George Takei on Gay Sulu: Doesn't Like the Idea

[Kobie]

They could do something more with the various crime lords.
Not just the Hutts, but the others.
(the name escapes me.)

No more rebels, lukes, solo's, etc.

Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun?

Nah I can't remember, it's been 15 years now. lol

 

[Brochacholomigo]

Apparently, Thrawn has returned to canon.

https://theringer.com/grand-admiral-thrawn-star-wars-67bbe6e6e3a0#.vn8wlseln

They could do something more with the various crime lords.
Not just the Hutts, but the others.
(the name escapes me.)

No more rebels, lukes, solo's, etc.

Black Sun and the Chiss Ascendancy. I would love to see either one of those hit the big screen, or get a spin off show, or just... anything. There's just so much EU stuff that's better than the movie material.

Edit: holy****holy****holy****. That was from Rebels. Thrawn's in Rebels. This if ****ing beautiful! There IS justice in this universe after all!

 

[Brochacholomigo]

Midway through Heir to the Empire, Thrawn explains the difference between an error and a mistake. “Anyone can make an error,” he says. “But that error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” It was an error to deprive Star Wars fans of the figure who helped fan the flames of the franchise. Fortunately, Lucasfilm didn’t make a mistake.

GodDAMN if that isn't a satisfying end to an article. Thanks, Kobie! Now I'm definitely not getting any sleep tonight.

 

[Renae]

George Takei, who played Sulu in the original Star Trek, isn't happy about Sulu the character coming out as gay in a new Star Trek movie. Takei came out as begin gay some time ago.

It would dishonor Rodenberry's creation, he thinks. Rodenberry was very supportive of LGBT causes, but his Sulu was the result of a lot of thought, and there were reasons for keeping him a straight character. If they want an LGBT character they should create a new one, he thinks, and not imply that Sulu had been in the closet all those years, because it's not like Sulu to be in the closet.

But Takei misses the whole point of SJW assaults on these old classics like Star Trek, Iron Man, and Ghost Busters, which is to destroy the straight white vision that created them. It is vengeance that SJWs seek; that's their "justice".

The whole "Gay Sulu" thing felt shoehorned in, it wasn't a big deal. Like 2 scenes and that's it. Just over all "meh".

 

[TheGoverness]

Black Sun and the Chiss Ascendancy. I would love to see either one of those hit the big screen, or get a spin off show, or just... anything. There's just so much EU stuff that's better than the movie material.

Edit: holy****holy****holy****. That was from Rebels. Thrawn's in Rebels. This if ****ing beautiful! There IS justice in this universe after all!

I still feel like Rebels is missing something to be truly great. I really liked the Clone Wars, especially Season 5, and I was sad that they cancelled it.

Now that Rebels started, I'm trying to enjoy it, but I feel that it's just missing something that the Clone Wars had. Maybe Admiral Thrawn's introduction will finally fill that void.

 

[Brochacholomigo]

I still feel like Rebels is missing something to be truly great. I really liked the Clone Wars, especially Season 5, and I was sad that they cancelled it.

Now that Rebels started, I'm trying to enjoy it, but I feel that it's just missing something that the Clone Wars had. Maybe Admiral Thrawn's introduction will finally fill that void.

You dirty ****ing nerf herder, that's GRAND Admiral Thrawn! Grand Admiral - Wookieepedia - Wikia Only twelve people ever held that title at one time! Now go back to rearing cow-analogues while the grown ups debate a cartoon taking place in a fictional universe. Filthy plebians...

 

[Brochacholomigo]

How could I have ****ed up so bad? This is terrible!

I've lost all my credibility! I'm ruined! I'm ruined, I tell you!

How dare you besmirch the pimpin' white uniform of the Grand Admirals? Those were the coolest mother****ers in the Galaxy! Like the black guy with Force powers, Grand Admiral Declann, or Grand Admiral Takel, who spent his days snorting Glitterstim out of alien hookers' cleavage? They even had a goddamn cyborg, Grand Admiral WhatshisnameIthinkitstartedwithanotherT? That's right, I know this **** by memory! The Grand Admirals were ****ing cool as ****! They're one of my favorite organizations from the Expanded Universe, and that place is chock full of insanely badass stuff! While you're checking out those fly-ass sons of bitches, you should look at the Sorcerers of Tund! I really wish those awesome bastards had gotten more attention.

Edit: It's Teshik! Grand Admiral Teshik was the Cyborg! I actually looked it up and everything!

 

[PoS]

You dirty ****ing nerf herder, that's GRAND Admiral Thrawn! Grand Admiral - Wookieepedia - Wikia Only twelve people ever held that title at one time! Now go back to rearing cow-analogues while the grown ups debate a cartoon taking place in a fictional universe. Filthy plebians...

A guy with blue skin... woop dee doo... what's so great about that?

 

[Northern Light]

or made their own space exploration saga, instead of stealing others' ideas and efforts, god forbid. But original movies happen so rarely that inevitably any gay character will have been 'not gay' in the iteration that was ripped off

Just part of Hollywood's newfound laziness. They're taking good classic movies and turning them into CGI crap shoots. I don't think CGI can ever replace the glory of a totally live action film that was good in its day.

 

[Mithrae]

An infinitely better analogy would've been piece brosnan's blathering about a gay james bond. I mean, bond is only the biggest womanizer ever

Totally overcompensating, and we all know it! Why do you think he never holds one woman down for long?

 

[Mason66]

I guess you're not supposed to like him because he's gay?

Or that he was such a good actor that he pulled off a straight character as a gay man.

I don't understand why people think what goes on in the bedroom is the most important aspect of somebody's life.

 

[Mason66]

What's been funny with this is the "We can say that word but you can't" mentality towards Takei.

Because he's gay, because he's generally in favor of LGBT rights openly, it's perfectly acceptable for him to simply have his opinion and it 's entirely reasonable even if you don't agree with it.

However, what he's saying is no different than the notion that a Norse God shouldn't be played by a black guy. Or a character who was repeatedly described as being pretty much a carbon copy for Clint Eastwood and who's most striking feature are his blue eyes shouldn't be played by a black guy. (coincidentally, both played by the same badass actor). Or that Iceman shouldn't suddenly be gay. Or hell, that the Doctor shouldn't be a female or shouldn't be a American.

However typically the assumption right off the bat is that anyone suggesting such things aren't doing so because of an eye to tradition/originators intent/consistency of story/etc but rather that they're doing it because they're racist/bigoted/xenophobic/homophobic/etc.

But since Takei is well known within the SJW scene, he gets a pass and his words/arguments are simply believed to be true. Doesn't mean they agree with him, but the vitriol and mind reading of what people "really mean" isn't done with him.

He is to be believed because he was in the initial meetings with Roddenberry about the direction of the character and they had their reasons for what they did.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Or that he was such a good actor that he pulled off a straight character as a gay man.

I don't understand why people think what goes on in the bedroom is the most important aspect of somebody's life.

I agree to a point.
I mean if a series, show, movie, whatever is going to show domestic life, throw in some gay folks.
Just don't do all forced like, make it natural.

 

[Mason66]

Nothing, but it would be nice to gay viewers to see an actual gay character now and then. There's been 0 (yes zero) gay characters in the top 200 grossing sci fi and action movies, ever. I'm not saying it should be forced on old characters like Sulu, but i have to wonder, was there this much objection when the recent superman vs batman had a black perry white? Is that not a betrayal of the character or the creator's vision, or they just want to pretend america wasn't way more racist back then?

Why would a black Perry White be objectionable?

Can black men not run a newspaper?

Making a character gay just because when it adds nothing to the character is pandering and will turn more people off to the franchise than not.

 

[Mason66]

Well, it's a legitimate point that when things are taking place in the 23rd century, then Sulu shouldn't have felt any pressure to stay in a closet. Society should have progressed farther than that by then.

Unless this movie is going to be specifically about Sulu's personal life, we don't need to know if he is straight or gay. It doesn't fit in with the story.

 

[Mason66]

I agree to a point.
I mean if a series, show, movie, whatever is going to show domestic life, throw in some gay folks.
Just don't do all forced like, make it natural.

They do. I can't think of a show without gay characters, even though they are a very small part of the population.

The formula for a show these days has to include gay, lesbians and at least one interracial couple.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

They do. I can't think of a show without gay characters, even though they are a very small part of the population.

The formula for a show these days has to include gay, lesbians and at least one interracial couple.

Yea they're rather normal now and generally don't have to be announced like Sulu.
Seems like cash grab pandering to me.

 

[Zyphlin]

Not at all like a black norse god, wtf. As eco warrior pointed out, Sulu was never seen with a female romance, so he could've been gay all along. Takei's criticism is a lot more nuanced than yours, that Sulu would never have been in the closet the whole time, that's not in alignment with his character. I am certainly far more willing to listen to this complaint than the usual bitching from known homophobes. Of course they will be dismissed as they will hate any gay character. An infinitely better analogy would've been piece brosnan's blathering about a gay james bond. I mean, bond is only the biggest womanizer ever

How can Takei's be more nuanced than my criticism if I've not offered any criticism to that point. My only criticism was the notion of claiming it's to honor Takei, when Takei himself is saying he doesn't like it. Outside of that I don't care; hell, I acknowledged they've changed other stuff in this new incarnation so there's nothing wrong with changing it.

 

[TheGoverness]

A guy with blue skin... woop dee doo... what's so great about that?

He's one of the most intriguing characters in the SW franchise.

He basically was able to put the Empire back together after Emperor Palpatine's fall, and was nearly able to defeat the New Republic before he was assasinated.

 

[chromium]

Why would a black Perry White be objectionable?

Can black men not run a newspaper?

Making a character gay just because when it adds nothing to the character is pandering and will turn more people off to the franchise than not.

of course they can, but that's like asking can a gay man work on a space crew

the point is that the character was created as white, and wtf does making perry black add to the character and how is it not pandering any less than what they're doing with sulu? This double standard just reveals that you find gay characters more objectionable

 

[chromium]

Totally overcompensating, and we all know it! Why do you think he never holds one woman down for long?

could also be that he's Mi-6 with a fake alias and always on the move lol

 

[Mason66]

of course they can, but that's like asking can a gay man work on a space crew

the point is that the character was created as white, and wtf does making perry black add to the character and how is it not pandering any less than what they're doing with sulu? This double standard just reveals that you find gay characters more objectionable

I do not find gay characters more objectionable.

If the character can be black, what is the difference.

In this case the creator decided the character was not gay, so making him gay for no reason doesn't fit with the character or the story.

 

[chromium]

I do not find gay characters more objectionable.

If the character can be black, what is the difference.

In this case the creator decided the character was not gay, so making him gay for no reason doesn't fit with the character or the story.

when did the creator decide that? Sulu never had a girlfriend on screen nor alluded to one

what the creator of superman DID indisputably decide was the character of perry white was not black. Yet you are seemingly defending one 'betrayal' of creator vision, but not the other

 

[blackjack50]

George Takei, who played Sulu in the original Star Trek, isn't happy about Sulu the character coming out as gay in a new Star Trek movie. Takei came out as begin gay some time ago.

It would dishonor Rodenberry's creation, he thinks. Rodenberry was very supportive of LGBT causes, but his Sulu was the result of a lot of thought, and there were reasons for keeping him a straight character. If they want an LGBT character they should create a new one, he thinks, and not imply that Sulu had been in the closet all those years, because it's not like Sulu to be in the closet.

But Takei misses the whole point of SJW assaults on these old classics like Star Trek, Iron Man, and Ghost Busters, which is to destroy the straight white vision that created them. It is vengeance that SJWs seek; that's their "justice".

Soap box

Mother ****ER! I swear. I am done. They are going to shoe horn this bull**** in to try and pander. And it is going to insult the people it panders to as well. And their excuse will be: "what are you? A bigot?"

No. I'm not. I'm an avid movie fan, and I can directly point to this kind of inept producing and directing and writing as the EXACT problem with the modern film industry. I don't want to see social justice warriors in space. I want to LET THAT **** GO when I am in the movie.

Is it bad enough that in sensing a disturbance in the force with Finn in Star Wars? That they are going to cram in a gay romance into a movie that doesn't NEED that? Something that will detract from the story with something completely irrelevant to the universe? Star Wars is 50/50 on love stories guys. And even if I can be so bold as to pull a sacred cow roast: Han and Leigh could have had their characters not be in a love story. It wasn't that important to the story really. A strong friendship could have sufficed.

This really sucks. Why can't we just have some movies like the classics? Where it doesn't TRY to be epic. If you TRY to be epic, you won't be. If you TRY to make a social justice warrior cause...you won't. You will fail. You start with a good script. If it sucks...you need to rewrite it. You don't need to try and cram as much bull**** pandering PC correctness to try and make people feel like your movie is making some important point about the world. It isn't doing that because you started with a bad script and are relying on being a preachy douche to make a point.

You know what is really sad? There was a movie I watched that got missed I think. Anne Hathaway and Robert Deniro. And this scene says everything:



Seriously. How did we go from jack Nicholson and Harrison ford and Clooney to what we have now? The movie industry has become a bunch of try hards and I feel like truly great movies are coming around less and less. Sigh.


Sent from my grapefruit using smoke signals.