TOS
Takei On Heroes, STNV and Trek XI
George Takei’s role in NBC’s Heroes seems to be expanding. What started as a one-off is turning into a bit of a recurring character who is tied into the shows over arching mythology. Takei appeared in this week’s episode and will also appear in next week’s finale. Comic Book Resources has a new interview with the former Mr. Sulu to talk about his Heroes role (and a bit of Trek as well). Regarding his expanding role on heroes Heroes Takei notes: "it’s been very interesting as with each script I’m making new discoveries about my character." Regarding where it is all headed Takei stated "I’m just as eager as you are to get the next script to see what happens next." TrekMovie.com might be able to help Mr. Takei out on that one. At last week’s Saturn Awards, Heroes producer (and former Star Trek Voyager writer/producer) Bryan Fuller told TrekMovie that Takei will appear in Season 2, saying "I understand there are plans, but I cannot say anything more."
CBR also asked Takei some Trek questions as well…
.
If we can veer off into “Star Trek” land for a short bit, what do you think of this new reboot they’re doing with the films?
I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s extraordinary that 40 years after we got started — we got started in 1966 — actually, this is the 41 st year, that there’s still this excitement and enthusiasm about Start Trek. I’ve been thinking on it and what I’ve deduced is that the people who discovered Star Trek during our first run are the studious ones, the organized and disciplined ones who took to that kind of world that they saw on the Starship Enterprise, and they each pursued their individual careers and many of them have been very successful. Bill Gates is a Star Trek fan and he now has the resources to build his own Science Fiction museum and more than a third of it is Star Trek related. Then you have this other very successful director, J.J. Abrahms (“Lost,” “Mission Impossible III”), who is a Start Trek fan. Now, Paramount has announced that because the last film was a flop and the last spin off series, “Enterprise,” was a cellar dwellar, they said no more Star Trek. But when you have a J.J. Abrahms walking into your office and say, “For my next project I want to do Star Trek,” you click your heels together and say yes sir. That’s the new interesting wrinkle — the “Star Trek” fans are becoming very prominent each in their chosen careers, some indeed powerful, and they’re the ones reviving Star Trek 41 years later. It’s amazing.
Then there is the fan series, "Star Trek: New Voyages" you and Walter Koenig have worked on.
Yes, and that’s another manifestation of this. These people didn’t want to see Star Trek fade away. These are people who have pooled their money and there’s this one guy, James Cawley, who has given leadership to the whole thing and they decided to do their own Star Trek series. They negotiated with Paramount and promised they wouldn’t make any money off it, so there’s another spin-off series put on by fans with their own money. From what I understand the budget is something like $70-100k for each episode. They’ve put together their own money for their passion.
My last Star Trek question – so you’re OK with them rebooting and reimagining the franchise from day one?
I would trust that anyone who really loves Star Trek to know the elements that made Star Trek what it is. You know, confidence in our ability to reach challenges, to be inventive, to be creative, to be problem solvers and to face the challenges of the future, as daunting as they may be, as something that is invigorating. Something that makes you work at your optimum, to see the future as a great adventure. If they keep those elements and that element of finding our strength and diversity [it’ll be fine]. What’s amazing to me is that what was purely science fiction back then in 1966 is today reality.
The other amazing thing is today we do have a space craft in outer space and the people who live on that craft are made up from people from all over this planet. Back then, we were locked in a cold war, Russians and Americans were mortal enemies, but today, up there on the International Space Station, Russians, Americans and others are working together side-by-side. So, I don’t call it science fiction, I call it science prediction.
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This was a good interview. He’s got class.
What I appreciate is his point of view that even though a new Trek movie is coming out, and it appears to take place during the era of the original series, and his character is likely replaced by a new actor if Sulu is in it, that he looks at the big picture, beyond himself. That the essense of Star Trek is bigger then any one cast of characters.
I wished I caught Hero’s when it came out. I am waiting for the DVD’s. It should be fun to see him in it.
Takei should join Shatner + Nimoy in ST XI.
1 - Amen.
We don’t need a shot for shot redo of TOS. We need a new beginning. If Takei can understand that, then the rest of us should be able to get it.
Hmmm… this time, maybe Sulu is a large boned Maori warrior played by Jorge Garcia…
Great interview and wonderful perspective. Takei was always awesome as Sulu, and unfortunately was under used. Paramount and Trek creators made a huge mistake by not expanding on Capt. Sulu from STVI….would have made a GREAT series, or ST movie spinoff.
1&2.
WE DON’ NEED CANON BUTCHERS. WE NEED TREK WITH PICARD (P. STEWART), SISKO (AVERY BROOKS), AND EVEN JANEWAY (KATE MULGREW) AND ARCHER (SCOTT BAKULA), AND NOT THIS.
Something wrong with your Caps Lock?
-csâ„¢
#5:
Sorry Picard,
While I agree, (and have stated previously in other threds) that If you were to do another TNG era movie, the only way to do it would be to incorporate Picard/Sisko/and Janeway in one big galactic adventure, in no way are those stories stronger than what you could do with the original series. TOS was, and always will be the strongest Trek because it was the original, and not the watered down copies, each weaker than the one before. Now if they make this next movie, and it sucks real bad, (which considering JJ’s current track record of action adventure, ie Alias/Lost/MI3 I’m willing to give him a free pass to reignite the franchise) then I’m all for trying it your way. However since First Contact, there hasn’t been a real good TNG movie, and after 2 dogs in a row, a reimagined TOS is as good a place to start as anywhere else.
By the way, I liked TNG mostly, but Kirk at his best always was, and always will be the best Captain of the big E! IMHO anyway.
Until Next Time,
FM!!
PS, In a TNG era movie, the one Capt you DON’Teed is Archer! Uggh!
FM!!
#4 : Yeah….Paramount made a tremendous mistake by not continuing on with either a series or even a movie to test the waters. They easily could have introduced numerous other new characters into the world of Star Trek and we as fans and Paramount would both be better off. Its not too late to introduce the concept to those in charge at Paramount.
Well if the popularity of New Voyage is any indication then fans have no problem accepted different people cast as Kirk and the others. One thing is certain if you have an interesting premise rather being set in a space station, being lost in space, or showing how the Federation came to be fans will at least check it out and they have no trouble accepting a new cast and crew. All Trek really need is a new creative team.
#3:
“We don’t need a shot for shot redo of TOS. ”
Agreed. We certainly don’t. Neither do we need to trash existing continuity. It’s entirely possible to tell whole new stories about the characters we know, within existing continuity, and make them just as relevant today as they were 40 years ago.
It’s so possible that, if we’re to believe what we’ve been told, J.J. Abrams is betting “Trek XI” on it.
Recasting, if done true to who and what the characters are, shouldn’t be an insurmountable problem. “New Voyages”, for example, has done it quite well.
Best,
Alex
Paramount/CBS has so many Trek props, costumes and sets in storage, I really don’t understand why they didn’t go the TV Movie route after the demise of Enterprise. Yes, the weekly series concept burned itself out with the mediocre Enterprise, but even Enterprise had a few good stories to tell, there’s no reason they couldn’t put together a good 2 or 4 hour TV movie or miniseries once a year. Put it on CBS or CW during a sweeps month, special extended length versions can follow later on DVD.
Do a TOS-Movie era story with, say, Takei and Koenig on the Excelsior, everybody else could be new to the franchise. Frakes, Burton and Sirtis would almost certainly be willing to reprise their roles for a USS Titan TV movie. How about a real conclusion for Voyager, set after the disappointing “End Game”? Get Avery Brooks to come back for a “Sisko Returns” DS9 reunion. The good thing about this concept is that they’d be follow-on stories, not part of the series. If not all of the original casts want to be involved, no problem, just write them out. They don’t even have to be tied in to any of the previous Trek series. Easy enough to write a standalone Trek with a new cast on a new ship in whatever period they want. This keeps Trek in the public conscious and also gives CBS/Paramount opportunity to test the waters for potential new weekly series, and if one of them turns out to be very popular, easy enough to green-light it for weekly series the next season.
11 - I think B5 went the route you describe… with very mixed results. The key is the people. Sure, if you get a Coon, Roddenberry, or (we hope) a JJ to helm such a project it should go fine. Otherwise… yikes. My vote would not go towards producing an endless stream of fanzine level projects. I’d like Trek to aim higher, even if that means long gaps between projects.
Hey look… it’s the first trailer for XI. And it’s a musical…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhTeYaqIe3E&feature=dir
Oh my
#8 “It’s not too late to introduce the concept to those in charge at Paramount”
Careful Duane, people around here don’t like that kind of talk. The last time I made a “suggestion” like that, I got my ass handed to me post haste!! They stuck my head up my ass and rolled me down the street like a doughnut! Watch how you go, tenderfoot!
Takei as Admiral Nogura! Perfect! And it is Canon!
“Oh my” is right… Lord Garth,
For the “wishers and wanters” above me on the thread, the movie is a TOS movie. I liked all the series too, but get over it. And it’s tiresome to hear “my Trek is better than your Trek” as a constant whiney mantra through every thread. Opinions are cool, but please don’t keep beating everyone else’s head with the same old ones.
This thread is about George. I have to aplaud Mr. Takei. He’s seems to be a genuinely nice man and a good actor. I think we’ll see more depth to his “Heroes” part next season… more than the glimpse from Monday night. He’s comfortable with who he is and I greatly admire that.
Bravo George.
X
I have been a Star Trek fan since I was kid and Star Trek came on in Prime Time on NBC, and have enjoyed all the subsequent series, and all the movies to some degree. Having said that, I am really excited about the new movie, and hope it will be a complete re-boot of the series, just as SCIFI’s Battlestar Galactica was a complete re-boot of the glitzy 1978 series.
> Takei as Admiral Nogura! Perfect! And it is Canon!
See, now that’d be just cool…
Best,
Alex
I’d love to see the new film as part of a trilogy:
Film 1 (Star Trek XI): Kirk meets Spock. Kirk’s first mission as Captain of the Enterprise
Film 2: Threads carry over from film 1. Takes place midway during 5 year mission.
Film 3: The final mission and hero’s return for the crew of the Enterprise.
The three films could serve as a perfect compliment to TOS, filling in the gaps while also standing on its own as a cohesive trilogy.
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
Takei as Admiral Nogura!
I think Takei as Admiral Nogura is a great idea (in case I didn’t make that clear in the post above…lol…) One thing though… I think he should grow a beard, or wear a fake beard for the part. I just always pictured the Admiral with a beard. A lot of senior Navy officers tend to have beards, and I think it would be a good look for him, as it would make him look a little different than Sulu.
Somebody should tell George that Paul Allen (Microsoft’s co-founder), not Bill Gates built the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and Museum.
By the way, I think it’s time for that “EXCELSIOR” TV movie to be made. Takie has never been hotter than he is now! Get on it CBS! (or NBS, or SCI-FI, or whoever…)