Firefly Would be More Successful Today

[Parson]

I'll pass on this area for discussion. I should have said earlier that my only real point is that feelings run deep in the hearts of those who believe they have a just cause, but were simply defeated by overwhelming odds. The browncoats of Firefly, especially Mal, personify that.

I think that was a strong story point, but I don't believe that the story really made as much of that as it should have. I always had the feeling the Mal was out of touch with reality and had a Don Quixote streak.

 

[kshRox]

Interesting! I hadn't fully appreciated that about America. Even today, the Mason-Dixon Line still lives on then, culturally speaking.

I thought that was the Manson-Nixon line . . .

 

[Dave]

I think that was a strong story point, but I don't believe that the story really made as much of that as it should have. I always had the feeling the Mal was out of touch with reality and had a Don Quixote streak.

I also think Firefly would have been better if that element had been developed more strongly which was why I continued to take us OT. I do think it was still a strong story point when I actually watched the series, but many of the reviews I read about the series before I watched it simply said that it was "cowboys in space" which is quite different, and only true in one or two of the episodes - the train heist being the most obvious. Either the reviewers didn't get it, or they chose not to get it. The Train Job being the first episode shown by Fox (rather than Serenity) might have been the problem.

Someone mentioned recently on Chronicles how they don't follow TV reviews and don't know what is coming soon. I think they are unusual. People do read reviews and watch trailers and make a concious decision to watch, or at least record a new show, or else to leave it alone.

As for Mal being out of touch with reality, for him the war was not over. I expect most war veterans feel that way. They must have to live daily with their own nightmares. I wouldn't say that he was tilting at windmills as the dangers from running contraband and being rebels in an Alliance world were all real one.

 

[Dante DiBenedetto]

Joss Whedon writes enjoyable characters, but actual plot and pacing over multiple episodes has never been something I've felt have been his strong points in his television productions. Each episode was pretty much its own little adventure, but there was little to string along the viewer for the whole ride. I don't think you can rightly accuse only scheduling issues for its demise.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Firefly. With how American television usually works though, I'm not remotely surprised it was taken off the air. At least re-runs play on the Science channel.

 

[Gordian Knot]

There was a time, many, many moons ago, when the Western was a staple of American TV and cinema. That trend ended several decades ago, and has never really recovered. Joss was really pushing the envelope trying to do a Space/Western. Western anything just doesn't go over so much anymore.

And Space/Westerns are considered by some, (maybe many; not sure on this one), as one of the worst types of SF. I allowed my bias to rule me, cause once I heard Space/Western I immediately lost interest. Never even saw the show until after it was cancelled.

That's when I found out that great character writing could make even the dreaded SW a worthwhile endeavor. I often wonder how many people were like me and simply ignored it from the beginning.

And I do disagree with those who say it wasn't really a Western. There were a few episodes ripped from Western plots (Train Robbery), but there were so many Western elements sprinkled through every episode. Mal packs a six shooter for gawd's sake! We're far into the future where space travel is common. Okay I get the outer worlds didn't have the latest and greatest technology. But why not an Uzi, or other more advanced side arm. Why go way back to a six shooter? Doesn't make a lot of sense.

And the guns were just one element. Outer world characters dressed in Western clothing, right along with cowboy hats. They spoke a quasi western dialect. They rustled cattle. Etc., etc., etc.

 

[Metryq]

Mal packs a six shooter for gawd's sake! We're far into the future where space travel is common. Okay I get the outer worlds didn't have the latest and greatest technology. But why not an Uzi, or other more advanced side arm. Why go way back to a six shooter? Doesn't make a lot of sense.

Although the prop for Mal's pistol is built around a Taurus 85 (which is a revolver), the completed prop shows no indication of being a revolver. Perhaps you noted the "zoop!" sound effect every time a gun was drawn (or "decocked"). To me, that suggests that the pistol is probably an EMP weapon firing caseless projectiles. Granted, some of the weapons are obviously firearms like those in use today. (We see them being loaded, they eject cases, etc.)

By "Uzi" I assume you mean a fully automatic weapon, which does not make it "more advanced." Many tools are designed for a specific job, and Mal's one-trigger-pull/one-shot pistol is ideal for his purposes. Machine guns are terribly wasteful and far less accurate. And just because "more advanced" technology exists does not automatically make it "better"—a point made in Mal's favor when Rance Burgess's fancy LASER pistol runs out of power in "Heart of Gold." (And Mal doesn't shoot Burgess—he clubs him.) People living on a frontier would probably select simpler tools because they are more reliable, easier to fix, and easier to duplicate.

Overall, I would not take any sci-fi movie or TV series too literally. Sometimes stylistic choices are also metaphorical.

 

[Barracooda]

I agree that Firefly would work better now. I think this is because of the way people consume TV these days compared to the time of the series' release. Watching a load of episodes of Firefly in a row gets you into the characters quicker, it's more immersive.