okay THIS WAS A BLAST thank you for all the questions! i am so sorry i couldn’t answer every single one i have to run to set now but feel free to dm me on IG @team_karim if you want to ask me anything else and i’ll try my best to answer!! 🖖
Oh wow, I didn’t know this corner of the internet got AMA’s. 8O
Late to the party and not really a star trek fan, but still, good on Karim for popping by! 🤗
Which is the better star trek? TOS, TNG, DS9 or VOY?
Sorry I’m late guys, i’m locked in now! About to go crazy responding to all these questions lol
I just want to tell you how much I liked the episode that explored Klingon honor and how that hunting scene kept being recontextualized.
The show reminds me of Lower Decks in that it’s different but it’s the same. Cant wait to see more.
Happy to have you here \(>ᗜ<)/
Apologies if this is a little intimate, but what do you do to prep yourself mentally for filming? Do you have a little routine you do every day, or do you just jump into makeup and start working?
i wish i had an elegant answer for this but i honestly just hop into it. most of my preparation happens far before i even get to set. i spend hours memorizing lines, practicing my deep voice, reading scripts, etc. As soon as i get to set all of the work has already been done.
thank you! i appreciate the insight. i am a community theatre guy, so my routine is basically i brush my teeth and sing a song from a mass i did in high school that really stretches my pipes and gets me in the right headspace. yeah i follow all the hard work happens way before you are there on set (your work definitely shows).
What franchise you’d love to be in? Airing or otherwise.
i wanna work with James Gunn real bad lol. I think I’d do a phenomenal job at playing Cyborg, i hear they are making a new teen titans movie. BUT i grew up on Marvel, i am a HUGE x men nerd. I would take ANY role in the new x men universe. I’ve watched all the movies multiple times, watched all the cartoons, x men 97 is one of my favorite shows on television, read the comics… like… IM PREPARED!! I hope my time in the star trek universe primes me to become a bad ass superhero in the future
The obvious black Marvel character is Bishop. I think he’s a great character and I’d love to see someone play him in a movie (though maybe Sandro Rosta is a better match for his physique). But, you know who I think you’d be great for is Longshot. In the comics he’s white and blonde, but who cares. He’s a genetically engineered alien. The Mojoverse is such a rich vein of potential movie content, and writers could have so much fun with a character whose superpower is luck.
They could give you Synch that would be cool as fuck! Hopefully one we’ll see you in the mcu!
Hi Karim! I really liking Starfleet Academy, especially the set designs. What’s your favorite set in the show?
thank you! its so hard to choose they are all so beautiful! Maybe the atrium? It just feels so large and cool when hundreds of aliens are walking around, really feels like i’m in school in outer space
That’s my favorite too!
Hello Karim! How does it feel to be the first (or at least one of the first) celebrities to do an AMA on Lemmy?
looooool! It’s an honor!! 🖖
It’s an honor to have you.
It’s really refreshing to see a gay relationship happen organically on screen in a context outside of the contemporary stereotypes - and indeed, outside of human culture altogether. I realize Trek has done this a bit in the past with Culber/Stamets, and Reno - have you had to think about how LGBT culture exists in a multi-planetary society in the 4th millennium? Is it just plainly a utopia to strive for, for everyone? Is Jay Den’s family’s Triad House a non-issue in Klingon Society post Qu’onos, or was that something that happened out of necessity to preserve Klingon culture?
in the future literally no one cares who and how you love. like whether you love a guy, girl, nonbinary, or trans person, or if you’re in a monogamous, or polyamorous relationship… its not a big deal like it is now in the 21st century. in the future, As long as you are being true to yourself and you’re not harming yourself or others, literally no one cares lol. It just is. that’s why i love on the show its just presented naturally, there’s no big moment about it, it just exists and that’s it. a triad house is completely a non-issue and no one even bats an eyelash at it.
Just want to say thank you so much for answering all these questions! Loving Academy so far and wish I dropped in earlier to ask you a question!
Your acting during the debate episode was incredible. My only question is this: How did you decide what your character would sound like? His “accent” gets “awkward young adult Klingon” across very well in my opinion, and I personally think you nailed it
Thanks for doing an AMA on Lemmy! If you could play any race in the Star Trek universe which would you pick and why?
Hi Karim! Thank you for your work on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your work in particular on the show!
The character of Jay-Den has broken with what many fans have considered to be canonically or at least, stereotypically Klingon, and the show has drawn some criticism for this.
Others have praised the writing and your acting as Jay-Den for redefining or at least recontextualizes what being Klingon ultimately means in a Universe that embraces and cultivates people of infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
I was wondering if you could speak to the challenges you may have had in the endeavor to portray Jay-Den given this context?
It is obvious you did your research for the role beforehand and I can only imagine it must have been somewhat intimidating portraying a character on a major franchise that breaks with what some fans consider canon while also pushing the inclusivity of the Star Trek Universe forward.
I’ll reiterate my thanks in advance to you for doing this AMA.
the challenging part for me has not been the criticism. that will ALWAYS exist, no matter what role I decide to take. Plus, all of my social media accounts have been FLOODED with love from fans, its been overwhelming! Instagram, tik tok, threads, facebook, millions of clicks, THOUSANDS of comments and messages from people who are excited about my character. So it’s a bit tough to focus on any negativity when there is so much positivity. The CHALLENGING part for me was just transforming into the character in the first place. The prosthetics took 4-5 hours a day, 18-20 hour shoot days, learning how to do the voice… now that was the challenging part. but ultimately I am proud of the character that we created and i genuinely believe gene roddenberry would be too. even his son, rod roddenberry came to set one day and offered his support that was really cool!
That’s so cool! Thank you again for your answers!
Instead of IG, you should hop on Pixelfed
One step at a time!
Hello Karim,
eventually you will go onto Fan Conventions. Have your costars given any words of advice how to navigate real world fan interactions?
Please ask Robert Picardo about his experience at Dragon Con. Had a great chat with him about his voice work when I met him. Would love to have you come someday and hang at the Pulse Bar!!!
Yes! Robert Picardo and Michael Dorn have expressed how lovely and friendly the star trek fanbase is. Tawny Newsome said the same thing. I’m excited to dive in. the internet is cool but I’d really love to meet more of you in person.
Here is a selfie with Tawny and Eugene at Dragon Con a few years ago.
It’s one of the few cons celebs can party in anonymity or not. We just want to party with all our fellow geeks, nerds, and fans! Its a whole different vibe from SDCC
Aw, the camera messed up your face. At least it got them right. 😉
Mid teleport
Hi Karim, and thanks for the AMA!
As your character is a healer and a now a medical student, how much preparation you have had to do about health, medicine and the experiences of medical school to give depth to the role, aside from the series own technical lore?
ummm i mean i by NO means had to study anything from an actual medical school to do this role lol. At most, they trained us on how to use the actual medical devices on the day that we have to use them so that we look like we know what we are doing haha. most of my studying was learning how to speak in a lower voice, and learning how to speak klingon.
Thanks for the answer!
