[kevin]

The season 2 thing would make sense as I did think watching the film that the truth over River and the Reavers wasn't (or unless it was simplified because of the film) complex enough to spread over 4 or 5 seasons. Bringing it to a close in season 2 would have been better.

[jtrek79]

hey kevin how are ya? a question: is firefly like star trek

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by jtrek79

hey kevin how are ya? a question: is firefly like star trek

If I may....


only if every episode of Star Trek were "Spectre of the Gun".

No, Firefly is probably more akin to Star Wars only in the terms that it is an action-adventure sci-fi. But, the stories are very very tight...and the humor is subtle, yet it hits you like a ton of bricks.

I also highly recommend Firefly.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by jtrek79

hey kevin how are ya? a question: is firefly like star trek

Hi, I'm good jtrek, thanks! You?

To answer that, (and I hope some other fans will pitch in here as well to keep me right, because my answer might be different!), I would say, it is not really like Star Trek in that it's not about science and exploration, it's about people.

The set up is that in the future the US and the Chinese became the dominant Earth powers and forged not quite a political union but a fusion of cultures etc and also man set out to explore the galaxy, somewhat leaving Earth behind. There are core worlds (the 'civilised' planets) ruled by an Alliance (though they seem not be benevolent all the time) and there are also outer worlds that are essentially the equivalent of American frontier towns (the Western theme is redolent through the show, making for a great blend of western/future tech worlds). There have also been wars fought in the recent past, which is part of the backstory for several characters.

Through all this, Captain Mal Reynolds flies his ship Serenity, through them all, with a crew collected along the way, most of whom have their own stories and secrets, and these play out along the 12 episodes that were made before it was cancelled. There are funny stories, sad stories, epic stories and experimental ones crammed into that 12 though and it really had great potential. But a core story is the mystery of River Tam, and how her fragile mental state relates to the Alliance powers searching for her. She and her brother hide out on the Serenity in the pilot after he broke her out of an Alliance facility where she had been kept, and they then remain with the crew. Her story is also the focus of the film.

But the less said about the FOX network the better!!!! The DVD's have been out so long now you should be able to pick them up (and the movie) for bargain prices. I'd really recommend it.

I don't know if any of that helped, so any other insights from others would be appreciated for anything I missed!

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by kevin

Hi, I'm good jtrek, thanks! You?

To answer that, (and I hope some other fans will pitch in here as well to keep me right, because my answer might be different!), I would say, it is not really like Star Trek in that it's not about science and exploration, it's about people.

The set up is that in the future the US and the Chinese became the dominant Earth powers and forged not quite a political union but a fusion of cultures etc and also man set out to explore the galaxy, somewhat leaving Earth behind. There are core worlds (the 'civilised' planets) ruled by an Alliance (though they seem not be benevolent all the time) and there are also outer worlds that are essentially the equivalent of American frontier towns (the Western theme is redolent through the show, making for a great blend of western/future tech worlds). There have also been wars fought in the recent past, which is part of the backstory for several characters.

Through all this, Captain Mal Reynolds flies his ship Serenity, through them all, with a crew collected along the way, most of whom have their own stories and secrets, and these play out along the 12 episodes that were made before it was cancelled. There are funny stories, sad stories, epic stories and experimental ones crammed into that 12 though and it really had great potential. But a core story is the mystery of River Tam, and how her fragile mental state relates to the Alliance powers searching for her. She and her brother hide out on the Serenity in the pilot after he broke her out of an Alliance facility where she had been kept, and they then remain with the crew. Her story is also the focus of the film.

But the less said about the FOX network the better!!!! The DVD's have been out so long now you should be able to pick them up (and the movie) for bargain prices. I'd really recommend it.

I don't know if any of that helped, so any other insights from others would be appreciated for anything I missed!

I think you pretty well summed it up there, Kevin. I chimed in (hopefully not uninvitedly) to provide a little bit of an answer there, but you covered this much more elaborately.

It is funny sometimes to hear the characters speaking English, and then all of a sudden throw in a quick word or phrase or Chinese right in the middle of their sentence, or at the end, or beginning of it.

My favorite character is Kaylee. She's just so sweet and innocent and perky...and in Firefly, she's even more awesome. (And, I just love Jewel Staite.)

Here's an interesting bit of minutiae:

In an effort to try and draw in some Star Wars fans during the promotions for the movie Serenity, one of the opening narratives in the TV spots was "Six Rebels against an Empire."

It is sad that the movie did only OK at the box office. But Serenity is a very entertaining movie...and complements Firefly well.

[kevin]

No - please chip in!! And who doesn't love Jewel Staite!!

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by kevin

No - please chip in!! And who doesn't love Jewel Staite!!

And Summer Glau!!!

Good Lord, have you seen her in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Summer Glau is just hot beyond words.

One of the biggest mistakes that Fox made regarding Firefly was opening the series up with the second episode "The Train Job" instead of the pilot episode which was also called "Serenity".

The Train Job was not the best way to introduce the characters, and I think if I had seen that episode first, instead of the original pilot, I too would've balked at this show.

I never got to see an ep of this show until I got the DVD set...and it was well worth the money.


That said, seeing all the episodes in proper order, The Train Job (not exactly a fan favorite) is actually one of my personal faves. It says a lot about Mal Reynolds' character.

I still think one of the best bits of dialogue in Firefly comes from the end of the pilot episode:

SIMON TAM: How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?

MAL: You don't know me, son, so I'll tell this to you once. If I do decide to kill you, you will be awake, you will be facing me, and you will be armed.

[kevin]

Mal definitely had a clear code of conduct in that respect. Hard to argue with!

I've not seen any of The Sarah Connor Chronicles yet, I don't have a channel that airs it and I've been undecided on buying the first season DVD set so far. I keep hearing it may be getting cancelled.

Back on Firefly though, I have to say that I do like 'The Train Job' as well. Considering it was written in a single weekend on short notice it doesn't do too badly. If they hadn't delivered that script on time the show would never have been made virtually.

[martok2112]

If you can view Hulu.com, you should be able to see some of the T:TSCC episodes there.

Since I don't have cable (although I do have broadband internet), I use Hulu.com to catch up on Battlestar Galactica, 24, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. It's free to use. There are TONS of TV shows that they have available.

You can also view episodes of the above shows through Xbox 360 or Sony Playstation 3's respective online stores for their consoles. It's about 2 dollars per episode.

[jtrek79]

understood kevin,i ll probably rent all the seasons,thanks for your input