OCD Thread

[Kanousei]

I'm the type of person who had The Nitpickers' Guide on my lap every time I watched a new episode of Next Gen, so I like to fuss and examine minutia. I don't love the series any less, needless to say, but certain inconsistencies make me twitch.

For example: Mr. Sulu's first name is Hikaru, a popular Japanese name for both boys and girls. I was ready to suspend disbelief just knowing his surname, but if he is in fact Japanese it cannot work, as there is no "L" sound in Japanese. Period. "Suru" has several meanings, but all are fairly mundane verbs which would not be names.

So... that's the whole of my obsessive-nitpicking for the day, I suppose. XD Anyone else have a twitch to examine?

 

[Triskelion]

Unlike a real Japanese name like George Takei.

 

[sbk1234]

I remember hearing that when Trek was shown in Japan, Sulu's name was changed to something else, because it is not a Japanese name. However, I don't remember what.

 

[Chris3123]

I remember hearing that when Trek was shown in Japan, Sulu's name was changed to something else, because it is not a Japanese name. However, I don't remember what.

He was called "Mister Kato" in Japan. Also, the Voyager episode "Flashback" was titled "The Legendary Mister Kato".

 

[SonicRanger]

Why does he have to have a Japanese last name? Who even says that Sulu is Japanese? Reportedly, Roddenberry wanted him to be of mixed-Asian decent, not just Japanese or anything specific. He was named after the Sulu Sea off the coast of Malaysia and the Philippines.

 

[M'Sharak]

Why does he have to have a Japanese last name? Who even says that Sulu is Japanese? Reportedly, Roddenberry wanted him to be of mixed-Asian decent, not just Japanese or anything specific. He was named after the Sulu Sea off the coast of Malaysia and the Philippines.

Which sea I remember being told was "near Japan" by Kor when I was a freshly-registered n00b here. He did so in all seriousness and was less than amused when I had the audacity to point out the geographical inaccuracy of his statement.

 

[DonIago]

As I don't believe it was ever stated onscreen that he was Japanese, canonically all we know is that he appeared to have Japanese features.

 

[pookha]

I'm the type of person who had The Nitpickers' Guide on my lap every time I watched a new episode of Next Gen, so I like to fuss and examine minutia. I don't love the series any less, needless to say, but certain inconsistencies make me twitch.

For example: Mr. Sulu's first name is Hikaru, a popular Japanese name for both boys and girls. I was ready to suspend disbelief just knowing his surname, but if he is in fact Japanese it cannot work, as there is no "L" sound in Japanese. Period. "Suru" has several meanings, but all are fairly mundane verbs which would not be names.

So... that's the whole of my obsessive-nitpicking for the day, I suppose. XD Anyone else have a twitch to examine?

maybe a combination that this is set in the future and the
language evolved plus sulu's ancestors had been living in america for several centuries might help to explain it.