Why did John Cho sign on to Star Trek without reading the script?

Reason for existence The 2009 “Star Trek” film directed by JJ Abrams It was a reboot of the original “Star Trek” timeline with younger, more impulsive and charismatic versions of the Enterprise crew. It’s set a few years before the events of “Star Trek”, and all of the characters were just starting out, some of them fresh from Starfleet Academy, which allowed the film’s writers to make them less professional/diplomatic and more emotional/violent. Captain Kirk, played by 35-year-old William Shatner in 1966, is now played by 29-year-old Chris Pine. Spock actor Leonard Nimoy, who was also 35 when Star Trek began, has been replaced by Zachary Quinto, 32 (but looks much younger).

Oddly enough, Solo actor George Takei was 29 years old when he first appeared on Star Trek, while his 2009 replacement, actor John Cho, was already 37 years old. This seems to be evidence of Cho’s youthful appearance. He looked younger at 37 than Takei did at 29.

The 2009 “Star Trek” movie was a big deal. Four years ago, “Star Trek: Enterprise” was unceremoniously canceled after just four seasons, and it looked as if “Star Trek” would never return. An all-new creative team took over the 2009 reboot, and the film’s high-octane action and flashy young cast captured audience attention. “Star Trek” grossed $385 million, the biggest success in the franchise’s history.

Naturally, the actors fought hard to get roles in Abrams’ project. Once you get attached to “Star Trek,” you’ll never forget Trekkies. Probably every young actor in Hollywood is aiming for the attention that “Star Trek” will bring. In fact, John Cho was so excited that he signed on to play Sulu before he even looked at the script. He admitted as much In a 2011 interview with StarTrek.comSaying he wasn’t concerned with the amount of screen time until he was truly committed.

Since “Star Trek” is an ensemble show, it can sometimes be difficult for the writers to give each character their due. It’s especially difficult, since most original “Star Trek” stories focus on Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, while the rest of the crew is often stuck in a secondary role. A character like Sulu might have an iconic sequence, but he wasn’t the main character in “Star Trek,” the show, or the 2009 movie. As such, the interviewer asked Cho if he felt Sulu was given enough to do. Zhu was positive and practical, and was keen to participate, no matter the size of his role. The actor said:

“I was thrilled. When I took the role, I hadn’t even read the script. I just knew I wanted to be a part of it. I wasn’t sure how to juggle it. There were just so many characters to tell — it was a story.” “Big – and I wasn’t expecting a huge scene, but that scene, the fight, was amazing. It was something I’d never done before so I was very happy with what I’m like.”

The fight that Cho referred to is a larger-than-life action sequence where Solo manages to parachute onto a small precarious platform only to extract a sword and tussle with a Romulan. Solo’s inclination towards sword fighting comes from The original episode of the series “Naked Time” When a virus caused Sulu to become permanently drunk, causing him to take off his shirt and wander the halls of the Enterprise with dueling chips. In the 2009 version of “Star Trek”, Solo is now a master swordsman, able to use his sword in combat. Chu loved it.

Cho said that when he watched the final cut of the film, he was unaware of his involvement. “Star Trek” is an exciting, non-episodic thriller, and the mass audience seems to appreciate the series’ shift away from philosophy and diplomacy, and toward violence and revenge. This seemed to be where American minds were in the post-9/11 world. Chu amusingly recalls that he and his colleagues were having so much fun watching the film that they couldn’t criticize their performance. He said:

“I was screaming the first time we showed the movie. It was at the Paramount theater. The main cast was there and everyone was going crazy, like me. I kind of forgot I was in the movie. There were a lot of actors. They watched the movies, they watched themselves, in a very critical way, and then they started bugging out, and the movie was so exciting that I forgot to blame myself, and I thought the guy playing Solo was all right.

Cho returned as Sulu in the sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness” in 2013 and “Star Trek Beyond” in 2016. Since then, there has been talk of making a fourth film in the same alternate timeline as those films, but nothing has materialized. something. Also, Cho is now 52 years old, so the novelty of having younger versions of “Star Trek” characters has pretty much worn off. I think Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike can step away from the Kelvinverse and enjoy what “Star Trek” is coming out of Paramount+. Check out “Star Trek: Lower Decks”. it’s great.