Mastodawn

Gavin Mar 14, 2023

I interviewed Michelle Yeoh a few years ago about #StarTrekDiscovery and I mentioned offhand that I'd written an article about what seeing her use her accent on the bridge of a starship meant to me.

She stopped and said "Wait, that was YOU?"

And then proceeded to talk about how much that article had meant to HER and how it contributed to the success of the show.

I can't think about it without crying.

(The original article: https://authory.com/SwapnaKrishna/On-Star-Trek-Discovery-and-Michelle-Yeohs-accent-aa6d2eb01b3a24970abf406c39146df33)

#MichelleYeoh #StarTrek #Oscars

On Star Trek: Discovery and Michelle Yeoh's accent

Contributed by When the Star Trek: Discovery trailer was first announced, I almost didn't want to watch it. I'm a lifelong fan of the franchise — I grew up on The Next Generation and Star Treks II–VI and I'd followed every up and down of the…

Authory

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

She means SO MUCH to me, my captain, and to see her succeed like this is amazing and incredibly well deserved.

(The site I wrote the article for took down all their pre-2019 content, so that's a personal copy of it.)

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

The interview unfortunately also doesn't exist anymore, but I found a transcript. Here's what #MichelleYeoh said to me about keeping her accent on the show.

I forgot about this: ”You know how it is. That's what we are."

I'm crying again.

#StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery

Swapna Krishna Mar 16, 2023

Ok y'all, a few things:

(1) That article is from freaking 2017. There is zero point in critiquing it now. All you're going to do is get muted.

(2) If I knew it was going to go viral multiple times, and be read by an audience other than Asian American kids, I would have written it very differently. Please keep in mind that it was written FOR Asian American children of immigrants before anyone else.

Swapna Krishna Mar 16, 2023

Michelle Yeoh shared it on her Facebook page back when it first came out. Trust me, I have seen every critique of it, many of them are valid. But this was also a piece written in 30 minutes when I was very emotional and…just let it be, ok?

That one Jewish network nerd Sep 3, 2023

@skrishna As the parent of first generation Korean American kids thank you so much for this. Sending this link to them.

Jeremy Mar 16, 2023

@skrishna can't believe people are giving you grief about it. I'm not Asian, but I think I get the point of the article; it feels good to see someone you identify with in media you love. No need to sell it short. PS. My family doesn't have non-native-speaker accents and I also like hearing it because it reflects a richer world.

Aaron Moshiashwili Mar 16, 2023

@skrishna the reason I follow you is because you express your genuine emotions about the things you love.

Please don't ever let people stop you from doing that or feel bad about it.

Swapna Krishna Mar 16, 2023

@amoshiashwili Don't worry! I'm not going anywhere. I have a little too much experience with this sort of thing for it to make me want to log off.

April M Mar 21, 2023

@skrishna I would have loved this back in 2017 if I had seen it then and I love it now. I’m a child of a Japanese immigrant and I know exactly what you mean. It’s a beautifully written piece about something that is significantly moving to many of us. It’s part of why I am proud that EEAAO was recognized the way it was this year and why I get such a charge out of Michelle Yeoh’s success. She’s an unstoppable talent and your writing played a part in her life - amazing ❤️

Zac Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna @marthawells I am just surprised you were able to remember anything after meeting her. My brain would have turned into a warm, happy fog.

Sandra Mar 16, 2023

@skrishna forgot to add alt text to this but it says:

"You know what, I think the producers, Aaron, Gretchen, Akiva, and Alex, you know, they gave us freedom into how we presented our characters. Because we worked on that. And as you can see, Captain Philippa Georgiou comes from that part of the world, so it would make sense that she still retains it. Even though you might study for years in the Academy, your roots will always be your roots and it will reflect, whether it's in your little mannerisms or in your accent.
You know how it is. That's what we are.
And so they never turned around and say, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You have to speak more this or more that." So they were very liberal. I didn't intentionally use a very Chinese or Japanese or very, very Asian accent. But sort of across the board, you know this person comes from this part of the world."

Swapna Krishna Mar 16, 2023

@Sandra thank you for the flag. This is entirely odd because I did add it. I will go back and check and re-add.

Sandra Mar 16, 2023

@skrishna Maybe it fell off on my end (Fedi is a strange creature) and if so I apologize 💁🏻‍♀️

Swapna Krishna Mar 16, 2023

@Sandra it is!! And as a result it’s just as possible that the alt text got lost. I appreciate you saying something!

Swapna Krishna Mar 16, 2023

Nope, you were right, it definitely fell off!! Super annoying but thank you again for the flag.

Jyrgen N Mar 16, 2023

@skrishna I loved her accent from the first moment, because it sounded authentic and like *her* — and for me to like it, it didn't even need to be similar to my own(*) accent. But I get how it touched you, and I applaud that, too.

(*) I always cringe when I hear people speak English with a German accent, maybe because we were always taught how bad that was

>>

Jyrgen N Mar 16, 2023

@skrishna But then, Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou was great in general, her charisma, her physical appearance, *and* her accent. Later in the series, when she is "bad" Philippa transferred to not-her-own world, she gains this hint of underlying self-mockery to go with her cynicism, which is totally wonderful and adorable. Somehow her "bad" Philippa is more complex and interesting than the "good" Philippa was.

Farah Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna omg! Yes and thank you for that article!! I never thought anyone would come close to Stewart’s Picard but she DID and then some. She was so incredible in that show. I was absolutely smitten

AT-AT Assault 🏳️‍⚧️Mar 15, 2023

"(The site I wrote the article for took down all their pre-2019 content, so that's a personal copy of it.)"

Sci-Fi.com (Ok, ok, SyFy) shouldn't have done that. That wipes out literal decades of previous articles. Articles about Stargate, FarScape, Mystery Science Theater 3000, etc. How INCREDIBLY myopic.

Kathy E. Gill 🇺🇦Sep 6, 2023

@atatassault @skrishna

WTH?

Swapna Krishna Sep 6, 2023

@kegill @atatassault Totally agree. The inside story is they hadn't been vigilant about their image usage and had gotten sued over using copyrighted stuff. Rather than try and fix the problem they just deleted everything before a certain time.

Kathy E. Gill 🇺🇦Sep 6, 2023

@skrishna @atatassault

Dear lord.

They could have kept the words and nuked the images, although that would be shortsighted as well.

Kathy E. Gill 🇺🇦Sep 6, 2023

@skrishna @atatassault

Here is a snapshot of syfy.com at the end of the day, May 19, 2017. I can’t find your article, but I don’t know where it might be.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170519231415/http://www.syfy.com/

Here is SyFy Wire, same date. Apparently blaster.com also archived everything. It’s DOA now.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170519200510/http://www.blastr.com/

Home

Syfy

maegul Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna wow that’s awesome!

I can’t help but ask … would you have preferred if the captain Georgiou character had been kept around instead of killed off?

I ask because it feels to me like a missed opportunity to have a character like that given a full tenure “in the chair”. But I don’t have your perspective.

And we could still have had the empress too as her mirror counterpart no?

Rachel Greenham Mar 14, 2023

@maegul @skrishna Yes, absolutely. I mean, Emperor Georgiou is scenery-chewing fun of course, but the pre-show build-up let me believe we were going to get Yeoh as Captain Georgiou as a permanent thing, and not getting that was a bitter disappointment.

Abdiel Mar 14, 2023

@StrangeNoises @maegul @skrishna There is talk of her helming a spinoff Star Trek series after Discovery wraps up.

karinchu Mar 14, 2023

@Abdiel @maegul @StrangeNoises @skrishna with her success now I don’t know if we’ll get it. I wish we’d get a mini series anyway. Michelle LOVES playing emperor Georgiou. I really was looking forward to. Follow up of where she goes and her character journey that began S2 and 3 of Discovery. It got really interesting.

Abdiel Mar 14, 2023

@universeodon @maegul @StrangeNoises @skrishna I'm sure that the price she can command just went up, but so did her ability to play the roles she wants.

maegul Mar 14, 2023

@Abdiel @universeodon @StrangeNoises @skrishna and the audience she can attract.

JPVillanueva 萬吉平 Mar 14, 2023

@maegul @skrishna yes, yes and yes. All I want is a series with the non-evil Captain Georgiou exploring space and being a shrewd diplomat and a straight shooter. TNG's Picard was comforting as a role model and we still need that, but how awesome then that character is a Malaysian woman!!!!!

maegul Mar 15, 2023

@jpv206 @skrishna exactly the way I’ve put it to friends: how about an Eastern/Asian “Picard”. Instead of quoting Shakespeare and citing Dunkirk or Agincourt, they draw on Eastern culture in their commitment to their ideals and the value of “refined” culture.

The more I think about it, the more it cements Discovery’s status as the “Trek that could have been”.

Ginnikin Mar 14, 2023

@maegul @skrishna OH! My take is that of COURSE she survives the first episode and gets promoted to admiral. So now whenever I talk about her, I say Captain Admiral Michelle Yeoh.

@skrishna Michelle Yeoh is now the first Star Trek Captain to win an Oscar.

Her Accent included.

| #MichelleYeoh #StarTrekDiscovery #CaptainPhillipaGeorgiou #PhillipaGeorgiou #StarTrek #Oscars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yIP4pkKqgM

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV

YouTube

Fanua 🌐Mar 16, 2023

@HiMYSYeD @skrishna I definitely need to watch this. #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #MichelleYeoh #Trekkie

Michelle Yeoh speaking Mandarin in the Press Room . . .

Posting this,

Well, just because, no reason.

Also, because, every reason...

| #MichelleYeoh #Oscars

Sarah Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna
Okay... Tears in my eyes reading that piece, especially knowing her reaction. It's beautiful, and thank you for letting us readers share in that.

I'm having a hard time writing a response while trying not to co-opt an experience that is not mine. I keep deleting & trying again,

BUT in any case it's such an important thing for some of us to understand, and—considering that the written word can help us understand & feel something of someone else's experience—I greatly appreciate it.

Prince Caspian 🖖Mar 14, 2023

Great story, worth boosting.

ScottinSoCal 🇺🇦 🕊 🏳‍🌈Mar 14, 2023

I had the same reaction when they showed Culber & Stamets getting ready to go to work. Just brushing their teeth, a normal, routine thing. Just a regular couple, doing what couples do.

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

@ScottSoCal YES. I'm not LGBTQIA+ but that scene, the normalcy of it, the fact that it's here in this universe without having to beg and plead for it -- it brought me to tears.

Simon 🪗Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna @ScottSoCal agreed - their story, with Adira too, I feel has been presented sensitively and yet with normality.

As with your original post - which has moved me incredibly too - representation matters, to all :-)

As an older white straight male growing up in the north of of England, seeing anything outside that monoculture was important and vital, I've seen what happens to people who don't let these things in...

Michelle Hughes Mar 14, 2023

@ScottSoCal @skrishna

When I saw this scene, I announced that it was the gayest Star Trek moment - gayer than Jadzia Dax's kiss.

S. Z. Attwell ☕️💻Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna that’s beautiful. Congrats. 🎉

Baron Woke of Carlsberg Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna that is so wonderful.

Pollik Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna What a wonderful encounter!!!

@MJKellySmith Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna What a great article! I loved her on Star Trek! Do you have a link to the later interview you mentioned?

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

@MJKellySmith I'm looking for it! Unfortunately, the site I did all this stuff for deleted all their pre-2019 content. I'm hoping I have a copy somewhere.

@MJKellySmith Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna Oh that's awful! I hope you can find it. Maybe the Wayback Machine has it.

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

@MJKellySmith Nope, unfortunately! I know I have the audio somewhere as well.

Adam Lipkin Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna That's a fantastic story and original article. Thanks for sharing it (and also, what the hell, SyFyWire?).

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

@tsalmoth Yeah I have a LOT of thoughts. And we had all of about one hour's notice, so a lot of stuff I wrote over there is just gone forever.

Adam Lipkin Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna Ugh. Sadly, my reaction is both, "an hour? That's awful!" and "an hour? You actually got notice?" The amount of stuff lost because of crap like this is just so sad.

Swapna Krishna Mar 14, 2023

@tsalmoth We didn't get official notice, a person who knew a person emailed us! But I know what you mean.

Kev Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna amazing story

NicholasR Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna @LinuxAndYarn

#startrekdiscovery #michelleyeoh #startrek #oscars
Wow! Talk about an amazing experience ☺️☺️☺️ Sign me up!

Kev Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna I would bloody swoon

Isaac Rabinovitch Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna Interesting. To this White guy, the way Yeoh speaks on Discovery is unusual, but appealing precisely because it's unusual – TV shows tend to have a certain blandness problem. (Recall all the POC on TOS who were supposed to be from all over the world, but spoke with generic American accents.) It never occurred to me that to Asian fans, this would be a crucial bit of representation. Consider me educated.

Isaac Rabinovitch Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna Come to think of it, how many Star Trek characters don't have GAAs? Picard, Gregory, the SNW version of M'Benga. I think that's it.

sandywb14 Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna ❤️

Brooke Binkowski Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna I LOVE this story.

Gunnar Helliesen Mar 14, 2023

@skrishna ❤️ ❤️ ❤️