brit debate (as much as it was a debate) came from US fans? I would have heard him as British, but from further south than Yorkshire.
Probably did, partly. But most US fans recognize an Aussie accent when they hear one, wouldn't they? Kyle is nothing like ocker "Strine"!
Kyle, to my ear, almost sounds like a Cockney Londoner, but it's my understanding that the British fans used to say that Kyle's accent sounded like no English accent they knew, either, so therefore they blamed the actor for attempting a faulty Australian accent.
In the 80s, the Australian ST club I belonged to did (sort of) adopt Kyle as a local, and he even featured in some fanfic watching old Aussie Rules football games, patting kangaroos, and eating Vegemite, etc. I guess some Australians were eager to have an Aussie on the Enterprise. But most fans here usually assumed he's British.
The actor did travel to Australia in the 70s: Mr Winston appeared with US actress Judy Lynne in "The Evil Touch", a cheaply-made "Twilight Zone" clone, hosted by Anthony Quayle. (Judy Lynne never went home, and became a popular actress - and a TV weather-girl - here in Australia.)
We didn't get an Aussie on the Enterprise until Nella Daren in TNG!
To my Northern Irish ear (we have our own palette of accents to choose from over here) he sounded somewhat cockney to me too, but I've seen enough British TV to hear it as an extremely odd cockney accent indeed.
John Winston was from Yorkshire, and he's used that same accent in other shows. I suspect that's his native accent, nothing phoney (or Australian) about it.
On the other hand, a very good friend of mine, though she is totally a Kiwi, because she spent so much of her life in England, sounds quite properly BBC British.
Hey, maybe in the future, the Australians have been brought to heel. No more Fosters or Wallabees or Shrimp and Barbies... just the King's English. *ducks*
On the other hand, a very good friend of mine, though she is totally a Kiwi, because she spent so much of her life in England, sounds quite properly BBC British.
Hey, maybe in the future, the Australians have been brought to heel. No more Fosters or Wallabees or Shrimp and Barbies... just the King's English. *ducks*
Jeez.
We all know way too much about that show. One little flub from 30 years ago and we're all right there getting it.
I'm getting to work right this second, to write some fanfic resolving the Kyle/Cowl discrepancy. I've heard of having a life, but consider it to be over-rated.
Brits and Australians were severely underrepresented, so no wonder two great big islands battle over his nationality. But will any of our accents and regional cultures stay intact until the 23rd century?
Brits and Australians were severely underrepresented, so no wonder two great big islands battle over his nationality. But will any of our accents and regional cultures stay intact until the 23rd century?
I recently read that "Cowel" was a legitimate, original pronunciation of the name "Kyle", so although Shatner often mispronounced names, this time he wasn't actually wrong.
Britain? "Great big island?"
Lol, I'd always heard that the two nations were fighting to have Kyle represent the other on the show, his accent being too indecipherable for either one to accept as their own.
And don't forget Shatner is descended from Eastern European Jews who settled in Quebec, so he might have learned English as a second, or even THIRD language, so the potential exists for many odd pronunciations...
I always thought that I had a pretty good handle on Brit / Aussie accents until I worked with a guy that even after he told me he was from outside London, I SWORE up and down was Australian. Sounded just like Chase from House. So Kyle is from one of those places, but I won't commit to which.
Did any of the other "below decks" characters make it into the movies? All hail Kyle!
Did any of the other "below decks" characters make it into the movies? All hail Kyle!
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