I didn’t even realize Bashir was supposed to be Arabic until his parents showed up. He looks ambiguous enough he can play English or Arabic just by costume and makeup.
Other than TOS cast members, are there other shows' cast members who didn't get along?
- Thread starter The Rock
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That explains Picard’s other best friend as a child — Etienne ch’Thehn’owah.
Who also had a British accent...
Pity the short sightedness of the writers, presenting the UFP as an organisation/semi nation state of species where everyone but humans stick to their planetary systems.
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Perhaps, but professionalism does
That's so misguided. If they wanted to be angry about it, be angry at the bonehead(s) who fired her, or authorized her firing. Muldaur had nothing to do with that.
I'm always amazed when I hear things like that, not just when it comes to the McFadden/Muldaur situation. If you want to be angry fine, but focus that anger in the correct direction.
Consider the stupid fan(atic)s who get angry/send death threats at the actor who plays a baddie or takes over from a well loved character....humans are stupid, its a fact.
It's never been spelled out just what his origins are and I really like that about him, as it has no bearing on him as a character as by this time what divides us now is meaningless (I'd suspect if they included a devout Muslim character in a series now it'd be splashed all over the press release).
Bashir is an Arabic surname, though there do seem to be a number of Pakistani with it as well. Richard and Jules/Julian are common enough names in English-speaking countries (though Brian George was born in Israel), whilst Amsha again seems to be predominantly of Arabic origin, though is also used in India and Pakistan (Fadwa El Guindi was born in Egypt).
I was referring more to his parents accents.
Bashir is an Arabic surname but this is also a franchise where names are often chosen cause they sound cool and not based on ethnic origin. And I was like 12.
Bashir is an Arabic surname but this is also a franchise where names are often chosen cause they sound cool and not based on ethnic origin. And I was like 12.
I hate that about him and it makes me think a bit less of the show. They have no problem being specific about the origins of other characters, sometimes down to the city they were born in, Sisko is from New Orleans, O'Brien is irish, Worf grew up in russia but Bashir is ambiguously brown and could be arab... or not if the audience is uncomfortable with that.
And saying what divides us is meaningless by that time ignores the fact that it's not meaningless now, the show wasn't made for a fictional 24th century audience. Representation matters! I've heard the same argument about gay characters in Star Trek for a long time "What does it matter if they're gay, humans in Star Trek have moved beyond charing about that" and it's all BS to justify Star Trek's failings when it comes to represent minorities. Because unlike earth religions (which truly don't matter in Star Trek) origins and sexuality were used all the time for backstory or episodic plots just not when it's not western or straight.
I'm pretty sure we've got an African who looks like Charlize Theron now.
I tend to agree. In-grouping is a natural psychological process, being more socially costructing rather than socially constructed. I don't think that our current communities will survive--or at least they won't survive intact--but others will replace them, as groups form a common set of values and beliefs in order to pursue complex functions. In Star Trek, being in the Federation, especially in Starfleet, performs this function. I doubt that a closer look at the cultures and societies of future Earth (in the context of the lore) would show a white-washed world in which identity is wiped away. It's more likely that our identities will be more dictated according to our choices rather than other considerations. Indeed, we've seen in DS9 that Africanness is not just existing or being born in the space of the African continent: it is connected to an historical identity that is preserved in the future. (By the way, there have been people of European descent who called themselves Africans for more than a century: they were appropriating that identity).
Conversely, I don't think all characters need to have overly detailed origins (backstories). Maybe Bashir would have been a better character, but there was enough suggested about him not being European to work with. The fact that a Mizrahi played his father is an interesting juxtaposition, which probably would be difficult to sustain if Bashir had clearly Arab roots. Conversely, Britishness allowed him to bond with O'Brien: a common, though problematic, language.
The Bashir thing kind of annoys me. Same with Harry Kim — is he Chinese or Korean? He has a very Korean name (think Smith or Jones), the actor is Chinese (that’s neither here nor there), and the character often brought up Chinese sayings and culture. Garrett Wang wasn’t clear about it, though Braga thought he was Chinese.
I agree that neither would be a problem if not for how specific the backgrounds of other characters are. It’s the disparity that makes it a rather conspicuous issue.
I agree that neither would be a problem if not for how specific the backgrounds of other characters are. It’s the disparity that makes it a rather conspicuous issue.
A sign that the production team and writing team should be more diverse or more knowledgeable.
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We saw how they treated Native Americans, it's really no surprise they had no idea where Kim was from.
The curse of bad information.
I'd read Muldaur was very "old school" and took everything seriously, while the rest of the crew often did jokes (some of which make for fun outtakes). If there was vitriol to that level, I'd be a bit surprised... but didn't she do the season 2 interviews independently of the main cast for that reunion?
It's all a shame, 5 more years of Pulaski would have made for a stronger show. Writers had influences from TOS McCoy but she was still her own character and it shows. Nor did she once do the shtick of "I'm a doctor not a ____", which would have had fans even more irate at the time. I remember the printed signs of, among other various things, "bring Crusher back" at the bookstore...
Reportedly there was plenty of practical joking etc. going on with TOS, so she must have hated working on that show as well.
Kor
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