menuBarBack
Beam Up News | Join | Your Account
Home
Advanced Search
boxBottom
News Tribblets
boxBottom
Stardates Calendar
News Story

Features

John Cho Says Sulu is Not Just Japanese, But is a Pan-Asian Character

Features

By GustavoLeao / 06:30, 23 March 2008 / Feature Films

New America Media posted a new interview with Star Trek actor John Cho, the new Sulu. Here is an excerpt.

You are playing (Hikaru) Sulu in the new Star Trek. How do you feel about playing a Japanese character, being a Korean American?

J.C: I'm insulted! [sarcastic]

No. I don't feel like it has any particular bearing on this role because he is Japanese American. I wouldn't take a part that is Japanese from Japan, or a recent Japanese immigrant, because I don't think there is a way that I could do that accent really effectively and convincingly.

As far as the surname goes and cultural background, I think it's irrelevant. I think it's more, "Can you be convincing as an actor?" Sometimes you're better off casting someone who is really from that culture because the role calls for an accent that's going to be convincing. But I talked to George (Takei, the actor who first played Sulu) about it, and he said that (Gene) Roddenberry's original intent was that everybody on the bridge of the Enterprise was supposed to represent the entire world. He said that Sulu was supposed to represent the continent of Asia. They didn't have a specific cultural origin for him before the show was cast. Then George was cast and they needed to come up with a name. Gene was looking at a map and saw the name Sulu Sea and it bordered multiple Asian countries, and he thought that this was kind of a Pan-Asian name. When they came up with a first name, George is Japanese American, so they give him the name Hikaru. But the intent was not really to create a Japanese-specific character, the intent was to create a Pan-Asian character.

The full interview is here.



More Top StoriesComments
Nov 06Rumor Mill : Bryan Singer Battlestar Galactica Movie is Underway ?18
Nov 06Star Trek Online MMORPG Game Gameplay Trailer Released Online 2
Nov 06First Images from the Upcoming Star Trek The Art of the Film Book4
Nov 05Brent Spiner Criticizes Insurrection and Defends Nemesis, Stuart Baird and Rick Berman25
Nov 05J.J. Abrams in Talks to Produce Micronauts Movie7
Story Archives...Browse:   

Talkback

11 comments Post New | Help
View:

Don't forget... | Report this post to moderator
By: cdydatzigs (Odo's file, contact) @ 07:48:45 on Mar 24, 2008

Remember too, George played a Vietnamese in "Green Beret".

-- Steve


Reply
Reply
Quote
Quote

Sounds fair enough to me | Report this post to moderator
By: DavidDownUnder (Odo's file, contact) @ 01:44:45 on Mar 24, 2008

Of course, making TV in the '60s for the mainstream US audience they obviously needed to 'pin down' Sulu as a Japanese character every now and again, so tossing in a few scenes with a Samurai warrior and katana is helpful shorthand.

But Trek has never stuck to a single match of actor to 'Asian character'. In Voyager we had Harry Kim (Korean name, character born in South Carolina) played by Chinese-American actor Garrett Wang. In Enterprise, Hoshi Sato (Japanese name, character born in Kyoto) was played by Korean-American Linda Park.

But when they eventually get around to putting an Australian on a Trek bridge, he bloody better not be played by a New Zealander. Now THAT would be an insult. :>



Reply
Reply
Quote
Quote

Katana KO | Report this post to moderator
By: TRexx (Odo's file, contact) @ 18:58:57 on Mar 23, 2008

Quote from Endeavour:
...although it seems on the show with all the swords, he was supposed to be Japanese!


In TOS "Day of the Dove", Sulu does carry a slender Japanese-style katana, while most of the other characters have Roman (gladius) swords. Sulu isn't seen using his blade in combat, he uses a karate-chop to knock out a Klingon.

In "Shore Leave", Sulu's thoughts cause the creation of a samurai warrior.


Image
Sulu unwittingly conjures a samurai in "Shore Leave"


--------

Windows is Caught between Mac and Linux

For the first time in ages, the sale of new PCs with Windows as a percentage of the PC market is declining sharply. On the high end, people are buying Macs instead of Windows PC. On the low end, Linux is eating Windows alive.

Image Get PCLinuxOS


Reply
Reply
Quote
Quote
RE: Katana KO by Karaoke @ 05:42:28 on Mar 24
    RE: Katana KO by TRexx @ 09:11:23 on Mar 24

As Long as we're on the Subject... | Report this post to moderator
By: IamKirok!!! (Odo's file, contact) @ 12:03:00 on Mar 23, 2008

Won't just about everyone be multiethnic by then, anyway?


Reply
Reply
Quote
Quote
RE: As Long as we're on the Subject... by Endeavour @ 13:19:05 on Mar 23
    RE: As Long as we're on the Subject... by OV-101 @ 13:34:22 on Mar 23
       RE: As Long as we're on the Subject... by IamKirok!!! @ 13:53:10 on Mar 23
          RE: As Long as we're on the Subject... by OV-101 @ 09:04:16 on Mar 24

Oh oh | Report this post to moderator
By: vyger (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 08:52:27 on Mar 23, 2008

All hands, brace for fanboy attack.

--------

"I’m worried about an opponent who uses nation-building and the military in the same sentence."

George W. Bush, 2000



Get busy living, or get busy dying.

Scott's Journal


Reply
Reply
Quote
Quote
Promenade










TrekWeb Merchants
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.ca
Amazon.de
Barnes & Noble

Get Firefox!
Privacy Policy | About Us | Legal Notice | Contact Us | | Get Firefox!
© 1996-2009 TrekWeb.com and Steve Krutzler. All rights reserved.