Do you think I'd like Firefly?

[OdoWanKenobi]

To ease your confusion. This is the correct order to watch them in:

Serenity (episode)
The Train Job
Bushwhacked
Shindig
Safe
Our Mrs. Reynolds
Jaynestown
Out of Gas
Ariel
War Stories
Trash
The Message
Heart of Gold
Objects in Space
Those Left Behind (Comic Book Mini-series. Optional)
Serenity(Movie)

Don't go by the order they were aired, and certainly don't watch Out of Gas first. Some character knowledge is needed, and the experience will be ruined.

 

[auntiehill]

Rent it, Netflix it or watch it on hulu.com. That way, if don't care for it, you're not out any money.

I like BSG, but just mildly, and I really liked DS9, but I never was a huge Buffy fan and only watched the last season of Angel. But I liked Firefly. It took a few episodes to really get me hooked, but by the time I saw "Objects in Space," I was addicted.

It's only one season, so I say give it a try.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Difficult to say. It's not really similar to any other show except perhaps Buffy or Angel (which I haven't watched). For example one could compare B5 to DS9 as being similar shows but with Firefly you can't really do that. Overall I liked the show and thought the mythology and characters were well though-out but at times it was a bit too "cute" for my tastes. There's this kind of sarcastic self-aware quality to the writing that I was never entirely sold on.

 

[Ethros]

...
Heart of Gold
Objects in Space
Those Left Behind (Comic Book Mini-series. Optional)
Serenity(Movie)

Plus now there's the comic "Better Days" to go in between Objects in Space and Those Left Behind (although only 2 of the 3 issues are out yet)

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There's this kind of sarcastic self-aware quality to the writing that I was never entirely sold on.

That's another thing that turned me off about FF or any other Whedonverse show. I don't like how his characters are all smartasses. I can't stand characters like that. I never did care much for Han Solo in SW - I always thought he was an unlikable jerk. So I'm sure that colored my opinion about FF.

Plus, in general, I don't want my sci-fi to be about rebels. I never have liked characters like that. SW gets a free pass on this, though, because the Empire clearly deserved to be rebelled against. Not so with this (the Alliance is not the Empire - not even close). I cannot like, or sympathize with, the characters on this show. I would not be "on their side", I think. I find rebels to be boring to watch. I like my shows to be like Trek - true heroes who are out to explore the galaxy. Not just a bunch of losers in a junkheap.

 

[Lindley]

Yeah, darn them for not supporting the government that took over their homes by force and then didn't know what to do with them.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Yeah, darn them for not supporting the government that took over their homes by force and then didn't know what to do with them.

I blame the rebels for seceding in the first place.

 

[MyCylon]

First of all, thanks to everyone for the many comments so far! There's really a lot of interesting points here and I can definitely imagine liking Firefly (plus I just remembered that Whedon is a big nuBSG fan just like myself which could be a good pre-requisite).

Suffice it to say I'll be watching the show one way or another (the DVDs are a likely way for me to go - as some have pointed out they're not that expensive).

It's available for completely free, legal streaming on hulu.com. Why don't you just watch the pilot episode and judge for yourself?

I hadn't thought of that but it comes with a common problem: US only. Proxies might work but I've found e.g. with SciFi's Rewind that it won't necessarily work.

As to the OP's question, really the only way you'll know is to watch the show

I agree completely. Still, I enjoy reading what you people think and what draws you to or repels you from Firefly

Although I love Farscape, I don't really equate it with Firefly. Their styles are very, very different. As for worrying about strange aliens, don't. Firefly is a 'dead' universe similar to nuBSG's--there aren't any aliens to speak of.

I'm happy to hear that. I find I've become more and more uncomfortable with the types of aliens featured on Trek or Farscape for that matter. I usually don't perceive them as very alien anymore but tend to notice all the makeup or puppet work which makes them very artificial to me.

If there's aliens involved they just need to 'feel' alien, I think.

Do you think I'd like Firefly?

I don't know.

But I love it.

Watch it and judge for yourself.

Having read the many, many great comments here that's what I will be doing

Justtoyourleft wrote:
Shows I don't like (no particular order):

- Farscape
- ST VOY
- ST ENT

Not to pick on you or anything and you have your opinions and I'm fine with them it's just lumping Farscape in with Ent and Voy just seems wrong somehow.

The honest truth is that I probably haven't seen enough of Farscape to really be a judge of that...

Odd. Even when I hated Farscape, I loved the alien look. It's what eventually got me around to trying the show again. The muppets; the makeup and prosthetics, the weird interior of Moya - all fantastic. It's one of the best looking space opera TV shows around, IMHO. Love the show now; what it's good at it's great at.

That's really interesting. The look of Farscape isn't down my line at all. For me, the best-looking SciFi show right now is nuBSG.

I'm not too fond of the design of the Serenity, mind you, but that's just a minor complaint at this point.

To ease your confusion. This is the correct order to watch them in:

Serenity (episode)
The Train Job
Bushwhacked
Shindig
Safe
Our Mrs. Reynolds
Jaynestown
Out of Gas
Ariel
War Stories
Trash
The Message
Heart of Gold
Objects in Space
Those Left Behind (Comic Book Mini-series. Optional)
Serenity(Movie)

Don't go by the order they were aired, and certainly don't watch Out of Gas first. Some character knowledge is needed, and the experience will be ruined.

Thanks for that info! That's good to know. It's such a nuisance that they tend to make a mess out of these things when they're airing the shows and/or on the DVDs.

...
Heart of Gold
Objects in Space
Those Left Behind (Comic Book Mini-series. Optional)
Serenity(Movie)

Plus now there's the comic "Better Days" to go in between Objects in Space and Those Left Behind (although only 2 of the 3 issues are out yet)

I'd have to say I've never been much of a comic or novel reader when it comes to TV shows. I don't really know why but it only feels 'real' to me (for what that's worth where a TV show is concerned ) when it's filmed.
Still, thanks for the hint!

There's this kind of sarcastic self-aware quality to the writing that I was never entirely sold on.

Interesting. I'll be curious to see how it comes across re. how I'll perceive it.

 

[Ethros]

Don't worry, you don't have to read the comics AT ALL to understand anything in the movie. Just think of them as little bonuses if you become a big fan

 

[Lindley]

Yeah, darn them for not supporting the government that took over their homes by force and then didn't know what to do with them.

I blame the rebels for seceding in the first place.

No such thing occurred in the Firefly universe. They were independent....and then they weren't anymore. That's all.

The Alliance figured they were "bringing civilization", the outer planets figured they were "conquering". It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[doubleohfive]

Rent it first.

Also, be careful around the Browncoats. Some of them are, shall we say, a tad fanatic.

 

[Angel4576]

If there's aliens involved they just need to 'feel' alien, I think.

Well there are no aliens, hence that's not an issue

 

[marplanauta]

My favorite shows (probably in this order):

- nuBSG
- DS9
- Babylon 5


Shows I don't like (no particular order):

- Farscape
- ST VOY
- ST ENT

Same shows i like and dont like

I have just finished watching Firefly last week and i loved it. It is amazingly well written. You will like it.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

My bet is that you'll like Firefly. I do - tho I don't think it's the best show EVAAHHH!! - and here's how I stack up with your choices:

- nuBSG - very good, thought-provoking, sometimes too messy, self-indulgent and aggravating
- DS9 - best sci fi series ever (tho Lost is gaining fast)
- Babylon 5 - very respectable; what I liked in DS9, I generally like in B5
- Farscape - all over the map; if you can tolerate its garbagey stuff, you'll be rewarded with brilliance
- ST VOY - urgh; but hey, it's Star Trek!
- ST ENT - three seasons of urgh, one of hey, this is good...

 

[Chris_Johnston]

Also, be careful around the Browncoats. Some of them are, shall we say, a tad fanatic.

I think the reason the Browncoats promote the show so heavily is that, as the very existence of this thread shows, it's kinda hard to get someone to actually sit down and watch it.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Hard to say. "Firefly" doesn't have much in common with B5 or DS9; on the other hand, it doesn't have much in common with "Voyager" or "Enterprise."

If you like nuBSG, there's a chance you'll like "Firefly" - but it's a shot in the dark. Whedon's shows are much funnier and rely more on dialogue which is almost self-consciously clever a good deal of the time.

 

[stj]

It's basically Jesse James in space. If you liked a movie like American Outlaws (Colin Farrell as Jesse James) you'd like this---the jokes are funnier. It has pretensions to something more dramatic, like Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil (Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and some singer) but it's not very successful at that.

 

[Forbin]

Do you think I'd like Firefly?

I don't know.

But I love it.

Watch it and judge for yourself.

Look, don't try to throw common sense into an internet message board, you'll only get hurt.

 

[MyCylon]

Also, be careful around the Browncoats. Some of them are, shall we say, a tad fanatic.

I think the reason the Browncoats promote the show so heavily is that, as the very existence of this thread shows, it's kinda hard to get someone to actually sit down and watch it.

I'm not sure if you're referring to me but as I said at the beginning of this thread it's very likely I'll be giving the show a try. I'm just curious to hear what people think.
So I'm not quite sure why you think this thread proves that it's hard to get someone to actually sit down and watch it.

 

[doc]

this is my very first post on the Trek BBS, but thought i would tell you i waited till last year to watch Firefly. Many friends have told me over the last few years to check it out. I finely did. Just to make it clear, view it in order- not something you want to jump in on. The characters move forward from episode to episode. It will be one of your favorites.