LGBT
Related: About this forumSimon Pegg ‘Respectfully Disagrees’ With George Takei Over Sulu’s Sexuality
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Im delighted that theres a gay character, Takei told THR. Unfortunately, its a twisting of Genes creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think its really unfortunate. Takei is referring here to Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, whom he says was painstakingly thorough in his character development, which included a vision for Sulu as heterosexual.
Takei has been a proponent of LGBT representation in the franchise from early on, when, though he was still in the closet himself, he discussed the idea with Roddenberry. The latter, who had seen the show take a ratings hit after a 1968 episode featuring an interracial kiss, feared that too much boundary-breaking too soon might spell the end of the show.
But Takei didnt envision it would be his own character who would end the franchises streak of LGBT invisibility, and he said as much to John Cho, who plays Sulu in the new trilogy, when they discussed the idea last year. He believed it made more sense to create a new character who has always been gay, rather than bringing Sulu out of a presumed closet. He hoped Star Trek Beyond writer Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin would take this direction and expressed disappointment upon learning that they had not.
Pegg responded to Takeis criticism Friday morning, telling the Guardian that he respectfully disagrees with the actors position. He said that he comes from a place of utmost respect for Takei, and agrees that its disappointing that the screen version of the most inclusive, tolerant universe in science fiction hasnt featured an LGBT character until now. But he also expressed a concern, which he discussed with Lin and co-writer Doug Jung, that a new gay character may have been perceived by the audience as a token gay character, primarily defined by their sexuality.
Pegg believes Roddenberrys decision not to develop a gay character earlier was a product of his time, not of his vision. He continued that he, Lin and Jung loved the idea of it being someone we already knew because the audience have a pre-existing opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice. Their sexual orientation is just one of many personal aspects, not the defining characteristic. Based on the movies timeline, the decision to make Sulu gay does not necessitate his having been in the closet, Pegg explains, and it presumes that there has been an LGBT presence since the beginning of the franchises universe.
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http://time.com/4398071/george-takei-simon-pegg-sulu-gay-star-trek-beyond/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook
Firebrand Gary
(5,044 posts)I want a gay Sulu!
LongtimeAZDem
(4,494 posts)villager
(26,001 posts)Response to LongtimeAZDem (Reply #2)
Mosby This message was self-deleted by its author.
Crash2Parties
(6,017 posts)Optimism.
Ever since the Bush Jr. years, and especially after 9/11, entertainment has fully embraced a dystopic future. There is an entire generation that has known nothing else. Remember Superman? He was supposed to give hope - now he's a dark, dangerous figure. Same for the Enterprise - it now looks like a war machine. The current Star Trek reboots seem to be about war, or impending war, always a threat. Star Trek was supposed to be about exploration. Exploring boundaries, especially, of what it meant to be human. Was someone with blue skin human? And if so, what did that say about people with black skin in the real world?
So while I think it's interesting that they have a gay character and it's not a focal point, just an attribute, they aren't really exploring the current issues of our embedded cultural assumption of a 100% pure gender binary.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)in the form of films. I could barely get through Guardians of the Galaxy, and yet, it was one of the biggest-grossing films ever. Big budget, but no real story. Modern Hollywood does explosions, action scenes, fighting, bloodletting in excess...
But real stories? Puh-lease.
Mosby
(16,422 posts)Quesalupa, oh my!
You sold out George, why should I care about anything you say?
It's what's for breakfast.
Mosby
(16,422 posts)But he's pimping food that is literally killing people.
Fuck him.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Also, who is MM? Because cars, as we all know, literally kill people. If that's the point here.
"NHTSAs Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) figures for 2014 show 32,675 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2014"
What's the total Chalupa death rate so far?
Mosby
(16,422 posts)Regular people don't understand that food has been weaponized with sugar, salt and fat and that many will die as a result, it's not really about self-control for the most part.
Who is the MM in a car commercial? I'll give you another clue. Don't really expect you to get it though.
Iggo
(47,597 posts)Mosby
(16,422 posts)MFM008
(19,837 posts)and understand because he talked to Rodenberry about the character
BUT I think any of them could be LBGT today and no one would really give a rats fuzzy....
I mean the sane among us....
Loki Liesmith
(4,602 posts)It demeans the craft he put into playing Sulu as a straight man. Takei invested time and energy into shaping the inner life of this character and reinventing a core characteristic of Sulu denies the interior work Takei put into Sulu over the years.
It's not a huge deal but I get why George is upset.
Crash2Parties
(6,017 posts)villager
(26,001 posts)Men, I guess, should only write male characters, and let's leave female characters strictly to women authors?
Etc.?