Marcroft Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi all Note wishing to re-examine this old chestnut (but I couldn't post for some reason in the previous topic about this), but the character of Sulu was openly gay. What do I base this on - very simply - a 2 second quote from Mudd's Women. Sulu and Farrell (played by Jim Goodwin) - the conversations start 9:54 seconds into the episode when they both come out the turbolift. Sulu "We're on duty Jonny, back to reality" Farrell "You can feel their eyes when they look at you, like something grabbing hold of you, did you notice that" Sulu "I noticed, how I noticed. but Jonny I'm gay" 10:15 Then it cuts to Scotty talking to Spock about their impending doom - not at Sulu's announcement of course, but more to the fact they are running low on Dilithium. This must have been picked up else where but I'd be buggered if I could find where. Just thought I would share. edit "thanks for moving this to the right place" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFMF Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Moved: Star Trek So Sulu actually said this on air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TetsuoShima Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I so totally don't recall that. If it's true, then I think it's pretty cool for those days. The fact that they didn't go into it any further only emphasises the open nature of the Trek world and the stories they (used to) bring (before it all turned into a money mongering business). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 TBH, i dont really care if he was or wasnt, is it really that important lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcroft Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Crank up the volume if you have that ep as he does say it in a quieter voice - I was wondering if at first he was saying "Jonny, I'm Game" but then realised that Gay and Game are quite distinctive, esp with the volume up. y as in Hey m as in Mame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilander72 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 You can actually hear Sulu whispering what sounds like gay. :o If you have PAL DVDs then the time is approx. 00:10:40 from start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiteShdw Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Note: Please keep your comments in this thread in check. Insults, offensive and derogatory language are not tolerated. Topic Unlocked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcroft Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 TBH, i dont really care if he was or wasnt, is it really that important lol Is it really that important - well some would argue that it is, and some would argue it isn't. It could be compared to being as important as Nichelle Nichols character of Uhura being present in the show in the 60's, portraying a very strong, intelligent black woman as a main character and as an equal on the bridge, esp. during such turbulent times in the pursuit of equal civil rights. Likewise the same would go with Sulu, playing an Eastern Asian man, both roles were a rare thing to see, esp. as lead characters. (I am only 27 and English and wasn't around in those times, so my point of view is retrospective). Star Trek has not really ever explored a gay character (main character or otherwise). For some reason what sexuality a person is attracted too is still an issue as much in life as it is on our TV screens. Within Star Trek there have only been really three example of this: • ST:TNG S4 The Host – the love attraction between Crusher and a Trill ambassador Odan – and then it was when the symbiont had to be moved into a new female host. • in ST:TNG S5 The Outcast - although that was about an androgynous species (neither male or female) • In ST:DS9 S4 Rejoined – though that was between two Trill, and arguably between the symbionts and not necessarily the hosts. It did have the first kiss though between two women in Star Trek (I believe). Should it change our perspective of Sulu - no way. Sulu is still the same character, it just so happens that the character and actor are both gay. That doesn’t invalidate you liking the character though. It’s only sad that there is not a Star Trek series that has addressed this – as this is perhaps one of the last ‘isms’ that has not been addressed or reflected upon. NB:- This topic had been locked on the grounds of being “potentially offensiveâ€ÂÂ. I had to message to get this reopened. Could we just ensure that we keep our comments in this thread in check, as insults, offensive and derogatory language are not tolerated (although so far no posts have been) and could result in the re-locking of this topic again. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenebrae Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Given the fact it was obviously easily missed, I'd not assign any great amount of importance to it. Star Trek clearly had its issues with homosexuality - apparently it was Rick Berman (him... making a bad choice?!) that black balled it at every opportunity. The thing with Crusher was verging on homophobic... I'd say that The Outcast didn't count... she identified as female, Riker as male and let's faced it, he's had worse. Rejoined was the only real episode that addressed homosexual relationships... while there was the whole Mirror (lesbian) universe, that was never serious and was really just to tease fanboys. It's sad that it's never really been addressed... because one might hope that there'd be less prejudice about these things in the future. I suppose that's one nice thing I can say about the new Doctor Who. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybrick Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Or maybe "gay" in this context just means "happy"? The word didn't always equal "homosexual" 40 years ago. That usage of the word was too new when Star Trek was on the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GorunNova Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Or maybe "gay" in this context just means "happy"? The word meant something different than "homosexual" 40 years ago. Unless I'm mistaken, 'gay' as meaning 'homosexual' was common by the time Star Trek was aired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybrick Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Or maybe "gay" in this context just means "happy"? The word meant something different than "homosexual" 40 years ago. Unless I'm mistaken, 'gay' as meaning 'homosexual' was common by the time Star Trek was aired. It became common in the 60s, but people, especially adults, were still used to saying "gay" as in "happy". It's just as, if not more, likely that Sulu said it in this context rather than in the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 A picture is worth a thousand words: Seriously though, I don't think Sulu was developed as a character enough for us to know whether he was gay or not. I mean, the only thing we (I) know about Sulu's private life is that he had a daughter, which doesn't mean much btw. Personally, I think it would be cool for Star Trek as a whole if Sulu came out of the closet just like Takei did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vystral Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Honestly, I never thought that George Takei was a homosexual until watching the Shatner Roast. Good for him for not being ashamed, though. He's a funny man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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