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Space Sci-Fi

George Takei Now an Asteroid 181

Posted by samzenpus from the lock-phasers-on-gimmick dept.
ineedbettername writes "In recent news, the International Astronomic Union has decided to rename the asteroid "1994 GT9" to 7307 Takei in honor of George Takei, the actor who played Sulu in Star Trek. He now joins the ranks of other famous sci-fi figures in space, such as 4659 Roddenberry, 68410 Nichols, Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov."
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George Takei Now an Asteroid More

George Takei Now an Asteroid

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  • An asteroid? (Score:5, Funny)

    by geminidomino ( 614729 ) * on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:03AM (#20848627) Journal
    Hey may be getting a little soft in the middle, but come on... that's overstating things a bit.
    • "Hey may be getting a little soft in the middle, but come on... that's overstating things a bit."

      Well, considering it is Sulu...I'm guessing it is all about another part of the anatomy. ASS-teroid?

      :D

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Foobar of Borg ( 690622 )

        ASS-teroid
        No, scientists renamed that object to end that stupid joke once and for all. It is now a Rectum-teroid.

  • Loaded headline (Score:3, Funny)

    by edwardpickman ( 965122 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:04AM (#20848637)
    To keep things organized please post all gay jokes under this posting. Thank you for your cooperation.

    • Re:Loaded headline (Score:5, Funny)

      by heinousjay ( 683506 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:05AM (#20848649) Journal
      Why? Is the asteroid gay?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by skinfaxi ( 212627 )
      I have always admired George Takei and think it's great to name an asteroid after him. Gay jokes and calling him names is pretty foul. You would think I was new here to expect any better.

      • Re:Loaded headline (Score:4, Funny)

        by halivar ( 535827 ) <.bfelger. .at. .gmail.com.> on Thursday October 04, 2007 @07:24AM (#20850081)
        You must be new h--

        Nice UID.

      • Re:Loaded headline (Score:5, Insightful)

        by tverbeek ( 457094 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @07:36AM (#20850211) Homepage
        I don't expect any better. But I will answer both the snickering adolescent homophobes and the people who have have a stick up their puckered asses over a mere "celebrity" being honored this way.

        Yes, George Takei is queer. And although he felt he had to hide this fact for most of his adult life, he had the courage and integrity to come out of the closet, by choice, giving inspiration to those fans who are gay (of whatever age) to be a little more courageous in their own lives. Plus, he's done it with class and humor.

        Yes, George Takei is an actor. But his dignified and non-stereotyped portrayal of a starship officer for whom being Japanese was only one of several interesting character traits, helped expose viewers to a broader picture of what Asian people were like, and to Asian kids in particular it gave another idea of what they might become. Plus his obvious contribution to Star Trek's promotion of space-related science.

        So, yeah: There's no question he deserves the modest honor of having an object in space named after him. And he can handle the jokes.

        • Re:Loaded headline (Score:4, Insightful)

          by kisrael ( 134664 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @07:51AM (#20850349) Homepage
          Well said.

          And he does put up with the jokes with humor and grace, even when Howard Stern was getting in on it. He does sound like a bit of a "queen", and I like him all the more for it, he's likely living the life that feels that much more natural for him, and probably having a ball doing it.

          And the character of Sulu was always one of the coolest ones on that bridge. Kirk was always a bit too much bluster for young people to relate to quite as well, Chekov (inspired by the Monkees) was a bit too goofy. Sulu was all professionalism and skills.

          Random Trek bit... one line that they say got through the sensors was when there was that mind-altering virus thing and everyone goes nuts, bare-chested swashbuckling Sulu addresses Uhura "Fair maiden..." and she replies "sorry, neither" -- very cute.

          So, good for him.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
          He's got more guts than Tom Cruise or Kevin Spacey. But, then again, he has a lot less to lose. It's not like he was playing romantic leads for millions of $ before he came out.

        • Re:Loaded headline (Score:4, Interesting)

          by Lord Ender ( 156273 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @10:06AM (#20852099) Homepage
          I respect Takei greatly. I am an advocate of gay rights. But I also thought that "Takei hitting Uranus" joke was pretty funny. Does that make me a bad person?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by $1uck ( 710826 )
            No.

            Next question?

          • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

            by danlock4 ( 1026420 )

            Does that make me a bad person?

            Of course not. The human mind is naturally (to some extent) and culturally trained to find such juxtaposition (the side-by-side placement of both interpretations of that thought) humorous.

            "[...]humour frequently contains an unexpected, often sudden, shift in perspective." --(Humor on Wikipedia [wikipedia.org])

            Additionally, the pun in the common comical usage of "Uranus" is evident, making it a lot of us English-speakers laugh, regardless of the level of our respect for Mr. George Takei.

        • So, what's homophobic about anal sex jokes about a gay man? I think that term gets thrown around as loosely as fascist or socialist.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Atario ( 673917 )
          I think we should all get asteroids/transneptunian objects/oort cloud objects named after us. Several each, in fact. There's gajillions of them, aren't there?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Wolfrider ( 856 )
        I like / admire GT as well; but there's no way it'll be "permanently" named after him until someone goes out there in a rock-rock-rocketship and lasers " Hikaru Sulu - George Takei, we'll always love ya " into it.
        ;-)
    • "To keep things organized please post all gay jokes under this posting. Thank you for your cooperation"

      'He now joins the ranks of other famous sci-fi figures in space, such as 4659 Roddenberry, 68410 Nichols, Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov '

      At least they didn't try and start their own religion ..

    • Re:Loaded headline (Score:4, Funny)

      by gihan_ripper ( 785510 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @11:46AM (#20853869) Homepage
      Well I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Takei's hilarious response to NBA player Tim Hardaway's homophobic comments. The video is available on YouTube [youtube.com].

  • I Have Decided To Reciprocate... (Score:5, Funny)

    by patio11 ( 857072 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:07AM (#20848659)
    ... and name a rock in my backyard after him. Now he has his name applied to two hithertofore anonymous rocks which he will never see.

  • Big Star Trek Fan...but.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by teebob21 ( 947095 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:09AM (#20848665) Journal

    I never knew Gene Roddenberry's first name was really 4659. "Gene" must be a stage name.

    Plus, I'm not sure who this Nichols cat is, but Issac Asimov; I know. Now there's a sci-fi guy who's not afraid to use his real name!

  • Renaming a quasar CowboyNeil?

  • And thus begins the jealousy tantrum (Score:5, Funny)

    by davmoo ( 63521 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:27AM (#20848743)
    I bet Shatner is pissed over this one.

    • Re:And thus begins the jealousy tantrum (Score:5, Funny)

      by owlnation ( 858981 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @04:50AM (#20849317)
      SSSSuuuuuUUULLLLLuuuu!!!!
      • *I* am NOT Janice LESTER! *I'M the CAPtain. *I* *AM* CatTAYN KURK! *Spock, you BACK stabber!*

        Was Dr. Lester Lester the mole-esther? A/A, she DID hijack Kirk's body. Anyone remember Shatner filing his nails in character as Janice Lester? And, that sway Kirkner did in the passageway... Would make Harry Mud jealous... AND probably drove Spock into Palms Farr, hands down (or was that Ponn Farr?)

        Shatner jealous? Hell, lots of Kirk-Spock lover stories still exist...

    • I bet Shatner is pissed over this one.
      Screw that fat load. I'm glad Takei got the asteroid before Shatner. Gay or not, dude has a lot of class.

      Plus, it makes my day when I hear him say "Balloon Knot".

      Oh my.

  • Oh (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:32AM (#20848763)
    my.

  • For once when I decided to read the article... (Score:3, Informative)

    by lordsilence ( 682367 ) * on Thursday October 04, 2007 @02:43AM (#20848815) Homepage
    I thought he had died!
    Thinking his ashes might've been sent to space and then come down again.

    Not reading those summaries are bad...
  • Do you need the Starship Enterprise to go see it?
  • As long as we don't hear Shatner singing anymore.
    • then don't watch the last three minutes of Free Enterprise. It's a great film, but right at the end shatner sings. Never before have I hit the mute button so fast.
    • Then don't buy the album Golden Throats [rhino.com] - the track list reads like titles of new horror films.

      * Proud Mary - Leonard Nimoy
      * It Ain't Me Babe - Sebastian Cabot
      * Blowin' In The Wind - Eddie Albert
      * Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - William Shatner
      * A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Noel Harrison
      * I Can See For Miles - Frankie Randall
      * Try A Little Tenderness - Jack Webb
      * Twist And Shout - Mae West
      * House Of The Rising Sun - Andy Griffith
      * Mr. Tambourine Man - Willia

  • I just never dreamed it would happen in my lifetime!

  • Sulu? Who's Sulu? (Score:5, Funny)

    by aeschenkarnos ( 517917 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @04:01AM (#20849129)
    Oh! You mean Hiro Nakamura's dad! :)

  • Don't mix entertainment with history (Score:4, Insightful)

    by suv4x4 ( 956391 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @04:19AM (#20849187)
    I honestly can't believe how people blur the edges of reality and sci-fi series. So now people deserve special honour because they played in Star Trek? I mean, the guy was probably a great actor, but what the heck.

    Reminds me of the 20-th century museum in Futurama, where they have messed up the entire history and thought The Honeymooners were the first people to step on the moon ("Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon, Alice!"), and reimaging the astronauts as movie-style space cowboys complete with cowboy hats and attractive behavior.

    It's just idiocracy happening slowly before our eyes.

    • Re:Don't mix entertainment with history (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Seumas ( 6865 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @04:44AM (#20849289)
      Don't mix entertainment with history . . .

      So . . . to hell with Bogart. Grant. Reagan. Arnold.

      First of all, these are people in the science community honoring those that inspired or intrigued them in the pursuit of science. Or just acknowledging someone whose work they greatly appreciate. Second, it's not like this is a finite resource and naming a cosmic entity after anyone diminishes the chance for others to have them named after other people.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Yeah, but ST gets a bit of a free pass on this because (despite being somewhat cheesey) it genuinely inspired a whole generation of real astronomers / NASA personnel / general space enthusiasts. We all know why the first orbiter was named Enterprise [wikipedia.org], and it wasn't the bullshit official reason of being named after the CV-6 / CVN-65 carriers.
      • I for one would like to see an asteroid named after James Doohan. He inspired more than his fair share of today's scientists and engineers to enter those fields, and I'm sure a few astronomers are among those who were inspired.

    • Re:Don't mix entertainment with history (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Loke the Dog ( 1054294 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @05:20AM (#20849425)
      Well, what about all those ancient gods we have up there? They're just as distanced from reality as star trek.

      And what names should we use in your opinion? I'd much prefer having objects named after celebrities than astronomers naming the rocks after their cat or whatever.
      • yeah, it would kinda defeat the purpose if half of the asteroids out there were named ### Spot or some such.
      • How about for actually accomplishing something?

        Sort of like how we have nobel prizes, etc. we also have celestial body naming.

        Also...hot women. I've always liked the idea of celestial bodies named after celestial bodies.

      • I'd much prefer having objects named after celebrities than astronomers naming the rocks after their cat or whatever.
        Yah... I don't think an asteroid called Pookie would be very terrifying, even if it was in a perfect collision course with Mommy Earth.

      • Well, what about all those ancient gods we have up there? They're just as distanced from reality as star trek


        Agreed! I don't mind naming planets after the king of the gods (Jupiter), god of speed (Mercury), or god of the underworld (Pluto). But when we get down to the god of flatulence (Uranus), you know we need to find new people to name them after.

    • Where have you been? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by ynotds ( 318243 )

      Don't mix entertainment with history
      Entertainment is history.

      History is entertainment.

      And CleverNickName [slashdot.org] posted a warmly personal take [typepad.com] to his blog earlier.
    • Star Trek was an inspiration to generations of scientists. Naming an asteroid after one of its actors is an honor, a tribute, a thank you. And if it gives the field a bit more publicity, that's good too.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by PietjeJantje ( 917584 )
      My father was a water biologist. They, and their biology colleagues everywhere, find new species and organisms all the time. Especially the really small ones. In fact, there are so many of them, they are pretty much named after everybody, in "latineze". There are zillions of them. Two crustacean types have been named after me. He was -this- close to honoring the dog. Most remain unnamed though and just carry an id. I ask you, has this been a problem to you and did it mess up history as you suggest? Now, tak
    • "So now people deserve special honour because they played in Star Trek"

      A lot of people were inspired to take up science because of StarTrek. In fact StarTrek was one of the first TV series where you had an 'African American' (Nichelle Nichols) playing a character with some authority.

      She was going to leave after the first season but a meeting [startrek.com] with Martin Luther King changed her mind. Admittedly she only worked the telephone exchange and had to sit at the back of the Bridge .. :)

      Re:Don't mix entertai

    • I honestly can't believe how people blur the edges of reality and sci-fi series. So now people deserve special honour because they played in Star Trek? I mean, the guy was probably a great actor, but what the heck.

      Reminds me of the 20-th century museum in Futurama, where they have messed up the entire history and thought The Honeymooners were the first people to step on the moon ("Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon, Alice!"), and reimaging the astronauts as movie-style space cowboys complete with cowboy hats and attractive behavior.

      It's just idiocracy happening slowly before our eyes.

      We're sailors on the moon!
      We carry a harpoon!
      But thar ain't no whales
      So we tell tall tales
      And sing this whalin' tune!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ashitaka ( 27544 )
      George Takei is best known for playing Sulu as every single news article about this leads off. But it's not like that is the only thing he's done. See his Wikipedia entry to find out about his charitable work and service as Clinton's head of Japan - America relations.

    • I honestly can't believe how people blur the edges of reality and sci-fi series. So now people deserve special honour because they played in Star Trek? I mean, the guy was probably a great actor, but what the heck.

      Unless it's changed recently, names for asteroids are decided by the person (or programme) who discovers it, and I don't think it's fair to hold those people responsible for the names they choose. The IAU merely rubber stamps the name and makes sure nobody chooses anything potentially embarrass

  • A small request (Score:3, Funny)

    by dkleinsc ( 563838 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @06:17AM (#20849727) Homepage
    Please do not plot an intercept course with Earth. Or any Earth space equipment for that matter.

  • Political or military names (Score:3, Insightful)

    by FlopEJoe ( 784551 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @06:46AM (#20849839)

    ...it [IAU] warns would-be namers to avoid anything "in questionable taste" and any names honoring political or military figures sooner than 100 years after their deaths.

    Well that odd. I have nothing against George and I'm fan of most of the recipients listed. But it seems out of perspective to honor actors hundreds of years earlier than people who accomplish such monumental, world changing achievements. "Here's a guy who died to take out a bunker so that others can free France. Oohh, No wait, here's an actor!"

    • Well that odd. I have nothing against George and I'm fan of most of the recipients listed. But it seems out of perspective to honor actors hundreds of years earlier than people who accomplish such monumental, world changing achievements. "Here's a guy who died to take out a bunker so that others can free France. Oohh, No wait, here's an actor!"

      What a strange post. What's the deal about "hundreds of years earlier"? Do you think it's necessary to wait until someone has been dead for hundreds of years befo

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by faloi ( 738831 )
      The cynic in me says that they do that to let the acts get some historical hindsight going before they make complete a**es of themselves. Imagine, if you will, naming an asteroid after a certain influential German leader circa 1935... Wouldn't look so hot 10 years later.

      Entertainers don't run the risk of having that baggage later, at least not generally. There are, undoubtedly, exceptions.

  • Wil Wheaton (Score:3, Funny)

    by n3tcat ( 664243 ) on Thursday October 04, 2007 @06:49AM (#20849863)
    So when does Wil Wheaton get his own asteroid?
  • C'mon, it's not that hard to get an asteroid named after you. I've got an asteroid named after me: 23128 Dorminy. If I have one, why is this important?
  • Its only a matter of time before major celestial objects are re-named after corporate brands and entities. Saturn is the only planet that keeps its original name, however (TM) is apendid to the planet's name just so people know they cannot use the name without permission. Southern Bell, McDonald's, Vagisil, Entertainment Tonight, Michelin, Jack In The Box, Saturn(TM), United Parcel Service, Nike, Pepsi
  • According to James Doohan (aka "Scotty") William Shatner is a real asteroid.
  • Also Leiji Matsumoto, author of the wildly popular manga (and anime) series Ginga Testudo (Galaxy Express 999) among others (000 is a cool one too) also had an asteroid named after him. Though I can't figure out how to find it. I remember when I was reading the manga for the first of many times and being totally blown away by a proud note that some friendly astronomers had named an asteroid after him. Matsumoto envisioned an adventurous boy and a mysterious woman on a danger-filled trip to planets around th
  • I want a haemmoroid named in my honour.
  • I hereby nominate asteroid "65535 Gates".
  • He was a grade school kid in a WWII internment camp for Japanese-Americans. Says he remembers looking at the guard tower from his classroom window.

    Instead of getting hate-filled and going ballistic, he's a humanist and a gentleman. That probably took some conscious will, so I think the honor couldn't happen to a nicer person.

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