Vegans /vegetarians in movies & TV?

Lou

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I'm asking about characters, not actors.

Besides listing them you might comment on how you think they are treated or characterized by the writing staff.

I'm afraid this is going to be a short list. I can only think of three off the top of my head. But I have a feeling that it will be an interesting discussion.

I checked but I didn't see this topic discussed before. So please correctly gently if I'm wrong.
 
So to start the ball rolling....

Stevie, the twentysomething daughter on the show Madame Secretary. Her veganism is discussed but not made a big deal of. and the writers keep things consistent showing her taking soymilk out of the frig and not eating meat at the family dinners. She is my favorite "child" on the show. Appearing to be not only level-headed but with a strong moral compass and extra compassionate.
 
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Characters:

- Scott Pilgrim

- The girls from original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (meant to be an artistic film about abattoirs by vegetarian Tobe Hooper)

- Laurie Strode from Rob Zombie's Halloween I and especially II (Zombie and wife are vegans)

- Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (veganism owes a lot to horror, my teenage obsession)

- Anna Pigeon from Nevada Barr's National Park novels

- Ransom the goat boy from Wild Animus by Rich Shapiro (much better than it sounds)
 
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Wow, that is a great list. I am not familiar with most of your references.

I can't remember, I don't think Scott was a vegan. Although he was considerate and made a vegan Sheppard's pie for his vegan friends. his enemy Scott Ingram was a vegan with vegan superpowers. it's hard to tell because the script was so weird but I don't think the writers were big fans of vegans. Although any number of alternate explanations can exist.
 
In Community, Brita was a vegetarian. During season one she was portrayed as the smartest person in the study group. But in later seasons she was dumbed down. Not sure why. Maybe for laughs.
 
I thought this was the easiest one. I held off thinking one of you guys would grab it.

my favorite TV vegetarian is Phoebe from friends.
 
Beorn from The Hobbit is assumedly a vegetarian, at least in his human form.
"Despite being incredibly powerful, Beorn respects all life forms, with the absolute exception of Goblins and Wargs" (http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Beorn).
Spock the Vulcan science officer and first officer on Kirk’s Enterprise from the original Star Trek series is a vegetarian.
"In the episode“All Our Yesterdays”, Spock and McCoy find themselves trapped in a prehistoric ice age of the planet Sarpeidon. A cave-dweller named Zarabeth offers them shelter when they nearly freeze to death in the harsh climate. Later, Zarabeth offers Spock some food. Spock asks Zarabeth if it is animal flesh; she reports that there isn’t much else to eat. Spock makes a plan to build a greenhouse, then decides to eat the meat in the meantime. Soon after, he chastizes himself, calling his behavior disgraceful, establishing Spock’s vegetarianism for the first time on screen."
Also from Star Trek series Vulcan science officer T’Pol is a vegetarian or vegan.
"In the third season episode “Carpenter Street”, T’Pol and Archer find themselves in an early 21st century fast food drive-through. After Archer orders a hamburger for himself, T’Pol, who has been studying the menu, asks, “Does the fiesta salad contain animal products?” The woman taking the order says, over the intercom, that it does not, but offers to upgrade the salad with bacon for just 75 cents. T’Pol apparently loses her appetite at this suggestion, and decides not to order anything."
(http://www.redhotvegans.com/2012/10/where-no-vegan-has-gone-before/).

In Star Trek: The Next Generation almost everyone is apparently vegan.
 
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Beorn from The Hobbit is assumedly a vegetarian, at least in his human form.
"Despite being incredibly powerful, Beorn respects all life forms, with the absolute exception of Goblins and Wargs" (http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Beorn).
Spock the Vulcan science officer and first officer on Kirk’s Enterprise from the original Star Trek series is a vegetarian.
"In the episode“All Our Yesterdays”, Spock and McCoy find themselves trapped in a prehistoric ice age of the planet Sarpeidon. A cave-dweller named Zarabeth offers them shelter when they nearly freeze to death in the harsh climate. Later, Zarabeth offers Spock some food. Spock asks Zarabeth if it is animal flesh; she reports that there isn’t much else to eat. Spock makes a plan to build a greenhouse, then decides to eat the meat in the meantime. Soon after, he chastizes himself, calling his behavior disgraceful, establishing Spock’s vegetarianism for the first time on screen."
Also from Star Trek series Vulcan science officer T’Pol is a vegetarian or vegan.
"In the third season episode “Carpenter Street”, T’Pol and Archer find themselves in an early 21st century fast food drive-through. After Archer orders a hamburger for himself, T’Pol, who has been studying the menu, asks, “Does the fiesta salad contain animal products?” The woman taking the order says, over the intercom, that it does not, but offers to upgrade the salad with bacon for just 75 cents. T’Pol apparently loses her appetite at this suggestion, and decides not to order anything."
(http://www.redhotvegans.com/2012/10/where-no-vegan-has-gone-before/).

In Star Trek: The Next Generation almost everyone is apparently vegan.


HA! That makes total sense to me. Writers get double bonus points.

Sure, all Vulcans would be vegetarian or even vegan. They are logical. They probably realized hundreds if not thousands of years ago that they did not need animal products to thrive. Also aren't they empathic or something? You probably don't have to convince them that animals have emotions. And the poor things can't control them like Vulcans can. Making animals more like "Earthlings" or as the Ferengi would say, "Hoo-mans". Plus the Vulcans would probably realize all the inefficiency of livestock production and just eat plants. And they may even be concerned with all the health benefits of eating plants - don't they live to like 200?

I also like the idea of space going people being vegetarian or vegan. Growing animals for eating is inefficient and takes up a lot of space. Even vat-grown beef would probably be less efficient than vat grown spirulina. Although the whole replicator business puts this whole argument on shaky ground.
 
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Monroe from Grimm was vegan. Well, he did live in Portland. But he was also a Wessan, a Blutbad, that is some kind of werewolf or wolfman. And his ancestors and maybe even some of his relatives ate people. When he swore off people he made the connection and swore off all kinds of prey animals. He had trouble with his meat addiction though and sometimes went to a support group.

One of my favorite episodes had him going to the Portland Farmer's Market for some vegan salmon. I still wonder if they really have that there.
 
HA! That makes total sense to me. Writers get double bonus points.

Sure, all Vulcans would be vegetarian or even vegan. They are logical. They probably realized hundreds if not thousands of years ago that they did not need animal products to thrive. Also aren't they empathic or something? You probably don't have to convince them that animals have emotions. And the poor things can't control them like Vulcans can. Making animals more like "Earthlings" or as the Ferengi would say, "Hoo-mans". Plus the Vulcans would probably realize all the inefficiency of livestock production and just eat plants. And they may even be concerned with all the health benefits of eating plants - don't they live to like 200?

I also like the idea of space going people being vegetarian or vegan. Growing animals for eating is inefficient and takes up a lot of space. Even vat-grown beef would probably be less efficient than vat grown spirulina. Although the whole replicator business puts this whole argument on shaky ground.

Those sites and writers are nailing it.
You are right: vulcans are capable of "mind melt" with other living beings. Which in my understanding means that they are empaths with a high level of control over wether or not to make a contact. I'd like to believe that Vulcan ability to live as long as 200 years has something to do with their vegetarian diet but sadly, I have read somewhere that not all Vulcans are strictly vegetarian and that at least some of them eat animal flesh (maybe it's rare occurance?).
I believe that you are somewhat right. Your reasoning appeals to me.
They, like humans now-a-days, would have to desolate vast amounts of resources to grow cattle and advanced logic driven societies like Vulcans would not likely want to participate on that.

However, it's amazing that spectacular character such as Spock advocates vegetarianism.
 
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In Star Trek: The Next Generation almost everyone is apparently vegan.

Been on a TNG kick lately. In "A Matter of Honor" Riker eats a Klingon dish with a live animal, and in "Time Squared" he cooks omelets with eggs he picked up from a recent stop. The future is flexitarian?
 
Been on a TNG kick lately. In "A Matter of Honor" Riker eats a Klingon dish with a live animal, and in "Time Squared" he cooks omelets with eggs he picked up from a recent stop. The future is flexitarian?
Bummer. But thanks for the correction!
 
The animal liberation activists are probably vegan in Okja. The vegan message is written all over that movie anyway and it's one of my favorites right now.
 
@ StrangeOtter.
What a wonderful little short. I hope to share it with nonvegans as much as possible.
You may want to post it in a different thread that gets more traffic. or is more relevant. or something.
Anyway. Double Thumbs UP.

:heart::heart: