Star Trek’s new Sulu John Cho participated in a Reddit AMA this afternoon, and during the talk he spoke a bit about Star Trek, including giving an update on how he has already done his first pre-production task for the upcoming movie. See below for the highlights.
John Cho Talks Star Trek At Reddit AMA
Today Star Trek’s new Sulu participated in a "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit. As per usual question topic varied greatly, but there were a few about Star Trek. Here are the Trek highlights (unedited).
Feklhr: Do you know anything about STAR TREK 3. And What do you think of Bob Orci directing?
OfficialJohnCho: I’m absolutely confident in Bob. No one knows these characters better than Bob. And no one knows the Star Trek universe better than Bob. I think he’s going to blow people away. And I don’t know anything about Star Trek 3.
I’m guessing I’m in it? I just went in for a costume fitting
operation_hennessey: What is it like to be involved in the Star Trek franchise?
OfficialJohnCho: It’s… I would say first and foremost it’s a real pleasure to be working with JJ and that particular cast, and everybody involved in that production is pretty much at the top, they are among the best at what they do, so it’s a pleasure that way, but further, it’s an honor to be a part of one of the best things American pop culture has ever created.
It’s positive, it’s hopeful, and it’s a real great vision of what the world can be at peace. It’s an honor to be a part of this American cultural masterpiece.
WBASTH: Does Simon Pegg bring cornettos to the Star Trek set?
OfficialJohnCho: No, but I’ll request them. Primarily Simon Pegg brings good vibes.
Velorium_Camper 2: What’s the coolest thing you’ve collected while on the set of a movie/tv show?
OfficialJohnCho: I don’t have a phaser. I tried and they socked it out of my hand.
I like to collect blueprints and then frame them. Those are my souvenirs. Blueprints of the set.
shivan21: Do you think you can say "oh, my" convincingly enough?
OfficialJohnCho: I can…
No, I can’t say it convincingly enough. Only one man can.
I find George to be fascinating. First of all, I know George and have been familiar with him for all my life. I also find it amazing that he has moved past being an actor and has become an American cultural icon. It’s pretty crazy. But people who’ve never seen Star Trek know who George Takei is, and if you say "Oh, my" you know it’s the dude from Star Trek.
seismicor Hi. Were you given any tips from George Takei prior to making first Star Trek?
OfficialJohnCho: You know, he was just very encouraging with me, because I was very very nervous, and he had put in a good word to JJ on my behalf. And I didn’t know that. And it meant the world to me that he approved of my casting. When we had lunch together, I asked him to lunch after I got the role and before we started shooting, and he also – one thing he reminded me of was sort of the Gene Roddenberry’s vision for a peaceful world, and what his goals were via the show, and it was good to be reminded of that from George.
Were you a trekkie as a child? Did you have a model of Enterprise above your childbed?
OfficialJohnCho: I had the Millennium Falcon. I really loved what they were doing, what they were saying with Star Trek, and as an Asian kid in America, was always so excited to see Takei was on the bridge. It was unfailingly thrilling. When they came out with ST: TNG with Patrick Stewart, I thought that show was cool and dug what it was trying to do
Of your Star Trek castmates, what has been your favourite project that each has worked on?
OfficialJohnCho: Chris Pine in Bottle Shock (because of his wig)
Zoe Saldana – How about the Avatar? I like watching Zoe in as many dimensions as possible.
Zachary Quinto – I saw him in a play, Angels in America, and he was ASTOUNDING. And it changed – every once in a while you see somebody, and you ask yourself "what are you doing with your life?" That was one of those moments.
Benedict – I was a BIG fan of Sherlock, and I’m not sure that I’ve met anyone who handles work better than Benedict. He just is amongst 100 things that he does well, one of them is he completely masters sentences. I think of him often, and Sherlock is a great example of that.
And Simon? Oh man. Simon… on the subject of taking things from friends: Simon’s greatest thing, what I love about Simon, is his exuberance and soul is really visible. It’s always visible. You can’t help but – it’s like you have an X-ray machine that can see joy. And his is always visible.
Go to Reddit.com to see the full AMA.
Good to see his enthusiasm.
C’mon though… one little “Oh, my!”
“It would not be the Enterprise without a Sulu at the helm.”
Way to go, John Cho!
And no one knows the Star Trek universe better than Bob. – John Cho
WOW! This is quoted here, on a Trekkie website!
I bet even Bob Orci would question that statement. But then again, he did just write the last three.
If John Cho liked the wig of Chris Pine in ‘Bottle Shock’, now he should watch ‘Stretch’, the wig of Chris Pine and everything else in this movie surely is also shock-like. :D
Yep, heard the same thing in 2012. Star Trek Into Darkness was “worth the wait” because Bob Orci was “taking the time to do it right’, giving us something “far more complex and layered in character study and adventure compared to the 2009 movie” and the results were “amazeballs”. ::yawn:: I’ll believe it when I see it.
OfficialJohnCho: I’m absolutely confident in Bob. No one knows these characters better than Bob. And no one knows the Star Trek universe better than Bob.
I don’t imagine Mr Cho has had time to stop in to TrekMovie and look around at the comments. There seem to be plenty of people “know the Trek universe” better than Bob does. Or think they do ….
Well if anything Bob Orci will be the first hardcore Trek fan to direct a Star Trek film EVER. Don’t let us down Bob! Come away from the film and say to yourself this is the best Star Trek movie ever.
Star Trek Into Darkness was the antithesis of everything they sold us on with the the 2009 movie that worked really well. Abrams and co said we wanted to take our wives to Star Trek and make sure they liked it. Very true for Star Trek 2009 not so for into darkness.
Also Star Trek 2009 was a great coming of age story for Kirk. Into darkness treats the audience like they’re stupid saying Kirk hadn’t aged yet and Kirk went from a breath of fresh air to downright unlikeable in the second film.
The key is to not make Star Trek films episodic. The characters should fundamentally change forever and be different people by the end of the movie like the first movie. Otherwise there was no point to your entire movie.
“I’m guessing I’m in it? I just went in for a costume fitting”
We’re getting closer! :)
@boborci
Bob if your out there I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying the second season of Sleepy Hollow and I really liked the latest episode Root of All Evil, I love what you did there. Looking forward to 2016 :).
I wish I had Cho’s confidence, or power of denial. After the last movie, my own confidence is seriously shaken. I’ll withhold judgment until I’ve seen it, but I can’t hide my doubts.
@7 – Saykred Cow – “The first hardcore Trek fan to direct a Star Trek film EVER”? Um, what about Star Treks III and IV?
3. TrekMadeMeWonder – October 8, 2014
And no one knows the Star Trek universe better than Bob. – John Cho
He probably means the Alt Universe, i.e. his “Star Trek” universe.
Bob has seen every TOS and TNG episode and certainly some of all the rest. He’s also read a significant share of the novels. He knows the Star Trek universe (and more importantly, loves it) more than anyone previously at the helm!
“no one knows the Star Trek universe better than Bob.”
Debatable. And not due to the two Trek films he co-wrote.
‘He’s going to blow people away’.
Careful. Careful with that, son….it’s hot.
Seriously…no one’s read a blasted thing, but everyone’s hyping this up like it’s the next best thing since sliced bread. Has it occurred to anyone it COULD suck? No offense to Bob…actually I’m more looking forward to this one than the last one. I want to see if this one will finally take us “where no man has gone before” & be the Trek I grew up with. Not that I didn’t enjoy the last two. Actually I’m one of the apparent few who liked Into Darkness better than 09 Trek despite the terrible use of Khan & the half-assed mirroring of Wrath of Khan moments.
#11 Corylea – Those were directed by Leonard Nimoy. I am pretty sure he has never called himself a fan, especially not a hardcore fan. Nimoy was one of the makers of Trek from the start; Orci is a so-called hardcore fan.
Not for nothing, but these are the kind of comments we’ve heard before every movie, especially the bad ones.
Every story is going to blow us away, but nothing has done so in decades when it comes to Star Trek.
It takes a lot to “blow me away.” Shatner as Kirk Prime of course would do it.
That said, part of me always wondered if Orci was held back by Abrams, who was NOT a hardcore fan. We’re going to find out.
I’ve been a cheerleader for the new franchise, but so far we’ve had two large black ships, two space jumps, a lot of Kirk choking and Star Wars Episode IV plot in the first and a Wrath of Khan remix in the second. While both relatively enjoyable, I hope The Powers That Be can really pull a real, original idea out of a hat and go with it. When I say be daring, it shouldn’t mean to blow up another planet in ST09, or level an entire city in ST13, only to shrug off both by the end of each movie, but make it more personal so that we care about the characters like we did with the first and second generation of Trek characters, so that they drive the plot which call for the action and special effects, not the other way around.
I really like John Cho. Harold and Kumar go to White Castle is a really, really funny movie. (the sequels were not, though). Cho also can do drama and action quite well, like in Sleepy Hollow.
Here’s hoping for a Captain Sulu TV Show with John Cho!!!!!!
I agree with John, I think Bob will hit this one out of the park
Oh, I certainly do wish Bob the best, and am hoping he connects with the next movie.
So, don’t take this the wrong way, but we got similar platitudes about STID. A decent movie to be sure, but it didn’t blow anyone away or ‘melt faces’…
Give us the Captain Sulu series along with the Animated Series!!!!!!!
Oh my God. I love TOS and credit Roddenberry, Shatner, Nimoy and wonderful writers for literally changing the world-however accidentally- with Star Trek. I now, after much internal drama, love and even understand the AU that is JJ’s universe. There is certainly room for those who agree or disagree with either/or. I want to experience Star Trek in any form, hopefully the best. I sincerely wish Orci well and hope the new actors understand how important their roles literally are. They are making history and I hope they know it. Shatner and Nimoy took their own time realizing that.
#21 – “but it didn’t blow anyone away or ‘melt faces’…”
Some did get blown away in the fire fights, but fortunately there were no melting of faces.
#11. Corylea – October 8, 2014
Given Nimoy’s mindset going into III I think it would be a bit of a stretch to claim he was any sort of “hardcore” Trek fan, except, possibly, by way of being such with respect to his character. Going into II & III Nimoy was very conflicted about what to make of Trek after cancellation. He was proud of what he did but he really didn’t grasp any concept that it would endure after the axe fell. He was more worried that its legacy would be to typecast him.
And I say that not as a fan aware that he wrote an extremely poorly titled tome, but as a fan that saw him speak at a convention in the 70s. The man was a professional actor of whom I’ve always had tremendous respect on the fact of that career alone, pre and post Trek. But he didn’t think Trek after cancellation was worth even faking a little enthusiasm about. Not saying he slammed it or hated it – just, he wasn’t hardcore and he was clearly filled with doubts. Conflicted.
I don’t think it would be a mischaracterization to say that as he was able to use the Trek films to realize some professional advancement and growth as a performer he became hardcore as he was able to put some of these doubts about its series aftermath behind him.
So the long of this is:definitely NOT hardcore on III but possibly by IV and definitely after it.
# 23. Sharron Massey – October 9, 2014
“They are making history and I hope they know it. Shatner and Nimoy took their own time realizing that.” — Sharron Massey
Yep. Although Shatner managed a little more apparent enthusiasm in interviews and such, but that may have just been his practical business side as he did have profit participation.
Truly, I hope it does blow me away.
If he doesn’t blow us away…we will blow him away !
More Happy Talk from a cast member. Nothing against John… but after the same riot act on STID, I’m going to wait and see.
I think this guy is an outstanding actor!!
I would love to see him Captain the next TV series!!
Yeah i’d be full of visible Joy If I was in a Star Trek film too.
#6 – “There seem to be plenty of people “know the Trek universe” better than Bob does. Or think they do ….”
Yep, especially the last “Or think they do…” part. They want Bob Orci to retcon a part of Trek universe and so make an aspect more ridiculous and untenable that it already is because they don’t/can’t get what they don’t get…:)
Let Shatner do the voice over for These are the voyage of the starship….. No one ever really did the voice over better. I love Trek but its time to let the originals go. Nimoy’s health make him look way older than Shatner and visually I do see it working with them in the same scenes.
Wishing the best of luck and fun to Mr. Cho. Hopefully Sulu’ll get some more action!!! :)