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land-of-greyjoys-and-cannibals: ikenbot: Star Trek: Into Whiteness If there’s one thing that most fans of Star Trek will agree on, it’s the fact that Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the show — and, more optimistically, for human society — was predicated on the idea that all life is valuable, and that the worth of a person should not be judged by their appearance. Much of this was done through the old sci-fi trope of using aliens to stand in for oppressed groups, but Star Trek didn’t rely on the metaphor; it had characters who were part of the ensemble, important and beloved members of the Enterprise crew, who were people of colour. It had background characters who were people of colour. And, here and there, it had anti-heroes and villains who were people of colour … one of whom, Khan Noonian Singh, became well-nigh iconic. Image 1: “Who is your favorite villain?” ; Actor John Cho (Lt Sulu) answers. Image 2: TOS Khan looking at a watercolor of himself. Yes, he’s wearing a dastar (Sikh turban) Image 3: Cumberbatch and Montalbán (as Khan) And who is now being played by white actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the new JJ Abrams reboot movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness. We’re all cynical and jaded enough to know the standard dismissal when it comes to matters of media representation: Paramount Pictures and most film studios are not interested in diversity or visibility, they only care about the bottom dollar. Star Trek as a franchise is too much of a juggernaut to affect with boycotts. There are too many people who love it, who love those characters and that world, and will go to see the movie. And for some of these people, this devotion to the idea of a future where even South and East Asian men get to pilot a starship and love swashbuckling, where Black women make Lieutenant on the Enterprise and actually get the boy, will be trivialized and eroded and whitewashed when the most formidable and complex Star Trek baddie becomes a white man named Khan. It wasn’t perfect in the 60s when Ricardo Montalbán was cast to play Khan (a character explicitly described in the episode script of Space Seed as being Sikh, from the Northern regions of India). But considering all of the barriers to representation that Roddenberry faced from the television networks, having a brown-skinned man play a brown character was a hard-won victory. It’s disappointing and demoralizing that with the commercial power of Star Trek in his hands, JJ Abrams chose not to honour the original spirit of the show, or the symbolic heft of the Khan character, but to wield the whitewash brush for … what? The hopes that casting Benedict Cumberbatch would draw in a few more box office returns? It’s doubly disappointing when you consider that Abrams was a creator of the television show Lost, which had so many well-rounded and beloved characters of colour in it. Add to this the secrecy prior to release around Cumberbatch’s role in the film, and what seems like a casting move that would typically be defended by cries of “best actor for the job, not racism” becomes something more cunning, more malicious. Yes, the obfuscation creates intrigue around and interest in the role, but it also prevents advocacy groups like Racebending.com from building campaigns to protest the whitewashing. This happened with the character of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, as well as ‘Miranda Tate’ in The Dark Knight Rises, who ended up being Talia al Ghul but played by French actress Marion Cotillard. This practice is well in effect in Hollywood; and after the negative press that was generated by angry anti-oppression activists and fans when Paramount had The Last Airbender in the works, studios are wising up. They don’t want their racist practices to be called out, pointed at, and exposed before their movies are released — Airbender proved that these protests create enough bad feeling to affect their bottom line. So the studio has now found a way to keep it secret and underhanded. Racebending.com was there for most of the production of The Last Airbender, and were even able to correspond with Paramount Pictures about it. This time, for Star Trek: Into Darkness, their hiding and opaque practices has managed to silence media watchdogs until the movie’s premiere. As I said, this racist whitewashing of the character of Khan won’t affect how much money this Trek movie makes. And I’m happy that the franchise is popular, still popular enough to warrant not only a big-budget reboot with fantastic actors but also a sequel with that cast. I’m happy that actors I enjoy like Zoë Saldaña and John Cho are playing characters who mean so much to me, and that they, in respect for the groundbreaking contributions by Nichelle Nichols and George Takei in these roles, have paid homage to that past. But all of that will be marred by having my own skin edited out, rendered worthless and silent and invisible when a South Asian man is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch up on that screen. 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. What an enormous and horribly ironic step backwards. For Star Trek, for media representation, and for the vision of a future where we have transcended systemic, racist erasure. (via RaceBending) this was one of the only things I disliked about the newest Star Trek movie. As amazing as Benedict is as an actor, this role should have gone to a PoC. But no, they went with a white actor.  Seriously guys? SERIOUSLY??? …. I…. I am so angry you guys you have no idea. I won’t even say what I think because I might just end up hitting my keyboard randomly
Zoom
land-of-greyjoys-and-cannibals: ikenbot: Star Trek: Into Whiteness If there’s one thing that most fans of Star Trek will agree on, it’s the fact that Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the show — and, more optimistically, for human society — was predicated on the idea that all life is valuable, and that the worth of a person should not be judged by their appearance. Much of this was done through the old sci-fi trope of using aliens to stand in for oppressed groups, but Star Trek didn’t rely on the metaphor; it had characters who were part of the ensemble, important and beloved members of the Enterprise crew, who were people of colour. It had background characters who were people of colour. And, here and there, it had anti-heroes and villains who were people of colour … one of whom, Khan Noonian Singh, became well-nigh iconic. Image 1: “Who is your favorite villain?” ; Actor John Cho (Lt Sulu) answers. Image 2: TOS Khan looking at a watercolor of himself. Yes, he’s wearing a dastar (Sikh turban) Image 3: Cumberbatch and Montalbán (as Khan) And who is now being played by white actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the new JJ Abrams reboot movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness. We’re all cynical and jaded enough to know the standard dismissal when it comes to matters of media representation: Paramount Pictures and most film studios are not interested in diversity or visibility, they only care about the bottom dollar. Star Trek as a franchise is too much of a juggernaut to affect with boycotts. There are too many people who love it, who love those characters and that world, and will go to see the movie. And for some of these people, this devotion to the idea of a future where even South and East Asian men get to pilot a starship and love swashbuckling, where Black women make Lieutenant on the Enterprise and actually get the boy, will be trivialized and eroded and whitewashed when the most formidable and complex Star Trek baddie becomes a white man named Khan. It wasn’t perfect in the 60s when Ricardo Montalbán was cast to play Khan (a character explicitly described in the episode script of Space Seed as being Sikh, from the Northern regions of India). But considering all of the barriers to representation that Roddenberry faced from the television networks, having a brown-skinned man play a brown character was a hard-won victory. It’s disappointing and demoralizing that with the commercial power of Star Trek in his hands, JJ Abrams chose not to honour the original spirit of the show, or the symbolic heft of the Khan character, but to wield the whitewash brush for … what? The hopes that casting Benedict Cumberbatch would draw in a few more box office returns? It’s doubly disappointing when you consider that Abrams was a creator of the television show Lost, which had so many well-rounded and beloved characters of colour in it. Add to this the secrecy prior to release around Cumberbatch’s role in the film, and what seems like a casting move that would typically be defended by cries of “best actor for the job, not racism” becomes something more cunning, more malicious. Yes, the obfuscation creates intrigue around and interest in the role, but it also prevents advocacy groups like Racebending.com from building campaigns to protest the whitewashing. This happened with the character of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, as well as ‘Miranda Tate’ in The Dark Knight Rises, who ended up being Talia al Ghul but played by French actress Marion Cotillard. This practice is well in effect in Hollywood; and after the negative press that was generated by angry anti-oppression activists and fans when Paramount had The Last Airbender in the works, studios are wising up. They don’t want their racist practices to be called out, pointed at, and exposed before their movies are released — Airbender proved that these protests create enough bad feeling to affect their bottom line. So the studio has now found a way to keep it secret and underhanded. Racebending.com was there for most of the production of The Last Airbender, and were even able to correspond with Paramount Pictures about it. This time, for Star Trek: Into Darkness, their hiding and opaque practices has managed to silence media watchdogs until the movie’s premiere. As I said, this racist whitewashing of the character of Khan won’t affect how much money this Trek movie makes. And I’m happy that the franchise is popular, still popular enough to warrant not only a big-budget reboot with fantastic actors but also a sequel with that cast. I’m happy that actors I enjoy like Zoë Saldaña and John Cho are playing characters who mean so much to me, and that they, in respect for the groundbreaking contributions by Nichelle Nichols and George Takei in these roles, have paid homage to that past. But all of that will be marred by having my own skin edited out, rendered worthless and silent and invisible when a South Asian man is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch up on that screen. 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. What an enormous and horribly ironic step backwards. For Star Trek, for media representation, and for the vision of a future where we have transcended systemic, racist erasure. (via RaceBending) this was one of the only things I disliked about the newest Star Trek movie. As amazing as Benedict is as an actor, this role should have gone to a PoC. But no, they went with a white actor.  Seriously guys? SERIOUSLY??? …. I…. I am so angry you guys you have no idea. I won’t even say what I think because I might just end up hitting my keyboard randomly
Zoom
land-of-greyjoys-and-cannibals: ikenbot: Star Trek: Into Whiteness If there’s one thing that most fans of Star Trek will agree on, it’s the fact that Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the show — and, more optimistically, for human society — was predicated on the idea that all life is valuable, and that the worth of a person should not be judged by their appearance. Much of this was done through the old sci-fi trope of using aliens to stand in for oppressed groups, but Star Trek didn’t rely on the metaphor; it had characters who were part of the ensemble, important and beloved members of the Enterprise crew, who were people of colour. It had background characters who were people of colour. And, here and there, it had anti-heroes and villains who were people of colour … one of whom, Khan Noonian Singh, became well-nigh iconic. Image 1: “Who is your favorite villain?” ; Actor John Cho (Lt Sulu) answers. Image 2: TOS Khan looking at a watercolor of himself. Yes, he’s wearing a dastar (Sikh turban) Image 3: Cumberbatch and Montalbán (as Khan) And who is now being played by white actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the new JJ Abrams reboot movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness. We’re all cynical and jaded enough to know the standard dismissal when it comes to matters of media representation: Paramount Pictures and most film studios are not interested in diversity or visibility, they only care about the bottom dollar. Star Trek as a franchise is too much of a juggernaut to affect with boycotts. There are too many people who love it, who love those characters and that world, and will go to see the movie. And for some of these people, this devotion to the idea of a future where even South and East Asian men get to pilot a starship and love swashbuckling, where Black women make Lieutenant on the Enterprise and actually get the boy, will be trivialized and eroded and whitewashed when the most formidable and complex Star Trek baddie becomes a white man named Khan. It wasn’t perfect in the 60s when Ricardo Montalbán was cast to play Khan (a character explicitly described in the episode script of Space Seed as being Sikh, from the Northern regions of India). But considering all of the barriers to representation that Roddenberry faced from the television networks, having a brown-skinned man play a brown character was a hard-won victory. It’s disappointing and demoralizing that with the commercial power of Star Trek in his hands, JJ Abrams chose not to honour the original spirit of the show, or the symbolic heft of the Khan character, but to wield the whitewash brush for … what? The hopes that casting Benedict Cumberbatch would draw in a few more box office returns? It’s doubly disappointing when you consider that Abrams was a creator of the television show Lost, which had so many well-rounded and beloved characters of colour in it. Add to this the secrecy prior to release around Cumberbatch’s role in the film, and what seems like a casting move that would typically be defended by cries of “best actor for the job, not racism” becomes something more cunning, more malicious. Yes, the obfuscation creates intrigue around and interest in the role, but it also prevents advocacy groups like Racebending.com from building campaigns to protest the whitewashing. This happened with the character of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, as well as ‘Miranda Tate’ in The Dark Knight Rises, who ended up being Talia al Ghul but played by French actress Marion Cotillard. This practice is well in effect in Hollywood; and after the negative press that was generated by angry anti-oppression activists and fans when Paramount had The Last Airbender in the works, studios are wising up. They don’t want their racist practices to be called out, pointed at, and exposed before their movies are released — Airbender proved that these protests create enough bad feeling to affect their bottom line. So the studio has now found a way to keep it secret and underhanded. Racebending.com was there for most of the production of The Last Airbender, and were even able to correspond with Paramount Pictures about it. This time, for Star Trek: Into Darkness, their hiding and opaque practices has managed to silence media watchdogs until the movie’s premiere. As I said, this racist whitewashing of the character of Khan won’t affect how much money this Trek movie makes. And I’m happy that the franchise is popular, still popular enough to warrant not only a big-budget reboot with fantastic actors but also a sequel with that cast. I’m happy that actors I enjoy like Zoë Saldaña and John Cho are playing characters who mean so much to me, and that they, in respect for the groundbreaking contributions by Nichelle Nichols and George Takei in these roles, have paid homage to that past. But all of that will be marred by having my own skin edited out, rendered worthless and silent and invisible when a South Asian man is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch up on that screen. 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. What an enormous and horribly ironic step backwards. For Star Trek, for media representation, and for the vision of a future where we have transcended systemic, racist erasure. (via RaceBending) this was one of the only things I disliked about the newest Star Trek movie. As amazing as Benedict is as an actor, this role should have gone to a PoC. But no, they went with a white actor.  Seriously guys? SERIOUSLY??? …. I…. I am so angry you guys you have no idea. I won’t even say what I think because I might just end up hitting my keyboard randomly
Zoom
land-of-greyjoys-and-cannibals: ikenbot: Star Trek: Into Whiteness If there’s one thing that most fans of Star Trek will agree on, it’s the fact that Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the show — and, more optimistically, for human society — was predicated on the idea that all life is valuable, and that the worth of a person should not be judged by their appearance. Much of this was done through the old sci-fi trope of using aliens to stand in for oppressed groups, but Star Trek didn’t rely on the metaphor; it had characters who were part of the ensemble, important and beloved members of the Enterprise crew, who were people of colour. It had background characters who were people of colour. And, here and there, it had anti-heroes and villains who were people of colour … one of whom, Khan Noonian Singh, became well-nigh iconic. Image 1: “Who is your favorite villain?” ; Actor John Cho (Lt Sulu) answers. Image 2: TOS Khan looking at a watercolor of himself. Yes, he’s wearing a dastar (Sikh turban) Image 3: Cumberbatch and Montalbán (as Khan) And who is now being played by white actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the new JJ Abrams reboot movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness. We’re all cynical and jaded enough to know the standard dismissal when it comes to matters of media representation: Paramount Pictures and most film studios are not interested in diversity or visibility, they only care about the bottom dollar. Star Trek as a franchise is too much of a juggernaut to affect with boycotts. There are too many people who love it, who love those characters and that world, and will go to see the movie. And for some of these people, this devotion to the idea of a future where even South and East Asian men get to pilot a starship and love swashbuckling, where Black women make Lieutenant on the Enterprise and actually get the boy, will be trivialized and eroded and whitewashed when the most formidable and complex Star Trek baddie becomes a white man named Khan. It wasn’t perfect in the 60s when Ricardo Montalbán was cast to play Khan (a character explicitly described in the episode script of Space Seed as being Sikh, from the Northern regions of India). But considering all of the barriers to representation that Roddenberry faced from the television networks, having a brown-skinned man play a brown character was a hard-won victory. It’s disappointing and demoralizing that with the commercial power of Star Trek in his hands, JJ Abrams chose not to honour the original spirit of the show, or the symbolic heft of the Khan character, but to wield the whitewash brush for … what? The hopes that casting Benedict Cumberbatch would draw in a few more box office returns? It’s doubly disappointing when you consider that Abrams was a creator of the television show Lost, which had so many well-rounded and beloved characters of colour in it. Add to this the secrecy prior to release around Cumberbatch’s role in the film, and what seems like a casting move that would typically be defended by cries of “best actor for the job, not racism” becomes something more cunning, more malicious. Yes, the obfuscation creates intrigue around and interest in the role, but it also prevents advocacy groups like Racebending.com from building campaigns to protest the whitewashing. This happened with the character of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, as well as ‘Miranda Tate’ in The Dark Knight Rises, who ended up being Talia al Ghul but played by French actress Marion Cotillard. This practice is well in effect in Hollywood; and after the negative press that was generated by angry anti-oppression activists and fans when Paramount had The Last Airbender in the works, studios are wising up. They don’t want their racist practices to be called out, pointed at, and exposed before their movies are released — Airbender proved that these protests create enough bad feeling to affect their bottom line. So the studio has now found a way to keep it secret and underhanded. Racebending.com was there for most of the production of The Last Airbender, and were even able to correspond with Paramount Pictures about it. This time, for Star Trek: Into Darkness, their hiding and opaque practices has managed to silence media watchdogs until the movie’s premiere. As I said, this racist whitewashing of the character of Khan won’t affect how much money this Trek movie makes. And I’m happy that the franchise is popular, still popular enough to warrant not only a big-budget reboot with fantastic actors but also a sequel with that cast. I’m happy that actors I enjoy like Zoë Saldaña and John Cho are playing characters who mean so much to me, and that they, in respect for the groundbreaking contributions by Nichelle Nichols and George Takei in these roles, have paid homage to that past. But all of that will be marred by having my own skin edited out, rendered worthless and silent and invisible when a South Asian man is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch up on that screen. 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. What an enormous and horribly ironic step backwards. For Star Trek, for media representation, and for the vision of a future where we have transcended systemic, racist erasure. (via RaceBending) this was one of the only things I disliked about the newest Star Trek movie. As amazing as Benedict is as an actor, this role should have gone to a PoC. But no, they went with a white actor.  Seriously guys? SERIOUSLY??? …. I…. I am so angry you guys you have no idea. I won’t even say what I think because I might just end up hitting my keyboard randomly
Zoom

land-of-greyjoys-and-cannibals:

ikenbot:

Star Trek: Into Whiteness

If there’s one thing that most fans of Star Trek will agree on, it’s the fact that Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the show — and, more optimistically, for human society — was predicated on the idea that all life is valuable, and that the worth of a person should not be judged by their appearance. Much of this was done through the old sci-fi trope of using aliens to stand in for oppressed groups, but Star Trek didn’t rely on the metaphor; it had characters who were part of the ensemble, important and beloved members of the Enterprise crew, who were people of colour. It had background characters who were people of colour. And, here and there, it had anti-heroes and villains who were people of colour … one of whom, Khan Noonian Singh, became well-nigh iconic.

Image 1: “Who is your favorite villain?” ; Actor John Cho (Lt Sulu) answers.

Image 2: TOS Khan looking at a watercolor of himself. Yes, he’s wearing a dastar (Sikh turban)

Image 3: Cumberbatch and Montalbán (as Khan)

And who is now being played by white actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the new JJ Abrams reboot movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness.

We’re all cynical and jaded enough to know the standard dismissal when it comes to matters of media representation: Paramount Pictures and most film studios are not interested in diversity or visibility, they only care about the bottom dollar. Star Trek as a franchise is too much of a juggernaut to affect with boycotts. There are too many people who love it, who love those characters and that world, and will go to see the movie. And for some of these people, this devotion to the idea of a future where even South and East Asian men get to pilot a starship and love swashbuckling, where Black women make Lieutenant on the Enterprise and actually get the boy, will be trivialized and eroded and whitewashed when the most formidable and complex Star Trek baddie becomes a white man named Khan.

It wasn’t perfect in the 60s when Ricardo Montalbán was cast to play Khan (a character explicitly described in the episode script of Space Seed as being Sikh, from the Northern regions of India). But considering all of the barriers to representation that Roddenberry faced from the television networks, having a brown-skinned man play a brown character was a hard-won victory. It’s disappointing and demoralizing that with the commercial power of Star Trek in his hands, JJ Abrams chose not to honour the original spirit of the show, or the symbolic heft of the Khan character, but to wield the whitewash brush for … what? The hopes that casting Benedict Cumberbatch would draw in a few more box office returns? It’s doubly disappointing when you consider that Abrams was a creator of the television show Lost, which had so many well-rounded and beloved characters of colour in it.

Add to this the secrecy prior to release around Cumberbatch’s role in the film, and what seems like a casting move that would typically be defended by cries of “best actor for the job, not racism” becomes something more cunning, more malicious. Yes, the obfuscation creates intrigue around and interest in the role, but it also prevents advocacy groups like Racebending.com from building campaigns to protest the whitewashing. This happened with the character of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, as well as ‘Miranda Tate’ in The Dark Knight Rises, who ended up being Talia al Ghul but played by French actress Marion Cotillard. This practice is well in effect in Hollywood; and after the negative press that was generated by angry anti-oppression activists and fans when Paramount had The Last Airbender in the works, studios are wising up. They don’t want their racist practices to be called out, pointed at, and exposed before their movies are released — Airbender proved that these protests create enough bad feeling to affect their bottom line.

So the studio has now found a way to keep it secret and underhanded. Racebending.com was there for most of the production of The Last Airbender, and were even able to correspond with Paramount Pictures about it. This time, for Star Trek: Into Darkness, their hiding and opaque practices has managed to silence media watchdogs until the movie’s premiere.

As I said, this racist whitewashing of the character of Khan won’t affect how much money this Trek movie makes. And I’m happy that the franchise is popular, still popular enough to warrant not only a big-budget reboot with fantastic actors but also a sequel with that cast. I’m happy that actors I enjoy like Zoë Saldaña and John Cho are playing characters who mean so much to me, and that they, in respect for the groundbreaking contributions by Nichelle Nichols and George Takei in these roles, have paid homage to that past.

But all of that will be marred by having my own skin edited out, rendered worthless and silent and invisible when a South Asian man is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch up on that screen. 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.

What an enormous and horribly ironic step backwards. For Star Trek, for media representation, and for the vision of a future where we have transcended systemic, racist erasure.

(via RaceBending)

this was one of the only things I disliked about the newest Star Trek movie. As amazing as Benedict is as an actor, this role should have gone to a PoC. But no, they went with a white actor. 

Seriously guys? SERIOUSLY???

…. I…. I am so angry you guys you have no idea. I won’t even say what I think because I might just end up hitting my keyboard randomly

melody-sillermoon: vitaemachina: lord-fucking-voldemort: unknownbearing: theoneguyoverthere: hangthecode: Jack was employed into service for the East India Trading Company and was given command of the Wicked Wench. However, after he set free a cargo of slaves, his employer, Cutler Beckett, had Jack branded as a pirate and the Wench set aflame and sunk. After failing to rescue the Wench, Sparrow struck a bargain with the ghostly captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones, to resurrect his beloved vessel. Jones returned the ship to Jack in near perfect condition except for the permanently charred hull. This prompted Jack to rename her the Black Pearl.  (via) Jack Sparrow just got way cooler. This is very important information that was not made nearly clear enough in the movies o_o This is one of my favourite pieces of information we get about Jack Sparrow. The movies only really show you the drunk, happy-go-lucky, wild pirate that everyone of us fell in love with, but there are reasons he chooses to spend his life under the intoxication of rum and sleep with every woman that crosses his path. Captain Sparrow is a highly intelligent man, probably speaks several languages and is a very strong strategist, mathematician and astronomist (because to become a captain in that day and age you had to know your numbers and stars to be able to sail the seven seas. He willingly and knowingly went against a order that was given him. He broke a contract with a higher instance, which could’ve been enough to just hang him, but instead he was branded as a pirate - a great shame and something that would make it impossible for him to find any other job that exactly that which the mark stands for. He simply got put on death row, instead of just killed on the spot. Also, we all know Jack Sparrow’s father is an infamous Pirate Captain himself. Think about it. A young Jack Sparrow, refusing to become a pirate himself, instead choosing to work for ‘the good guys’ and become a proper sailor. He then finds out about the slavery and the human cargo. He decides to do the right thing and let them go, and he is punished for it by being turned into the person he never wanted to be. He is such a complex and brilliant character, and I wish they would’ve shown this more in the movies, because I could rant about him all day❤ Always makes me sad when people don’t know this stuff about Captain Sparrow.  I’ve seen all 3 movies multiple times & had no idea about any of this. Argh. Oh Captain my Captain.
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melody-sillermoon: vitaemachina: lord-fucking-voldemort: unknownbearing: theoneguyoverthere: hangthecode: Jack was employed into service for the East India Trading Company and was given command of the Wicked Wench. However, after he set free a cargo of slaves, his employer, Cutler Beckett, had Jack branded as a pirate and the Wench set aflame and sunk. After failing to rescue the Wench, Sparrow struck a bargain with the ghostly captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones, to resurrect his beloved vessel. Jones returned the ship to Jack in near perfect condition except for the permanently charred hull. This prompted Jack to rename her the Black Pearl.  (via) Jack Sparrow just got way cooler. This is very important information that was not made nearly clear enough in the movies o_o This is one of my favourite pieces of information we get about Jack Sparrow. The movies only really show you the drunk, happy-go-lucky, wild pirate that everyone of us fell in love with, but there are reasons he chooses to spend his life under the intoxication of rum and sleep with every woman that crosses his path. Captain Sparrow is a highly intelligent man, probably speaks several languages and is a very strong strategist, mathematician and astronomist (because to become a captain in that day and age you had to know your numbers and stars to be able to sail the seven seas. He willingly and knowingly went against a order that was given him. He broke a contract with a higher instance, which could’ve been enough to just hang him, but instead he was branded as a pirate - a great shame and something that would make it impossible for him to find any other job that exactly that which the mark stands for. He simply got put on death row, instead of just killed on the spot. Also, we all know Jack Sparrow’s father is an infamous Pirate Captain himself. Think about it. A young Jack Sparrow, refusing to become a pirate himself, instead choosing to work for ‘the good guys’ and become a proper sailor. He then finds out about the slavery and the human cargo. He decides to do the right thing and let them go, and he is punished for it by being turned into the person he never wanted to be. He is such a complex and brilliant character, and I wish they would’ve shown this more in the movies, because I could rant about him all day❤ Always makes me sad when people don’t know this stuff about Captain Sparrow.  I’ve seen all 3 movies multiple times & had no idea about any of this. Argh. Oh Captain my Captain.
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melody-sillermoon: vitaemachina: lord-fucking-voldemort: unknownbearing: theoneguyoverthere: hangthecode: Jack was employed into service for the East India Trading Company and was given command of the Wicked Wench. However, after he set free a cargo of slaves, his employer, Cutler Beckett, had Jack branded as a pirate and the Wench set aflame and sunk. After failing to rescue the Wench, Sparrow struck a bargain with the ghostly captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones, to resurrect his beloved vessel. Jones returned the ship to Jack in near perfect condition except for the permanently charred hull. This prompted Jack to rename her the Black Pearl.  (via) Jack Sparrow just got way cooler. This is very important information that was not made nearly clear enough in the movies o_o This is one of my favourite pieces of information we get about Jack Sparrow. The movies only really show you the drunk, happy-go-lucky, wild pirate that everyone of us fell in love with, but there are reasons he chooses to spend his life under the intoxication of rum and sleep with every woman that crosses his path. Captain Sparrow is a highly intelligent man, probably speaks several languages and is a very strong strategist, mathematician and astronomist (because to become a captain in that day and age you had to know your numbers and stars to be able to sail the seven seas. He willingly and knowingly went against a order that was given him. He broke a contract with a higher instance, which could’ve been enough to just hang him, but instead he was branded as a pirate - a great shame and something that would make it impossible for him to find any other job that exactly that which the mark stands for. He simply got put on death row, instead of just killed on the spot. Also, we all know Jack Sparrow’s father is an infamous Pirate Captain himself. Think about it. A young Jack Sparrow, refusing to become a pirate himself, instead choosing to work for ‘the good guys’ and become a proper sailor. He then finds out about the slavery and the human cargo. He decides to do the right thing and let them go, and he is punished for it by being turned into the person he never wanted to be. He is such a complex and brilliant character, and I wish they would’ve shown this more in the movies, because I could rant about him all day❤ Always makes me sad when people don’t know this stuff about Captain Sparrow.  I’ve seen all 3 movies multiple times & had no idea about any of this. Argh. Oh Captain my Captain.
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melody-sillermoon: vitaemachina: lord-fucking-voldemort: unknownbearing: theoneguyoverthere: hangthecode: Jack was employed into service for the East India Trading Company and was given command of the Wicked Wench. However, after he set free a cargo of slaves, his employer, Cutler Beckett, had Jack branded as a pirate and the Wench set aflame and sunk. After failing to rescue the Wench, Sparrow struck a bargain with the ghostly captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones, to resurrect his beloved vessel. Jones returned the ship to Jack in near perfect condition except for the permanently charred hull. This prompted Jack to rename her the Black Pearl.  (via) Jack Sparrow just got way cooler. This is very important information that was not made nearly clear enough in the movies o_o This is one of my favourite pieces of information we get about Jack Sparrow. The movies only really show you the drunk, happy-go-lucky, wild pirate that everyone of us fell in love with, but there are reasons he chooses to spend his life under the intoxication of rum and sleep with every woman that crosses his path. Captain Sparrow is a highly intelligent man, probably speaks several languages and is a very strong strategist, mathematician and astronomist (because to become a captain in that day and age you had to know your numbers and stars to be able to sail the seven seas. He willingly and knowingly went against a order that was given him. He broke a contract with a higher instance, which could’ve been enough to just hang him, but instead he was branded as a pirate - a great shame and something that would make it impossible for him to find any other job that exactly that which the mark stands for. He simply got put on death row, instead of just killed on the spot. Also, we all know Jack Sparrow’s father is an infamous Pirate Captain himself. Think about it. A young Jack Sparrow, refusing to become a pirate himself, instead choosing to work for ‘the good guys’ and become a proper sailor. He then finds out about the slavery and the human cargo. He decides to do the right thing and let them go, and he is punished for it by being turned into the person he never wanted to be. He is such a complex and brilliant character, and I wish they would’ve shown this more in the movies, because I could rant about him all day❤ Always makes me sad when people don’t know this stuff about Captain Sparrow.  I’ve seen all 3 movies multiple times & had no idea about any of this. Argh. Oh Captain my Captain.
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melody-sillermoon:

vitaemachina:

lord-fucking-voldemort:

unknownbearing:

theoneguyoverthere:

hangthecode:

Jack was employed into service for the East India Trading Company and was given command of the Wicked Wench. However, after he set free a cargo of slaves, his employer, Cutler Beckett, had Jack branded as a pirate and the Wench set aflame and sunk. After failing to rescue the Wench, Sparrow struck a bargain with the ghostly captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones, to resurrect his beloved vessel. Jones returned the ship to Jack in near perfect condition except for the permanently charred hull. This prompted Jack to rename her the Black Pearl. 

(via)

Jack Sparrow just got way cooler.

This is very important information that was not made nearly clear enough in the movies o_o

This is one of my favourite pieces of information we get about Jack Sparrow. The movies only really show you the drunk, happy-go-lucky, wild pirate that everyone of us fell in love with, but there are reasons he chooses to spend his life under the intoxication of rum and sleep with every woman that crosses his path.

Captain Sparrow is a highly intelligent man, probably speaks several languages and is a very strong strategist, mathematician and astronomist (because to become a captain in that day and age you had to know your numbers and stars to be able to sail the seven seas.

He willingly and knowingly went against a order that was given him. He broke a contract with a higher instance, which could’ve been enough to just hang him, but instead he was branded as a pirate - a great shame and something that would make it impossible for him to find any other job that exactly that which the mark stands for. He simply got put on death row, instead of just killed on the spot.

Also, we all know Jack Sparrow’s father is an infamous Pirate Captain himself. Think about it. A young Jack Sparrow, refusing to become a pirate himself, instead choosing to work for ‘the good guys’ and become a proper sailor. He then finds out about the slavery and the human cargo. He decides to do the right thing and let them go, and he is punished for it by being turned into the person he never wanted to be.

He is such a complex and brilliant character, and I wish they would’ve shown this more in the movies, because I could rant about him all day❤

Always makes me sad when people don’t know this stuff about Captain Sparrow. 

I’ve seen all 3 movies multiple times & had no idea about any of this. Argh.

Oh Captain my Captain.

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