Star Trek: Into Whiteness (Addendum)
Addendum to yesterday's post/rant about 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'
Just to clarify...
* I do *not* hate the ST reboot. I actually liked the 2009 movie, and saw it several times in the theatre and many times after buying the DVDs.
* I don't dislike Benedict Cumberbatch. He's a talented actor, and he was a great villain in ST:ID
* I complain about casting a pasty white guy like BC as PoC Khan Noonien Singh, but I myself am a pasty white gal. (not that it should matter, but it probably does)
I loved the 2009 reboot, even though before I went to see it, I thought I was going to hate it. Even though there were things I didn't like (such as blowing up Vulcan), I thought they did an excellent job, and I could enjoy it as an AU of the Original Series universe.
I thought the casting of the leads was *awesome*, especially McCoy and Spock. I loved Karl Urban before (from the LOTR movies) and he is just so wonderful as McCoy. I can't think of anyone else who could play Spock as well as Quinto. All the other leads are great too: Pine, Pegg, Saldana, Yelchin, Cho.
And I like Benedict Cumberbatch too. I thought he was wonderful in Sherlock. And when I first heard he was going to be in ST:ID, I was happy, because I thought he was going to be a *different* character, like Gary Mitchell, or an original villain. I never thought he was going to be Khan, because Khan was from India.
But J.J. Abrams & co. had no business casting BC as Khan Noonien Singh.
There were other PoC in the old Trek, and if they had whitewashed one of them, I would have grumbled and complained, but I probably could have accepted it.
But Khan was a one of a kind character. He was the most charismatic of all the guest stars from TOS. He was a genetic superman, the product of selective breeding, an attempt to improve the human race.
And he was *not* white.
Cumberbatch played a great villian in ST:ID. But he never should have been Khan.
As I pointed out, BC didn't have to be Khan. There were 73 people in cryo-sleep on his ship. If J.J. & co. wanted to avoid the PoC-as-a-terrorist criticism, he could have just been 'John Harrison' and the movie would have been the same. There was *no* reason for him to be Khan.
No reason other than the writers thought it would be 'fun' to have him be Khan, as an Easter Egg for the TOS fans.
I can forgive alot in my fandoms. But I can't get past THIS.
It breaks my little Trekkie heart to not be able to squee over the film. But for me, they crossed a line that I can't forgive.
Just to clarify...
* I do *not* hate the ST reboot. I actually liked the 2009 movie, and saw it several times in the theatre and many times after buying the DVDs.
* I don't dislike Benedict Cumberbatch. He's a talented actor, and he was a great villain in ST:ID
* I complain about casting a pasty white guy like BC as PoC Khan Noonien Singh, but I myself am a pasty white gal. (not that it should matter, but it probably does)
I loved the 2009 reboot, even though before I went to see it, I thought I was going to hate it. Even though there were things I didn't like (such as blowing up Vulcan), I thought they did an excellent job, and I could enjoy it as an AU of the Original Series universe.
I thought the casting of the leads was *awesome*, especially McCoy and Spock. I loved Karl Urban before (from the LOTR movies) and he is just so wonderful as McCoy. I can't think of anyone else who could play Spock as well as Quinto. All the other leads are great too: Pine, Pegg, Saldana, Yelchin, Cho.
And I like Benedict Cumberbatch too. I thought he was wonderful in Sherlock. And when I first heard he was going to be in ST:ID, I was happy, because I thought he was going to be a *different* character, like Gary Mitchell, or an original villain. I never thought he was going to be Khan, because Khan was from India.
But J.J. Abrams & co. had no business casting BC as Khan Noonien Singh.
There were other PoC in the old Trek, and if they had whitewashed one of them, I would have grumbled and complained, but I probably could have accepted it.
But Khan was a one of a kind character. He was the most charismatic of all the guest stars from TOS. He was a genetic superman, the product of selective breeding, an attempt to improve the human race.
And he was *not* white.
Cumberbatch played a great villian in ST:ID. But he never should have been Khan.
As I pointed out, BC didn't have to be Khan. There were 73 people in cryo-sleep on his ship. If J.J. & co. wanted to avoid the PoC-as-a-terrorist criticism, he could have just been 'John Harrison' and the movie would have been the same. There was *no* reason for him to be Khan.
No reason other than the writers thought it would be 'fun' to have him be Khan, as an Easter Egg for the TOS fans.
I can forgive alot in my fandoms. But I can't get past THIS.
It breaks my little Trekkie heart to not be able to squee over the film. But for me, they crossed a line that I can't forgive.