Firefly worth it?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by sbk1234, Jul 7, 2009.

  1. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Sadly, only 1/4 of his friends have any taste.:shifty:

    The movie wraps at least one very large ongoing storyline-and you get to see the characters again. Worth it.:techman:
     
  2. Messianni

    Messianni Commodore Commodore

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    Same here, it's one of the few blind DVD purchases I've made and it was well worth it.

    So here's another vote for "go out and buy the gorram thing already!" :p
     
  3. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It depends on what kind of shows interest you.

    Firefly did absolutely nothing for me. It's definitely not my kind of show. I have very little tolerance for rebels and losers, and that's what FF is all about. It was always trumpeted as an anti-Trek show, and, well, I *like* Trek. I sympathize with the larger group, with the legitimate authority. Which in this show meant the Alliance - obviously meant to be the big bad guys, the "evil empire" :rolleyes: , but I never saw them that way (and still don't).

    If this had been a Trekverse show, it'd be about the Maquis, and you all know how I felt about *them*. It just reinforces my belief that a lot of revolutions exist to feed the ego...

    Also, I don't like shows that are filled with smartasses (which is what Joss Whedon loves to write). In fact there were very few characters on the show I would not have immediately shot in the face if I'd met them IRL. I don't think I've ever seen a more disagreeable lot. I almost wish there'd been an episode where they all get their asses thrown in prison by the Alliance.

    Now, I admit, I thought the general 'look and feel' of the series was very interesting. I was fascinated by the concept of a "western in space" taken literally. But I did not like these people, I could not root for them, and so that must mean I failed.
     
  4. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

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    Yeah, you really did miss the point.
     
  5. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'm sure I did, but please explain?
     
  6. Dr. Chandra

    Dr. Chandra Captain Captain

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    It's easily worth it. Great show.
     
  7. ManOnTheWave

    ManOnTheWave Vice Admiral Admiral

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    firefly has always been remarkably cheap on DVD. I got it as a blind buy, watched it in a weekend and and periodically rewatch it. The commentaries are interesting and entertaining as well. If you like, as other have said, the film Serenity brings it to a degree or resolution.
     
  8. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

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    The Alliance isn't evil. Well, maybe a few of the top brass, but not the majority of it. It's simply over-extended. There's no way it can be a just and fair system when policy decisions are made by those sectors away from the actual problems.

    And on top of that, the fact that it became so large via forceful expansion (eg, war) means that it's now a matter of image---they can't admit they screwed up and release worlds to local control again. So they just keep right on interfering with things running well and ignoring things running badly, and the whole system begins a slow slide towards chaos.

    Mal and his bunch are the best possible response to this sort of situation---they get things where they need to go, rules and regs be damned. They may not operate within the law, but they have their own code, and that puts them above the pirates and slavers at least.
     
  9. The Evil Dead

    The Evil Dead Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I was just thinking the other day how I wanted there to be a high quality, more episodic sci-fi show on the air and then I realized what I actually wanted was Firefly to be in it's 7th season.

    Check out Firefly, it's one of the good ones.
     
  10. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    :lol: I see. Do you feel the same way about Washington, D.C.?
     
  11. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

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    DC is doing a mediocre job at best "solving" problems halfway around the world that it has little business interfering with in the first place. I'd really hate to think how well they'd do policing Alpha Centauri as well.

    It's a problem of identity. When a beign government operates domestically, it can do a fairly good job because the people are (fairly) happy with it. But when it tries to extend itself elsewhere, no matter how good the intentions, it is met with resentment at best, hostility at worst---simply because it's "them" rather than "us". That is the fundamental problem with imperialist states like the Alliance.

    Which is not to say that the problems are entirely the fault of the Independents for resisting occupation. While things would no doubt have gone smoother if they had given in gracefully, there's still the problem of bureaucracy getting in the way of actually making things better. And when lines of control extend to interplanetary distances....there's more bureaucracy at work than a civilization confined to one planet can imagine, I expect.

    The fundamental premise of the show is that "big government" reaches a tipping point after which it simply doesn't work. It's possible that isn't true, but it's a reasonable enough premise to start from that I have no problem with it.
     
  12. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    The Federation clearly works, so I don't see why the Alliance couldn't.
     
  13. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

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    The Federation is a different type of government. Plus, science fiction is all about "what-if". Star Trek says "What if the Federation works." Firefly says, "What if the Alliance doesn't work."

    Comparing them is thus fairly pointless.
     
  14. Chrisisall

    Chrisisall Commodore Commodore

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    Wow Lindley, I was gonna answer him my own self, but I could NOT have put it better than you did!!! You're my gorram hero.

    Mr. Laser is a purplebelly, obviously.:wtf:

    *Joke- just joking here*:guffaw:
     
  15. Messianni

    Messianni Commodore Commodore

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    The Federation was voluntary. Planets had to apply to become a part of it. The Alliance went, "you won't join? Fine, we'll take you over". Huge difference.
     
  16. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Ah-ha! So much for "The Alliance isn't evil", eh? ;)

    And refuses to consider that it ever could. At least there are instances in Trek where the Federation makes mistakes.

    Yes, I'm sure I would be, if I lived in this 'verse.

    I'm not.
     
  17. Chrisisall

    Chrisisall Commodore Commodore

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    The reason might be...uh...fiction...?:guffaw:
     
  18. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I know the difference.

    The reason the Alliance *doesn't* work is because it is written that way. It's written that it should always fail. But it doesn't *have* to be that way. If the Alliance is as ambiguous as you people keep saying, then it *could* work. There could be times when it does good things. But of course the almighty Joss would never let us see that, would he? :rolleyes:
     
  19. Chrisisall

    Chrisisall Commodore Commodore

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    The Alliance clearly has been not-evil in many if not most circumstances. Inara herself voted for unification, after all. Get the DVD's & watch 'em. It ain't as black & white as you seem to indicate.
     
  20. Lindley

    Lindley Moderator with a Soul Premium Member

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    It's certainly a lot more controlling than the Federation. The fact of fighting a war of expansion should prove that. Calling it "evil" is still too narratively over-the-top to be correct, however. The show didn't operate in such terms.

    As Pike described it in the new movie, the Federation seems to have started out more like the UN than an actual government.

    It's hardly so one-sided. There are plenty of characters who support the Alliance. Inara is one. However, asking "why does the show ask this what-if instead of that one" hardly seems productive. If it were a different what-if, it would be a different story.

    Of course. And I'm sure we would have seen some of them if the series had continued. What made Firefly compelling was that things weren't black-and-white----there were plenty of shades of grey to go around.