News George Takei interview - submit questions

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I found this while looking up Star Trek news on Google. In case nobody's seen this yet:

Post your questions for George Takei

The Star Trek star will have lots to say about playing Sulu, but you can also ask about his books and stage career – and getting fired by Donald Trump

www.theguardian.com

 

[Maurice]

Meh. I lost a lot of respect for him after seeing him in To Be Takei where he was just rude to people and laughed it off.

 

[CoveTom]

Yeah, I really have no interest in hearing from George Takei at this point.

 

[Takeru]

He's just going to talk about how he was supposed to have all of this major scenes and storylines on Star Trek that mean old Shatner took away from him when in reality none of that happened.

 

[Starflight]

George Takei would have been the biggest superstar actor on Earth had Shatner not cruelly stolen a throwaway line from him in 1966.

 

[CoveTom]

My favorite story is the one that he constantly tells of how there would be a scene where Sulu was speaking and the camera was supposed to be on him, but then after a whispered conversation with the director, it became a close-up on Shatner and Sulu was the off-screen voice.

I defy anyone to find a single instance in TOS or the TOS movies where Sulu has a line of dialogue to deliver (an actual line, not just "aye, sir") where it is a close-up of Shatner and Takei is the off-screen voice. It just doesn't exist. Plus, there are tons of close-ups of Sulu delivering plenty of dialogue. Two-shots of him and Shatner. Etc. And no director in his right mind would permit an actor, even the star of the show, to stop him from getting his coverage.

It's just such utter garbage.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Tosk]

I defy anyone to find a single instance in TOS or the TOS movies where Sulu has a line of dialogue to deliver (an actual line, not just "aye, sir") where it is a close-up of Shatner and Takei is the off-screen voice. It just doesn't exist.

Damn, it's even worse than we thought. Shatner got them to cut Sulu's line out completely?!

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Poor old George eh? How the mighty have fallen.

I think most got tired of him a long long time ago.

 

[Maurice]

There was a last-minute blue change page in "The Naked Time" where Sulu met Kirk in the turbolift bound for the bridge just before the climax, but the production reports show they never shot it, likely because it made Kirk look weak in front of a subordinate. My suspicion's long been that was the first plank in Takei's house of resentment.

 

[Firebird]

George really let the adulation of fans on the convention circuit go to his head. He was a glorified button-pusher day player on the original show, and con audiences made him feel like a superstar, which he never was. Takei can bitch about Shatner's ego all he wants, but he's just throwing stones in the glass Bridge.

Between the two, I've always found Takei the more grating because he insists on this bullshit feud. He insists on making it about himself. Most others, including Shatner, couldn't care less.

 

[Set Harth]

so Takei's a dick, wow, this is totally new information, you're telling me now for the first time

 

[Maurice]

What's dickish about that suggestion?^^^

 

[CoveTom]

What's dickish about that suggestion?^^^

Quite a significant number of Americans can't endure higher prices for food and gas. It seems quite tone deaf for a wealthy Hollywood entertainer to essentially just tell people to suck it up and accept higher prices.

 

[CoveTom]

There was a last-minute blue change page in "The Naked Time" where Sulu met Kirk in the turbolift bound for the bridge just before the climax, but the production reports show they never shot it, likely because it made Kirk look weak in front of a subordinate. My suspicion's long been that was the first plank in Takei's house of resentment.

Which is ridiculous, because "The Naked Time" is one of the episodes where Takei actually got to do something more interesting than "warp factor four, captain" and "aye, sir."

 

[Maurice]

Quite a significant number of Americans can't endure higher prices for food and gas. It seems quite tone deaf for a wealthy Hollywood entertainer to essentially just tell people to suck it up and accept higher prices.

Out of touch ≠ dickish.

Which is ridiculous, because "The Naked Time" is one of the episodes where Takei actually got to do something more interesting than "warp factor four, captain" and "aye, sir."

Perhaps, but it's the best example I've seen of Takei having a scene whacked to focus on Shatner.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Out of touch ≠ dickish.


Perhaps, but it's the best example I've seen of Takei having a scene whacked to focus on Shatner.

He should be pissed at Nimoy for taking his star making romance plot in This Side of Paradise.

 

[Maurice]

He should be pissed at Nimoy for taking his star making romance plot in This Side of Paradise.

We don't think the actors saw anything before the yellow cover first drafts, and I think Fontana squashed that idea at the outline stage. So he should blame her.