(Source: science-officer-spock)
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May 21, 2013 at 11:30AM
Via
SourceStar Trek Into Darkness by Paul Shipper / Store / Tumblr / Facebook
Check out the exclusive article on the epic Print Posse collective over at Blurppy, HERE.
okay, now that there’s pretty much no doubt who “john harrison” really is: what’s messed up though is that casting benefibre metamucil in the khan role is exactly like every other instance of whitewashing in the media and jj abrams wanted to keep it a secret supposedly to maintain an ~*~aura of mystery~*~ around the plot but it also very conveniently allowed him to bypass a lot of the media shitstorm and fan outrage that would’ve occurred months prior to the film’s release, so treating this plot point as a Big Reveal gave them an extra layer of defence because: 1) early criticisms about this casting could only be purely hypothetical, full of uncertainty, and therefore not as damning (“if he is playing khan, then…”) 2) oh now nobody can criticize the movie without also revealing “spoilers”! you inconsiderate jerk, what do you mean bruce willis has been dead the entire time!
what a dirty tactic to pull
“ In the original Trek, Khan, with his brown skin, was an Übermensch, intellectually and physically perfect, possessed of such charisma and drive that despite his efforts to gain control of the Enterprise, Captain Kirk (and many of the other officers) felt admiration for him.
And that’s why the role has been taken away from actors of colour and given to a white man. Racebending.com has always pointed out that villains are generally played by people with darker skin, and that’s true … unless the villain is one with intelligence, depth, complexity. One who garners sympathy from the audience, or if not sympathy, then — as from Kirk — grudging admiration. What this new Trek movie tells us, what JJ Abrams is telling us, is that no brown-skinned man can accomplish all that. That only by having Khan played by a white actor can the audience engage with and feel for him, believe that he’s smart and capable and a match for our Enterprise crew.
And that’s why the role has been taken away from actors of colour and given to a white man. Racebending.com has always pointed out that villains are generally played by people with darker skin, and that’s true … unless the villain is one with intelligence, depth, complexity. One who garners sympathy from the audience, or if not sympathy, then — as from Kirk — grudging admiration. What this new Trek movie tells us, what JJ Abrams is telling us, is that no brown-skinned man can accomplish all that. That only by having Khan played by a white actor can the audience engage with and feel for him, believe that he’s smart and capable and a match for our Enterprise crew.
—
Marissa Sammy on Star Trek: Into Whiteness.
perfect commentary which parallels what Rawles was saying earlier about the possibility of Moriarty being a person of color:
- “…The actual issue is that black people aren’t often allowed to play full and complete characters, and an antagonist who isn’t unintelligent, thuggish cannon fodder is just as much of a rarity for black men as the stubbly hero who saves the world or wtfever. “
- “…The stereotype in no way intersects with brilliant geniuses who choose to step outside of the boundaries of society in order to exercise their intellect while having no concern for lesser beings.
Or to break it down further: the problematic stereotype regarding black people is that of being, in essence, subhuman. Characters of the Moriarty (and Holmes) archetype are rooted in being superhuman.”
You see? It’s more complicated than “people of color get typecast as villains.”
Black people get typecast as an extremely specific type of villain - they’re thugs, brutish and animalistic. South Asian actors are similarly typecast as scary oppressive (usually coded Muslim) terrorists.
But when your villain is of the superhuman archetype? When they’re brooding antiheroes, when they’re nuanced, when they’re multi-faceted?
They’re white.
(And check out this post on the glorification of white criminality in shows like Dexter, Breaking Bad, Weeds, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, etc.)
(via ave-atque-vale)
HIS NAME IS KHAN NOONIEN SINGH
KHAN
NOONIEN
SINGH
DID WE REALLY JUST LET A GUY WHO IS THE HUMAN EQUIVALENT OF CURDLED MILK PLAY A CHARACTER WITH ONE OF THE MOST BROWN CODED NAMES IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA??
I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS GUY MANAGED TO UNDO THE PROGRESS MADE BY A SHOW THAT COULDN’T HAVE AN INTERRACIAL KISS AT THE TIME FOR FUCK’S SAKE.
(via interstellaire)
i just read the entire plot of star trek into darkness on wikipedia because i no longer give a shit and:
For $70 you can have a 3D printed Star Trek TOS figurine that looks just like you. They even have a Vulcan option! Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. (x)
“Karl, you’re pretty close to home - being New Zealand. Must be nice to be here to do this.”
