Firefly and Serenity - Page 5

JSnyder4 · #41 01-30-2009, 08:19 AM

*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.*
As a Firefly fan I have to disagree with this.
The studio made the right choice.
It is actually similar to Trek's beginnings. A pilot was needed that had more action and gave a better sense of what the series was about.
Same for the episode order in which they were shown. They tried to show the better episodes first to gain an audience, but fumbled the ball on preempts and other things which turned Firefly into a "Where's Waldo" series in the scheduling.

If the episode Serenity was pared down from a 2-hour to a 1 hour... maybe. But it was heavy exposition nevertheless. Ok once you get started, but not as a pilot.

martok2112 · #42 01-30-2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSnyder4

*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.*
As a Firefly fan I have to disagree with this.
The studio made the right choice.
It is actually similar to Trek's beginnings. A pilot was needed that had more action and gave a better sense of what the series was about.
Same for the episode order in which they were shown. They tried to show the better episodes first to gain an audience, but fumbled the ball on preempts and other things which turned Firefly into a "Where's Waldo" series in the scheduling.

If the episode Serenity was pared down from a 2-hour to a 1 hour... maybe. But it was heavy exposition nevertheless. Ok once you get started, but not as a pilot.

And, as I understand it, in order to make "Serenity" the pilot more action heavy, they added that war sequence at the beginning of the episode.

Regardless, the Train Job does remain one of my favorite episodes.

kevin · #43 01-30-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSnyder4

*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.*
As a Firefly fan I have to disagree with this.
The studio made the right choice.
It is actually similar to Trek's beginnings. A pilot was needed that had more action and gave a better sense of what the series was about.
Same for the episode order in which they were shown. They tried to show the better episodes first to gain an audience, but fumbled the ball on preempts and other things which turned Firefly into a "Where's Waldo" series in the scheduling.

If the episode Serenity was pared down from a 2-hour to a 1 hour... maybe. But it was heavy exposition nevertheless. Ok once you get started, but not as a pilot.

Well this is where Whedon's version differs slightly, as he viewed the rejection of the Serenity pilot and the demand of a whole new pilot to be written and submitted over a single weekend as an attempt by FOX to scupper the greenlighting of the series. His perspective being that they didn't want the show, and thought he couldn't deliver a script in two days that they would be able to greenlight. Except he and (I think Tim Minear) submitted 'The Train Job' and because he had met their demands, the show got the greenlight.