Interviewer: Are you very fond of Alexander? Gene Roddenberry: As a matter of fact, I am. I have Mary Renault's new Oxford book―in fact, I'd have everything in the bookstores a few years ago. Passionate admirer of Alexander. Passionate man. [...] Interviewer: There's a great deal of writing in the STAR TREK movement now which compares the relationship between Alexander and Hephaistion to the relationship between Kirk and Spock―focusing on the closeness of the friendship, the feeling that they would die for one another― Gene Roddenberry: Yes. There's certainly some of that with―certainly with love overtones. Deep love. The only difference being, the Greek ideal―we never suggested in the series―physical love between the two. But it's the―we certainly had the feeling the affection was sufficient for that, if that were the particular style in the 23rd Century. [He looks thoughtful] That's very interesting. I never thought of that before. [From Shatner: Where No Man (1979)]

Sooo I watched the new docuseries Alexander: The Making of a God and I was hit by indirect Kirk/Spock feelings because I remembered this interview. And of course I had to make a gifset about it. :)

Hephaestion must be rolling in his 2,348-year-old grave knowing that he's the cause of homophobic dudebros crying on twitter rn 🤭

"What Alexander the Great accomplishes, seems like something out of myth....and yet he did it."

So you said you hoped they didn't use those nicknames, Alex, Heph, and Ptol. I thought Heph was a little weird, but I didn't mind the others. What nicknames would you have suggested instead? You said you suggested Greek ones. What were they?

Ah.... I'm glad somebody asked!

First, I've talked HERE about nicknames and endearments in ancient Greece. It's not the same as now. Not every culture makes nicknames by shortening. Yet even in my own novels I used nicknames to make unfamiliar names more accessible to readers.

So I get why nicknames might be valuable. But it's possible to use more likely ones!

What would be natural Greek nicknames? First, the names we know them by are Latinized, not their real names. In Dancing with the Lion I used the actual Greek, because it affected only a few and weren't that different. But here are the Latin, Greek, and known/likely nicknames.

Alexander = Alexandros (a-LEX-an-dros) = Aleko(s)

Ptolemy = Ptolemaios (tol-eh-MAI-os) = Ptolas

Hephaestion = Hephaistion (he-pais-TEE-on) = Phaistas/Phaiton

"Alex" and "Tol" aren't that far off. But "Heph"? Really? HUGH HEFNER is who immediately comes to mind: give him a pipe and a smoking robe. Maybe they thought "young people won't know..." but chatting with a 23-year-old student, that was the first thing she said. "It sounds like Hugh Hefner."

Virtually all I've heard from people is ridicule for the nicknames. This is one thing I completely disavow all responsibility for. I told them.

“The Greeks did not have a word for homosexuality, or to be gay. It just wasn't in their vocabulary whatsoever. There was just being sexual.”

- Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones of Cardiff, University in Wales (Alexander: The Making of a God)

‘Alexander: The Making of a God’: First Look All six episodes drop on Netflix globally on January 31st, 2024. (Source: What's On Netflix | Images Courtesy of Netflix © 2024)

I will say this about the new Alexander the Great miniseries on Netflix: it is a true pioneer in vikingsification, in that I think this is the first time it has been applied to antiquity (could be wrong tho)?

It also has the potential to make everyone appologize for all the shit they talked about the 2002 Alexander with Colin Farrel, which pleases me immensely as a Colin Farrel Alexander fan.

(The explanation of what I mean by vikingsification: https://www.tumblr.com/minetteskvareninova/683475480862670848/i-propose-the-term-vikingsification-for-a-type)

just started alexander the making of a god and im so invested now😭😭

what really sold me on this was the companions calling each other “alex” “heph” “ptol”

alexander and hephaestion going on their gay little achilles sight seeing tribute tour. obsessed with them.

So, apparently Greece is very upset at Netflix for portraying Alexander the Great (the Macedonian guy) as kissing another man because he was totally straight and they are saying that clearly Oliver Stone started "a propaganda campaign about Alexander’s homosexuality" back in 2004.

Uhm, excuse you, Mary Renault didn't publish The Persian Boy in 1972 to be ignored like that.

Also: *laughs myself silly*

I really should watch that documentary before my Greece vacation, shouldn't I?

Really disappointed because I saw a post on Twitter by some conservative mad that in the Alexander the Great docuseries he's gay within the first three minutes. It's not in the first three minutes. He doesn't kiss a man until nearly 8 minutes.

Well, that got through at least. :-)

And they took my advice to cast a dark-haired, Mediterranean-looking Hephaistion too.

For more, read Dancing with the Lion. I pulled no punches there about their relationship. And he has a properly Greek nickname (as does Alexander).

forgot alexander: the twink diaries is live on netflix i simply must bring shame to my people tonight