Starting Friday, July 22, at 7 p.m., the Sci-Fi channel will begin broadcasting the best science-fiction series ever made. Coincidentally, it will also be showing one of the best western shows and one of the funniest comedies. And it's called "Firefly."
Five hundred years in the future, a veteran of the losing side of a galactic civil war must find a way to survive on his own terms under the government's radar. With a small, quirky crew and a small, quirky ship, Captain Malcolm Reynolds takes on whatever job, legal or otherwise, that he can get. And one day he picks up something that the government wants very badly.
"Firefly" was created by Joss Whedon, who also created a blonde vampire-slayer you may have heard of. His sci-fi show was cancelled midseason, only airing 11 episodes. So why should you watch a half-finished science fiction/western from three years ago? Here's why:
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C'mon, you knew I'd be writing about it eventually...
[ July 20, 2005, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Some possible spoilers, so avoid it if you want to remain pristine. However, this one is much more open to non-fans and gives a much better idea of what the movie is like. Sigh. I want to see it again...
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Ah...SciFi channel might redeem itself yet.
Posted by CT (Member # 8342) on :
Wonderful, Chris. Well-written. Can't wait!
[ July 20, 2005, 11:02 AM: Message edited by: CT ]
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Great column as usual. Thanks for getting the word out about Firefly! Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I figured my boss would only let me get away with one gushing Firefly column, so I wanted to make it count.
Also, I've found that in many places dragging people one by one out of public places to watch TV at your house is both illegal and time-consuming, so this was easier.
Posted by fiazko (Member # 5812) on :
Chris, you da man.
Posted by scottneb (Member # 676) on :
Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
quote:And remember, every time you support a canceled Fox show, somewhere a network executive loses his wings.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Yeah, but Fox execs are like Balrogs - most likely they don't need their wings to do unspeakable evil.
I just saw the Firefly trailer - looks okay. I may see it.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
My new Tivo had Serenity set up first. Do we want a countdown?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
That's it, from now on I'm only writing about Firefly. I've gotten more e-mail for this one column than my last 30.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
I've never seen it before but from the incredible reviews on this site for it, I'll be cancelling my plans friday night and watching this (I'm such a geek ).
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Jaime, watch it. I'm serious. Or should I say:
Hi. My name is Cecily and I'm a freakish nutcase of a Firefly fan.
"Hi Cecily."
Hatrack converted me. Let it convert you too.
Posted by Bekenn (Member # 6602) on :
quote:Originally posted by Chris Bridges: That's it, from now on I'm only writing about Firefly. I've gotten more e-mail for this one column than my last 30.
Ooh! Care to post samples?
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
quote:Anyway, how much "Stargate" can you watch?
I mean, seriously.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Miro, I was just going to post that quote, but my comment would have been, "Well, let's see... Just finished season 7 on DVD, I wonder if I have time to watch all 7 again before Oct. 4, when season 8 is scheduled for release..."
We don't have cable, so no Sci-Fi channel for me. However, tv shows on DVD are teh awesome. You have convinced me to watch Firefly on DVD, though, so be proud. Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
If you want to get technical...
There are 8 seasons so far. Each season has between 20 and 22 episodes, for a total of 173 episodes. Each episode is approximately 43 minutes long without commercials (the pilot is double that). Multiply that out and you get...
5 days, 4 hours, and 42 minutes of Stargate goodness. Assuming no bathroom breaks, of course. And then you still have the movie, Stargate: Atlantis, and all those behind-the-scenes extras.
Yes, I am a dork.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Hey, I just found a link to this article on another forum I read. You're famous, Chris!
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I'm very excited about being able to see this show. I'm going to try and not miss a single episode.
Posted by calaban (Member # 2516) on :
I just found out about firefly from a rabidly evangelical firefliyist at my new job while it simultaneously hit my radar here on Hatrack. It's set on Tivo as we speak. I'm excited to see what the hubbub is about.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Just remember (all you watching it for the first time) that the pilot is only a shadow of the goodness that is in store. So even if it doesn't thrill you, stick around for the rest.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I just checked our site stats for yesterday. My column got 4.33% of the total site traffic, right behind the front page and the local news index page for single page visits.
Wow.
Writing about cults is fun!
(edited to fix numbers, I looked at the unfinished stats for today instead of yesterday)
[ July 21, 2005, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Heh. All those geeks with their news alerts.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I loved the way you wrote this column in Firefly-style, Chris.
Posted by Olivetta (Member # 6456) on :
Dang, Chris, now I have another great article to pimp to every living person I know... *trudges off to the trenches*
Seriously, GREAT work!
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
So what's the next cult phenom that you're going to write about? Donnie Darko? Hatrack?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
It's on Sci-Fi! Right now! Go, go, go!
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Just watched it...Wow, that was really cool. I turned it on like a minute too late so can someone help me out with the beginning? What was that huge battle about and what was it that the captain heard that made him sad? The rest of the episode I understood and enjoyed alot. I'm definitely going to be watching it every friday from now on.
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
The opening scene is the Battle of Serenity (for which the ship is named). For most of the battle, Mal is Gung Ho Cheerful Sergeant Supreme: a man of faith, and of ideals, who keeps his troops' morale up through sheer force of will. He assures one frightened private that the Independent faction's airforce ("our angels") is on its way to take out the Alliance forces currently tearing the Browncoats to pieces... only to be silenced as Zoe informs him that the incoming aircraft are not Browncoat at all. The Independents have lost the war. Mal turns suddenly haunted eyes towards the sky, where dozens of massive Alliance warships are descending.
The original opening sequence of the episode was slightly different (although, I think, still canon based on its inclusion in the DVD set). That sequence begins several days later, when an exhausted Mal and Zoe are finally picked up by a hospital ship. Apparently, in the days after the Independents' surrender, both sides were left to rot in Serenity Valley while the leadership negotiated a peace. End result: massive (and completely unnecessary) casualties on both sides, due more to malnutrition, injury, and inadequate medical supplies than actual fighting. No wonder that, as we cut to six years later, Mal is a shell of his former self, his faith and idealism destroyed.
Posted by CT (Member # 8342) on :
Great summary, Tarrsk.
I adored the dinosaurs. *grin
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Okay, I'm glad someone told me to hang in there because I wasn't overwhelmed. It was...okay. Not great.
Spoilers below, though I kinda feel I was the last person here to ever watch Firefly. Last night was the first episode I've ever seen.
I thought the dinosaurs were pretty darn stupid, personally, maybe because I hadn't gotten to know the character very well yet, so instead of being entertaining it was just juvenile and dumb.
The only characters that I really care about at all are the Captain and the Shepherd. The Ambassador (didn't remember her name) is intriguing, though. Kaylie (the one who was shot) is too sappy sugary sweet to be believable. The guy Adam Baldwin plays is a jerk. Is he supposed to be a completely unsympathetic character?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Don't want to spoil the fun of discovering them yourself, but I can add vague reassurances.
Yes, the pilot episode has a much slower pace than the rest of the series. That's one of the reasons FOX didn't run it first, and while I think they should have found another way to deal with it, I have to agree it drags in places. The problem you face when you have to introduce 9 major characters, I guess. Also, you've only seen half of it, the second half picks up and you learn more about everybody.
Wash's character is juvenile, but he's not dumb, and that comes out pretty strongly soon.
The Ambassador is Inara, a trained Companion; "ambassador" was the crew's joking reference to her.
Kaylee is indeed sugary sweet, but it works for me. Granted, I know what's coming up for her, but also because I know people like that, and because everyone else on the ship is pretty dark. And I've spent 25 years in the company of a woman whose voice sounds like a cartoon character (very high-pitched) and I see people constantly prejudge her because they think she's doing it on purpose to be cute or girly. She is what she is.
And oh, yes, Adam Baldwin's "Jayne" is a jerk. He's a mercenary, here because Mal pays him well. He has some great scenes coming up in the 2nd half, he continues to be a jerk (if a useful jerk), and while I'm not sure if I'd ever become sympathetic towards him, he gets more depth later on.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Sympathetic towards Jayne... hmm... I dunno... But I love him and I'm glad he's there. I think he gets some of the funniest lines in the whole show.
"She's in congress?"
Pix
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Did they only show the first half of the pilot last night? Yeesh. Then it's even harder to hang in there. You can do it Belle! I promise, it'll be worth it!! Give us 2-3 more weeks and you'll be a goner. Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
Kaylee's sweetness is somewhat overemphasized in the first part of "Serenity," but her character goes far deeper than the sugary surface. The thing about Kaylee is that she is a true, uninhibited spirit. In a way, she combines traits of two Buffy characters: she has the directness and unflinching honesty of Cordelia, combined with the optimism and smarts of Willow. She enjoys life to the fullest.
Wash (the pilot, Mr. Dinosaur Toys) is a kinda juvenile guy; like Kaylee, he doesn't take things too seriously. However, as you will find if you keep watching, he is a brilliant pilot and a man of principle. Not a fighter, though- he leaves that to Mal and Zoe. Speaking of Zoe, Wash and Zoe's marriage is one of the most realistically depicted marriages I've seen on television. They have their problems, but they are deeply in love despite their rather startling personality differences, and they work through them. No sitcom side plots, just two people trying to make a life in a tough situation.
Jayne is a jerk, but not because he's evil or anything like that. He's just the epitome of Looking Out For Number One... at least, he starts out that way. Jayne's character arc is one of the most interesting on the show, and one of the few that actually gets enough time for serious development (most of the others are set up, but the series was cancelled before their arcs could really kick into gear).
Give it time, Belle. Firefly's greatest strength is its characters, who are all three-dimensional people with flaws and strengths and dreams. Through the 14 episodes, every single one of them demonstrates more depth than characters from series that ran for seven seasons.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I'd like to add that if you don't like Firefly, then you don't like Firefly. Doesn't mean you're wrong or that "you just don't get it." Just because I really like it doesn't mean I can't get along with people that disagree.
I mean, I might not let my son marry your daughter, but... Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
It's on again tonight! Don't forget to watch. Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
I wish they'd show it widescreen, though, the scene with Mal and Simon on the walkway wasn't nearly as good without being able to see Mal.
It just showed up on Apple.com
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
I just saw the second part of The Pilot. That scene where Mal told Simon that Kaylee was dead was hysterical. I missed the beginning of one part tho, after the commercials because I was late in coming back. What did Simon tell the crew about River after they found about her? I read the synopsis on the episode and I know she's psychic and all, but what exactly did he say? I heard when he started talking about how she coded a message that she was in pain and he got her out. What happened right before? Also, does anyone know the name of the theme song on the intro? It's really catchy Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
Google for Firefly transcripts, and you can find exactly what he said.
hmm. three trailers and still no Book. I want to see the Shepherd!
Ni!
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
There's the transcript Jaime.
Joss Whedon actually wrote the theme song during the opening. It's all about Mal.
[ July 29, 2005, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: Narnia ]
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Thanks alot Narnia. Didn't realize I missed so much...
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
Ooh... new trailer pretty!
Love the new Jayne moments. And Zoe gets to talk! Still no trailer-Book though. Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Offhand I can't think of any Book parts that wouldn't be spoilers if they were shown. JUst worked out that way.
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
::pout::
Not even a little flash shot?
Narnia: didn't want to directly link to it, cause transcripts seem kind of fuzzy copyright-wise.
Ni!
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
What link? Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
That latest trailer is pretty good.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
quote:I missed the beginning of one part tho, after the commercials because I was late in coming back. What did Simon tell the crew about River after they found about her?
That, bright as he is -- and he is -- River made him look stupid. She easily mastered everything she ever attempted, so they arranged to send her to a prestigious academy. After a few years he strated getting letters from her that were odd, mistyped, full of what he believed to be code.
quote:Also, does anyone know the name of the theme song on the intro? It's really catchy
It's "The Ballad of Serenity," words and music by Joss Whedon, sung by Sonny Rhodes.
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However, tv shows on DVD are teh awesome. You have convinced me to watch Firefly on DVD, though, so be proud. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)