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Asian-GAF: We're all the same, like Stormtroopers |OT| |AT|

S

Sober

Member
I don't know what's worse, that there were so few Asians in the Star Wars EU or that people wrote fucking books on people who had mere seconds to screen time in the movies.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
There were several extras that appeared in the movies that got some more love in the EU material. I can't help but think Swan was picked because she was Asian, which is like oddity in Star Wars, combined with the fact that she was a Jedi.
 
S

Sober

Member
Aren't there novels of everyone in the cantina scene in ANH or something? Or the rancor handler in ROTJ? stuff like that is hilarious to me.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
Sober said:
Aren't there novels of everyone in the cantina scene in ANH or something? Or the rancor handler in ROTJ? stuff like that is hilarious to me.
Click to expand...
A lot of the extras have their own background story bits but some get a lot more.

This guy from the Cantina has his own little story. Another Corellian smuggler.

galleryimage1464134380-mar-27-2014-1-600x400.jpg

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/BoShek.

swtpm9.jpg

This random extra sitting in the background in episode one became a Jedi and got a lot of attention during the Star Wars Republic series. He was undercover during episode one, so he couldn't help Qui Gon at the time.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Quinlan_Vos
 
E

Erico

Unconfirmed Member
Well, there were the Asian caricature trade federation aliens. Hooray.

I wanted an extended backstory about this guy:
Lieutenant_telsij.jpg
 
S

Sober

Member
Seductivpancakes said:
They're just well known for producing good spies, which also isn't great since any Bothan would be suspected as spy and barred entry to any where.
Click to expand...
Okay, that too. I also found it weird cause wasn't the Empire basically just super racist/pro-human anyway? How did these Bothans get ahold of these plans?

TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ACTION?
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
Sober said:
Okay, that too. I also found it weird cause wasn't the Empire basically just super racist/pro-human anyway? How did these Bothans get ahold of these plans?

TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ACTION?
Click to expand...

I don't recall how the first Death Star plans got leaked but the second Death Star was leaked on purpose to trap the Rebel fleet. I guess Bothans fell for it.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
Aren't those Trade Federation guys supposed to be Asian caricatures?

I'm like a born again Star Wars fan. I was so happy they wiped the EU from canon because I never bothered to keep up with any of it.
 
A

AnathemicOne

Banned
Ugh I don't wanna start classes again next week. Gonna be the start of my fifth year and I've 11 classes to go (take summer classes kids), gawd this year is gonna suck.
 
C

Cybit

FGC Waterboy
Seductivpancakes said:
Yep and people see no issues with that. People don't see an problem of how a galaxy far far away from planet Earth, Asians are still stereotyped to do martial arts. I'm happy Donnie Yen but I'm going to be turned off from Rogue One if he's the martial arts expert of the gang. He already looks blind and carries a stick.


Its okay, its only a robot arm.

edit: on topic of Asians in Star Wars.

Ekelarc Yong. The only Asian to stand up to the Empire.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ekelarc_Yong

Edit 2: Okay so I did some more digging for Asian Gaf. Some Asian extras from RotJ
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ardon_Crell
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rayc_Ryjerd

Bai Ling had a scene as a senator in one of the prequels, but the scene was cut.
Click to expand...

Believe one of the Jedi Council members was Indian, IIRC
 
S

suzu

Member
Erheller said:
Asian-GAF, I just got back to school and I don't have a meal plan. Any tips for not starving?
Click to expand...

Something quick and generally healthy (grilled chicken, eggs, stir-fry veggies). Make it ahead of time and then dump it into a bento box or those lunch jars. lol
 
E

Erico

Unconfirmed Member
CapNBritain said:
There's a thread on Reddit Taiwanese of reddit: what are your thoughts about mainland China? [serious]serious replies only that definitely filled me in on a lot of stuff I didn't know (or just forgot) about Taiwan. I think it's pretty neat stuff.
Click to expand...

My family's from Taiwan. I grew up saying my family was Chinese (referring to the ethnicity/culture). I think that's just the way we were taught.

Nowadays, when asked, I've been saying my family's Taiwanese, in part to distinguish myself from the influx of actual Chinese people from China.
 
G

Gully State

Member
backslashbunny said:
Japan viewed Taiwan as the "first" attempt at actual colonization of a people, not subjugation. So, the horrors that Japan inflicted on China and Korea were way worse than what happened in Taiwan. In one, the Japanese were the conquerors. In another, they were more like the benevolent ruler/father.

Japan wanted to be the perfect model of a perfect colonizer, with a leader even stating that if they can't do it properly in Taiwan, they can't do it at all. So, the roads, the rails, and even to a certain degree the behavior (though the last part, I hear, exists no longer), were financed and implemented by the Japanese. For example, in Taiwan you have to separate plastics from trash to recycle, just like in Japan. Taiwanese people also pride themselves as not being as... ghetto? poor? crude? as the mainlanders, and that's mostly through Japanese influence IIRC.
Click to expand...

I don't think this is a colonial Japanese influenced attitude. I remember Taipei in the 80's and early 90's had a huge issue with litter, and it's very similar to what's going on in China right now (though without the kids pooping in public). I remember in the late 90's, there was a public campaign to curb this.

backslashbunny said:
Same. My parents refer to themselves as Chinese, or used to, until the mainlanders started pouring out of China and bad apples gave the rest of us :(((( feelings. My mom is half ban sen and half wai sen, and my dad is wai sen.. and we're blue.. but people that hear our Chinese know that we're from Taiwan (the accent).
Click to expand...

I still refer to myself as Chinese. Both sides of my family are wai seng ren. Plus it's not like all mainland Chinese people are homogenous anyways.
 
E

Erico

Unconfirmed Member
backslashbunny said:
Japan viewed Taiwan as the "first" attempt at actual colonization of a people, not subjugation. So, the horrors that Japan inflicted on China and Korea were way worse than what happened in Taiwan. In one, the Japanese were the conquerors. In another, they were more like the benevolent ruler/father.

Japan wanted to be the perfect model of a perfect colonizer, with a leader even stating that if they can't do it properly in Taiwan, they can't do it at all. So, the roads, the rails, and even to a certain degree the behavior (though the last part, I hear, exists no longer), were financed and implemented by the Japanese. For example, in Taiwan you have to separate plastics from trash to recycle, just like in Japan. Taiwanese people also pride themselves as not being as... ghetto? poor? crude? as the mainlanders, and that's mostly through Japanese influence IIRC.
Click to expand...
Gully State said:
Comments are really interesting. I'm actually a bit more curious about the Japanese occupation of Taiwan now and how exactly it helped with infrastructure.
Click to expand...

One reason why the Taiwan colonial period was relatively peaceful compared to Korea, the other contemporary Japanese colony, was that Taiwan was developed as an important hub for the Japanese Navy. Naval bases, ports, oil refineries, downstream petrochemical facilities, commodity manufacturing and heavy infrastructure were all developed in part to support the Navy, naval air operations, and its large personnel base. More "professional" administration was required for this type of complex development. Later on, the arriving KMT enjoyed these existing advantages.

In Korea, the Imperial Japanese Army had a larger role in the occupation with its more brutal administration and heavy handed practices towards colonial subjects. Korea was primarily an Army station, and developed as an army staging ground to support the future invasion of Manchuria, and the Japanese army garrison continued the long, somewhat feudal Meiji tradition of violent suppression of the native populace.

Though it is also somewhat fallacious to say the Taiwanese welcomed Japanese colonial rule with open arms. Glossed over in Taiwanese history was the violent resistance by former Qing loyalists, native Taiwanese, and Hakka & aboriginal tribes to the initial Japanese invasion in 1895. Entire villages were massacred and burned in this period. Though suppressed, guerilla activity from native Taiwanese militias continued for another decade. This is largely forgotten in modern Taiwan.

Interesting bit of trivia: the popular association of blood type with personality in Asian cultures comes from the pseudoscientific practices of Japanese anthropologists who tried to correlate blood types of certain aboriginal Taiwanese tribes and their level of violent resistance to the Japanese.

backslashbunny said:
Same. My parents refer to themselves as Chinese, or used to, until the mainlanders started pouring out of China and bad apples gave the rest of us :(((( feelings. My mom is half ban sen and half wai sen, and my dad is wai sen.. and we're blue.. but people that hear our Chinese know that we're from Taiwan (the accent).
Click to expand...

That's the exact split of my parents, too. My extended family used to be various shades of blue, but now there's a good bit of conversion to and influx of green in recent years, especially among my younger cousins. Makes for interesting family get-togethers!
 
Z

zeemumu

Member
backslashbunny said:
ASIAN GAF IT'S DAY TWO AND I HAVE MOUNTAINS OF HOMEWORK ALREADY.

I'm so behind.

Also, I need to start thinking of a topic for my master's thesis... in... taxation.

I'm already bored. I have no idea what I want to research. @_____@
;
Click to expand...
Research the bare minimum of taxation required to sustain an area of a certain size, compare it to the actual taxation rate, then discuss how that extra money is being used. Account for stuff like people who don't pay taxes.


I've been trying to make a sequence detector for a binary counter of a four bit number
 
G

Gully State

Member
Erico said:
One reason why the Taiwan colonial period was relatively peaceful compared to Korea, the other contemporary Japanese colony, was that Taiwan was developed as an important hub for the Japanese Navy. Naval bases, ports, oil refineries, downstream petrochemical facilities, commodity manufacturing and heavy infrastructure were all developed in part to support the Navy, naval air operations, and its large personnel base. More "professional" administration was required for this type of complex development. Later on, the arriving KMT enjoyed these existing advantages.

In Korea, the Imperial Japanese Army had a larger role in the occupation with its more brutal administration and heavy handed practices towards colonial subjects. Korea was primarily an Army station, and developed as an army staging ground to support the future invasion of Manchuria, and the Japanese army garrison continued the long, somewhat feudal Meiji tradition of violent suppression of the native populace.

Though it is also somewhat fallacious to say the Taiwanese welcomed Japanese colonial rule with open arms. Glossed over in Taiwanese history was the violent resistance by former Qing loyalists, native Taiwanese, and Hakka & aboriginal tribes to the initial Japanese invasion in 1895. Entire villages were massacred and burned in this period. Though suppressed, guerilla activity from native Taiwanese militias continued for another decade. This is largely forgotten in modern Taiwan.

Interesting bit of trivia: the popular association of blood type with personality in Asian cultures comes from the pseudoscientific practices of Japanese anthropologists who tried to correlate blood types of certain aboriginal Taiwanese tribes and their level of violent resistance to the Japanese.



That's the exact split of my parents, too. My extended family used to be various shades of blue, but now there's a good bit of conversion to and influx of green in recent years, especially among my younger cousins. Makes for interesting family get-togethers!
Click to expand...

I didn't know that Lee Teng Hui's brother fought and died fighting for Japan in WWII. It's interesting how the attitudes of Japanese occupation of Taiwan parallels a bit with Britain's occupation of HK. Do HK people look at UK occupation fondly as well? I remember reading about how Chinese people would claim to be British citizens of HK to avoid getting deported back to China.
 
C

CapNBritain

Member
My parents are from either side, so I guess I'm half ban sen and half wai sen. I know my father's father fought for the Allies in WW2, but I'm actually not sure which side my mother's father fought on. He and my grandmother both look and speak Japanese though.

I always referred to myself as Chinese and still do, although sometimes I follow it up with "technically Taiwanese."

I remember Taiwan being very messy when I visited in the late 80s, but I guess it's better now. The only thin I remember from that visit is having my first Coke Slurpee and a cartoon about a giant robot with rocket fists.

Also, I am getting married in October and it's ridiculously stressful!
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
CapNBritain said:
My parents are from either side, so I guess I'm half ban sen and half wai sen. I know my father's father fought for the Allies in WW2, but I'm actually not sure which side my mother's father fought on. He and my grandmother both look and speak Japanese though.

I always referred to myself as Chinese and still do, although sometimes I follow it up with "technically Taiwanese."

I remember Taiwan being very messy when I visited in the late 80s, but I guess it's better now. The only thin I remember from that visit is having my first Coke Slurpee and a cartoon about a giant robot with rocket fists.

Also, I am getting married in October and it's ridiculously stressful!
Click to expand...
I am pretty sure my grandparents from both sides ended up in Taiwan after fleeing China during Mao's uprising.

If asked, I just say I'm American, though, since I'm an "anchor baby" (although both my parents were citizens when I was born anyway) according to Jeb!

"Where are you from?"
"California."
"No, where are you really from?"
"Northern California."
 
G

Gully State

Member
CapNBritain said:
I remember Taiwan being very messy when I visited in the late 80s, but I guess it's better now. The only thin I remember from that visit is having my first Coke Slurpee and a cartoon about a giant robot with rocket fists.

Also, I am getting married in October and it's ridiculously stressful!
Click to expand...
latest
Click to expand...

This dude?

-Yeah vivid memories of garbage piles in parking lots and just huge sanitation issues in the 80's. It's refreshing to go back and see how far the island has come from those days (you hardly see trash anywhere these days).
 
E

Erico

Unconfirmed Member
Gully State said:
I didn't know that Lee Teng Hui's brother fought and died fighting for Japan in WWII. It's interesting how the attitudes of Japanese occupation of Taiwan parallels a bit with Britain's occupation of HK. Do HK people look at UK occupation fondly as well? I remember reading about how Chinese people would claim to be British citizens of HK to avoid getting deported back to China.
Click to expand...

In Hong Kong, their view of their colonial days is much more favorable than Taiwan. This is fueled by the strong animosity towards the current Chinese authoritarian administration and the fact that British rule is still a very recent memory to provide a practical point of comparison.

The perception of the British regime was that they were over-paternal, but established the necessary systems and institutions for good governance, even though it wasn't true self governance by the Hong Kong people. I believe most Hong Kongers feel that true self governance is preferable to British rule, but British rule would be preferable to Chinese rule.

Edit: There's also always a tinge of political revisionism involved in these things. Nostalgia for British rule is another way of protesting the current Chinese administration. During British rule, people waved Chinese flags and bluffed about "return to the motherland" as well to protest colonial administration. Similar with the perception of Japanese rule in Taiwan, no one actually wants to return to the days when Taiwan was, in essence, a poor agrarian island society. But painting Japanese rule as a golden era scores political points for Taiwanese independence, emphasizing a period when Taiwan was free of Chinese (both KMT and CCP) political and cultural influence.
 
C

CapNBritain

Member
Septimus Prime said:
I am pretty sure my grandparents from both sides ended up in Taiwan after fleeing China during Mao's uprising.

If asked, I just say I'm American, though, since I'm an "anchor baby" (although both my parents were citizens when I was born anyway) according to Jeb!

"Where are you from?"
"California."
"No, where are you really from?"
"Northern California."
Click to expand...

I also get the where are you from thing, where people really just want to know what type of Asian I am. I try to draw it out as long as possible to make them uncomfortable. One day, I'll overcome my inbred Asian male timidness and just end the whole exchange with, "oh, what you really want is to let me know what type of Oriental I am without coming off as too racist!"

Also, saying that I'm an anchor baby would also be hilarious.

Gully State said:
This dude?

-Yeah vivid memories of garbage piles in parking lots and just huge sanitation issues in the 80's. It's refreshing to go back and see how far the island has come from those days (you hardly see trash anywhere these days).
Click to expand...

I just did some quick googling and I think it's Gigantor, although I don't remember the robot being so rotund.

My family is strongly hinting that I should do my honeymoon in Taiwan. No more trash is one of their selling points.

Erico said:
In Hong Kong, their view of their colonial days is much more favorable than Taiwan. This is fueled by the strong animosity towards the current Chinese authoritarian administration and the fact that British rule is still a very recent memory to provide a practical point of comparison.

The perception of the British regime was that they were over-paternal, but established the necessary systems and institutions for good governance, even though it wasn't true self governance by the Hong Kong people. I believe most Hong Kongers feel that true self governance is preferable to British rule, but British rule would be preferable to Chinese rule.

Edit: There's also always a tinge of political revisionism involved in these things. Nostalgia for British rule is another way of protesting the current Chinese administration. During British rule, people waved Chinese flags and bluffed about "return to the motherland" as well to protest colonial administration. Similar with the perception of Japanese rule in Taiwan, no one actually wants to return to the days when Taiwan was, in essence, a poor agrarian island society. But painting Japanese rule as a golden era scores political points for Taiwanese independence, emphasizing a period when Taiwan was free of Chinese (both KMT and CCP) political and cultural influence.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. I hadn't considered the parallels between Hong Kong and Taiwan.
 
G

Gully State

Member
I never found the "where are you from?" question to be offensive. I mean I get why it is now that it's been pointed out. But growing up, I never thought twice about the question. Maybe it's because I identify with my ethnicity moreso than my nationality seeing as how my parents and grandparents are immigrants too.

CapNBritain said:
I just did some quick googling and I think it's Gigantor, although I don't remember the robot being so rotund.

My family is strongly hinting that I should do my honeymoon in Taiwan. No more trash is one of their selling points.
Click to expand...

That's a good tourism slogan for Taiwan. In their defense, Taiwan really does feel a whole lot cleaner these days.

In all seriousness though, my parents just the other day were complaining that I hadn't gone back in a few years. It would be nice to be able to visit without having to deal with family issues. Last two times I went back, were basically to visit my grandmothers before they passed.

TBH, I'd love to live in Taiwan for like a year just to see how it is but doing so would mean I'd have to go into mandatory military service(last time I spent extended time there was when I was like 10).
 
C

cdyhybrid

Member
I've never gotten the "where are you REALLY from?" follow-up. I guess Hawaii is a good enough answer for most. Being half-white probably contributes too.
 
C

CapNBritain

Member
Gully State said:
TBH, I'd love to live in Taiwan for like a year just to see how it is but doing so would mean I'd have to go into mandatory military service(last time I spent extended time there was when I was like 10).
Click to expand...

I would also like to go back but it's expensive and time-consuming. But I'm curious about the mandatory military service thing. I have no idea if I'm still a citizen of Taiwan. I wasn't born there but I think my mom got me dual citizenship when I was a kid or something. Am I gonna be pressganged into the Taiwanese Military Industrial Complex?
 
G

Gully State

Member
Taiwan law provides for compulsory military service. Men between the ages of 18 and 36 who were born in Taiwan or who have ever held a Taiwan passport should be aware that they may be subject to compulsory military service in Taiwan, even if they are also U.S. citizens, and even if they have entered Taiwan on U.S. passports.
Click to expand...

Neither of us are safe.. I heard that it's pretty chill since Taiwan isn't going to war anytime soon.
 
D

Dreamgazer

Member
CapNBritain said:
I would also like to go back but it's expensive and time-consuming. But I'm curious about the mandatory military service thing. I have no idea if I'm still a citizen of Taiwan. I wasn't born there but I think my mom got me dual citizenship when I was a kid or something. Am I gonna be pressganged into the Taiwanese Military Industrial Complex?
Click to expand...

Technically, yes.
Realistically, no.
Should you enter with a Taiwan Passport if you have one? no.
Will you have to if you want to buy residential properties in the country before the 36/40 age cut off? Yes.
Will you have to if you want to pursue a political career in the country? Yes, and there's someone that actually did this.
 
Thelonelykoopa

Thelonelykoopa

Member
Second day of Mandarin Class.
The Third tone is a bit tricky ; I just need to go a bit lower with it.

We also had to choose a Chinese Name while the teacher gave us an option of just using essentially a Sound translation of our English name if you had trouble finding one but I found mine to seem awkward so instead I used the meaning of my English name and choose the closes equivalent I could find which is .

Liú jié 刘杰 The teacher liked it and from looking around doesn't seem too unusual as I tried my best to make sure what I choose would be a real name .
 
Thelonelykoopa

Thelonelykoopa

Member
backslashbunny said:
edit: Here's our photo album from Japan! We have whale bacon in there :D

Just wanted to talk about a kickstarter that is still going on.

Haiku With Hotties. I actually pledged $25 to them, haha.

Also, even though this kickstarter ended, I thought it was really great and wanted to share it with y'all anyway. We Call This Home.

I think it's been linked here already (the video), but I wanted to remind y'all again to travel and pursue your dreams~



Good advice. Because of this, I told my partner that we're limiting our stay in Taiwan to only one week. I'm a little afraid they'll nab him anyway as some sort of golden posterboy :p. He's very good looking and what if they want him on recruitment posters :eek: /nobiashere.



What does that mean? Also, what does your English name mean?

I suppose I'm lucky to already have a Chinese name. It doesn't mean quite the same thing as my English name, though. Chinese name means the dawning of intelligence. English name means justice.
Click to expand...

My English name is Timothy Stevens . Timothy means "along the lines honoring god /honored by god " and Stevens means "crown".


Liú which is a common Chinese surname which means Royalty which kind of goes with "Crown" for Stevens. jié means means along the lines of" Hero,Outstanding person, prominent" which is about as close as I could find to my name .Hmm it also appears wikipedia lists it as the 39th most common name in China.
 
S

SRG01

Member
Thelonelykoopa said:
My English name is Timothy Stevens . Timothy means "along the lines honoring god /honored by god " and Stevens means "crown".


Liú which is a common Chinese surname which means Royalty which kind of goes with "Crown" for Stevens. jié means means along the lines of" Hero,Outstanding person, prominent" which is about as close as I could find to my name .Hmm it also appears wikipedia lists it as the 39th most common name in China.
Click to expand...

Do you mean Liu/Lau? Because it does not mean royalty. It's most definitely a last name with a long lineage and royal roots back to the Han dynasty, but it does not mean royalty.

Etymologically speaking, the antiquitated meaning of Lau means to kill/destroy/conquer. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/劉 However, there's no modern meaning to the word aside from a family name.

Interestingly enough, the Japanese Kanji character has the exact same meaning.

(It's also my last name)


Edit: regarding the Taiwan military service thing, I used to know a few Taiwanese people who said that there were these cruise ships that deliberately went outside the Taiwanese border and back. It's significant because, apparently, you don't have to do military service if your visit is less than 30 days. So, if you conveniently left on a cruise and came back...
 
Thelonelykoopa

Thelonelykoopa

Member
SRG01 said:
Do you mean Liu/Lau? Because it does not mean royalty. It's most definitely a last name with a long lineage and royal roots back to the Han dynasty, but it does not mean royalty.

Etymologically speaking, the antiquitated meaning of Lau means to kill/destroy/conquer. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/劉 However, there's no modern meaning to the word aside from a family name.

Interestingly enough, the Japanese Kanji character has the exact same meaning.

(It's also my last name)


Edit: regarding the Taiwan military service thing, I used to know a few Taiwanese people who said that there were these cruise ships that deliberately went outside the Taiwanese border and back. It's significant because, apparently, you don't have to do military service if your visit is less than 30 days. So, if you conveniently left on a cruise and came back...
Click to expand...

To destroy also came up with the Chinese dictionary I was using I believe it may be the case the royalty connotation is archaic (Probably has to do with Conqueror definition with it as well) since your right that most dictionaries only mentions it as a Surname and to Destroy.
Also it's not too surprising that the kanji has the same meaning; though grammar and pronunciation is different most single character words I seen are the same or they would be if the character was a traditional character.

Differences arisen when over the hundreds of years Japan simplified the characters but even those are now sometimes used in Simplified Chinese which I believe is probably the case with 刘.（though it may be also be reversed since well, I don't know any case off the top my head it's possible as well that Japan adopted the simplified character instead of the other way around.)
 
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