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Firefly
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Administrator
Posted 2008-02-07 10:13 PM (#1311)
Subject: Firefly



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so i recently discovered Firefly and now i'm hooked.

i missed the show when it originally aired on TV and i must confess that i wrote it off as something along the lines of Hercules or Zena, and when it got canceled it pretty much confirmed my suspicions.  it must have been crap to be canceled so soon!  when Serenity came out in theaters and i read the back story about the fans campaigning for the show etc. i thought i'd give it a shot.  i'm still in the "i'll pretty much go to any sci-fi movie" mode though that's wearing off these days with movie tickets topping $10!

boy, was Serenity a surprise!  i loved it!  it's just a fun movie with great characters and great atmosphere.  a true western in space.  i conjure it's mighty tasty.  but for some reason i never made the leap to Firefly until i got the boxed set for Xmas last year.  not sure why, i just didn't bother.  maybe i was expecting a let down.

i watched the whole series with my wife over the course of a couple weeks.  we both loved it and were sad when it was over.  it's a real shame there won't be any more firefly TV or movies (at least that seems to be the case right now).  like any good Browncoat tho we keep hoping that our time will come again... foolish as that hope may be.  we know we're not alone in our disappointment and our hope.

anyway, all that was just a lead-in for a mention of a new Firefly novel by Steven Brust called "My Own Kind of Freedom" that i just found online.  it's an ebook distributed under a creative commons license and the reviews seem to be pretty positive.  i'm looking forward to reading it and thought some here might be interested as well.  here's the link:  My Own Kind of Freedom

if you have read it already let us know what you think, but be careful of spoilers!  i'd also like to hear other people's opinions of Firefly and Serenity.

- dave

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Deven Science
Posted 2008-02-08 9:57 AM (#1312 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: RE: Firefly



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As you know from my blog, I watched Firefly when it was on TV, and bought it as soon as it came out on DVD. I loved it. The characters were so good, and the dialog is the best of any show ever. And yes, the Western/Sci-fi mix works well, given the back story. I even like the Chinese culture mix, which works well, and has a great explanation in the back story of the show.

Having been a fan when the movie Serenity came out, me and two other blog friends met to see it together (one of which I was meeting for the first time in real life), and we were blown away! Having that background as a fan made the movie so powerful, we were crying and cheering at the same time at the end.

Thanks so much for the link. I've downloaded it, and will read it sometime in the near future.
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hihik
Posted 2010-04-27 3:12 PM (#1943 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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i watched Firefly this year and also fell in love. thanks for the book. if you read it, how did you find it?
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Administrator
Posted 2010-04-27 10:12 PM (#1953 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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@hihik: You know, I never did get around to reading that book. So very many distractions when I work on WWEnd. My reading list is getting to be ridiculous. Thanks for dusting off this old thread and reminding me of it.
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hihik
Posted 2010-05-01 2:01 PM (#1973 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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i have two questions that bother me about this show

first, what do you think was the story of Book? he was not just a regular preacher - could fight, knew about crime, had some status that got him immediate medical attention at a hostile alliance ship ..

and second, why the show's called firefly and not serenity or why ship's name wasn't firefly? strange to call the show after a ship's class. the movie transporter could have been called audi by that logic ..
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MT in Austin
Posted 2010-05-11 10:05 PM (#2041 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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Great series. I got into it after it was canceled. Friends told me it was great at the time but I could never catch it.

I actually saw Serenity before the original series.

It seems too many great SciFi shows get bounced around time slots then get canceled because of poor ratings.
The networks make it hard to find the show then kill it because no one can find it.
Go figure.


On a similar note, Sanctuary, on SyFy, is a pretty cool show.
I hope they keep it going unlike Dresden Files.
Netflix has both series available for streaming.

Edited by MT in Austin 2010-05-11 10:09 PM
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Administrator
Posted 2010-05-11 10:42 PM (#2042 - in reply to #1973)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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hihik - 2010-05-01 2:01 PM i have two questions that bother me about this show first, what do you think was the story of Book? he was not just a regular preacher - could fight, knew about crime, had some status that got him immediate medical attention at a hostile alliance ship ..

I guess we'll never know the full story behind Book.  That's the most intriguing thread of many that I'd like see tied up. I really hated that so many great characters got killed off on Serenity but with the magic of TV and the movies we know there could be years of time between the last episode of Firefly and Serenity.  Plenty of space to explore Book's past.  And still we hope....

I think Book was a former/retired Operative back when the operatives were more like Texas Rangers and less like CIA goons.  He went about the 'Verse righting wrongs and generally doing good by the little guys and stuck to a moral code that made him a legend.  Times changed and so did the organization.  It became a tool of the elite, the politicians  pursuing their nefarious ends.  He got involved with something horrible that he helped to cover up and when the guilt became unbearable he took his retirement, changed his identity, and retreated into the clergy to lick his wounds and come to terms with whatever part he played.  Maybe he was cryogenically frozen for a period of time until his legend had passed into myth and he could emerge again to start his life over as a preacher.

Something like that would be cool.  Legendary hero haunted by his own inner demons always trying to atone for his one fatal lapse.

Your turn.

 

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hihik
Posted 2010-05-19 4:10 PM (#2070 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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Dave, i very much agree with you, that story lines is plausible.

btw, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_%28comics%29#The_Shepherd.27s...

we might, after all, find out the story of shepherd
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Administrator
Posted 2010-05-19 4:16 PM (#2071 - in reply to #2070)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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@Hihik:  Hey, that's really cool!  Much better to get the real story from the creator even if it's only in a comic.  Have you read any of the existing comics?  I'd be willing to give 'em a go if they're good.
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Emil
Posted 2012-05-25 5:36 PM (#3231 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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Firefly DVD box is making its way to me. After my BSG marathon it's up next! Looking forward to it.
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Administrator
Posted 2012-06-06 12:33 AM (#3318 - in reply to #3231)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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Emil - 2012-05-25 5:36 PM Firefly DVD box is making its way to me. After my BSG marathon it's up next! Looking forward to it.

You are in for a treat!  Such a great show.  I lament that it ended so soon but at least we didn't have to see it decline the way so many shows do that stay on for years.

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Emil
Posted 2012-06-06 4:03 AM (#3326 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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Thanks @Dave. I'm hoping the final episode doesn't leave me hanging

| Administrator - 2012-06-06 7:33 PM I lament that it ended so soon but at least we didn't have to see it decline the way so many shows do that stay on for years.

I concur. I thoroughly enjoyed my BSG marathon, but found the final episodes very disappointing. With the series extended over 4/5 seasons, the plot suffers for it with just too many gaps to fill. Bad writing is no excuse. I would rather watch one season of riveting plotline and character development than an extended series merely for its action. I don't mind a couple of stand-alone episodes with a series, but much prefer an overall story arch, like in BSG. But then it needs to develop towards a logical conclusion that may very well leave me with some questions, but not what the writers did with BSG's finale. Inexcusable! It cast a shadow on the whole experience.

I'm finishing off the final episodes of Caprica and am somewhat disappointed that the show got cancelled, although it is quite clear why. I trust it ends in a fitting manner.
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minervasowl
Posted 2013-06-21 3:49 PM (#5323 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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I know that this thread is a bit old, but I am going to add to it anyway, possibly stirring up trouble in the process.

So far I have watched the first three episodes, and I am not sure if I want to keep going.

I am having trouble figuring out what the point is supposed to be. Is Mal just running from his past, dropping out of a system which betrayed his loyalty and beliefs and trying to make ends meet on the fringes? I know that they run in rough, prefer to stay under the radar, often have to take situations into their own hands circles, and he is a former(?) soldier, but does Mal personally kill someone every episode?

There also seem to be too many characters with such different backgrounds and stories to make for a cohesive group or family, but maybe I am just not far enough into the show. After all, I have already learned a little bit more about the opening battle and its aftermath, and the multi year leap forward with no explanation of how they got out of the valley irritated me quite a bit. I do love the Kaylee character though.

Do I need to just be patient and get to know these people better?

In the meantime, I am intrigued by the Steven Brust story.
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Deven Science
Posted 2013-06-21 5:02 PM (#5324 - in reply to #5323)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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Hmm. I was hooked from episode one, but that's just me.

Like with any series, each character does get flushed out more with each episode. If you're not in love with Jayne yet, you haven't watched enough.

Do you happen to be one of those people who saw the movie Serenity before watching the show? If not, then I'd say keep going, as long as you're getting something out of them, then watch the follow up movie. The movie isn't as good as the show, but man, it closes out many threads with a bang that blew me away when I saw it the first time in theater!

Some of the best episodes are coming up for you. Out of gas, Objects in Space. Any that start with an O, apparently.
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minervasowl
Posted 2013-06-22 7:45 AM (#5340 - in reply to #1311)
Subject: Re: Firefly



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I was tempted to start with the movie as it involved a smaller investment of both time and money, but I am a bit fanatical about reading/watching stories and series from the beginning. It irritates me when I get all excited about a new book I find, only to discover that not only is it the third or fourth book in the series, but the first book is not also on the shelf or, even worse, out of print. Really? You dangle a tantalizing story in front of me, and I can't even find out how it begins??

But I digress. The short answer is no, I haven't watched Serenity.

I am definitely not in love with Jayne yet, although I do appreciate the breadth of his taste in weaponry. I'm still trying to decide if he is an unnecessary risk, a necessary evil, or a valuable ally. Evidently his loyalty is for sale, but the price and conditions for same are subject to change without notice based on some special Jayne-modified version of a moral compass.

I am all about characters, and I am already attached to or intrigued by some of the other characters in this series. (I get overly involved and interested in the lives of imaginary people. I have probably done it for as long as I have been reading, but it was clearly pointed out to me when I spent five minutes ranting about Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake series only to get the reply "He's not *real*!" Well, duh, he's not real. That doesn't make him any less of a jerk.) I already mentioned Kaylee. Zoe's challenge of balancing her loyalty to her husband against her loyalty to her captain makes her character real and sympathetic. Plus, I am a fan of Cleopatra 2525. I think Alan Tudyk is a brilliant actor, and once I placed Ron Glass in my memory as Detective Harris, I wanted to find out what he did with the Shepherd character.

So I shall keep going and see where this path leads.
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