The Importance of Firefly

POSTED BY: DrDredge
UPDATED: Monday, July 25, 2005 20:42
VIEWED: 3915
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DRDREDGE

Monday, July 25, 2005 6:40 PM

I appreciate everyone's responses. And just wanted to let you know that I don't judge ALL Firefly fans based on the actions of a few crazy ones. I do believe the majority enjoy the show and are just happy to recommend it to someone else without trying to force it upon them.

However, as someone who has to constantly put up with a friend of mine trying to "convert" me to a Stargate Atlantis fan, I can say that it can be pretty darn annoying!

I honestly think the movie will do fine. I'm sure Browncoats can only help the film by spreading the word. But even if they didn't and secretly hoped to keep this film all to themselves... I still think the movie would be successful. Unless a film is a sequel to an already well known film, it has to find an audience from scratch too. Serenity is already in a much better position than most films because it is based on a TV show and has a fan base.

Take Star Trek fans for instance. They love their show and movies. However their loyalty and support of the Star Trek universe has hurt the growth of thier fan base. I know many people who are casual Star Trek fans and just enjoy watching the shows and movies. However, the few who do take the time to learn Klingon as a language and dress up in the uniform and wear it while serving jury duty have given the fan base a negative "nerds" only connotation.

I have no problem with people loving a show and doing whatever they want to express thier lvoe and interest in it. If Firefly fans want to learn Chinese to better understand everything that's being said in the show - then more power to them. I just wonder whether John Q. Public will understand the devotion and turn away before they give it the chance.

Again, I just want to try and point out that I'm really not trying to criticize Firefly fans or even any other SciFi fans. I just wanted to mention a concern of accidentally pushing new fans away, before they even give the show/film a chance.

AURAPTOR

Monday, July 25, 2005 6:54 PM

Wow DrDredge. I'm glad you posted this. I'm a late comer to the whole Joss appreciation concept. Friends of mine were big Buffy/Angel fans from the old days. I guess I kinda got hooked on Angel toward the latter part of Season 4, and then Season 5. So when this show Firefly was due to air in Sept., I figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, a show with hookers in space HAS to be good, right? Nope. It wasn't. It was AWESOME! At leats I thought it was. So, my first 'recruits ' were the very friends who got me watching Angel in the 1st place. But thanks to the time slot on Friday nights,bungled airing of episodes out of order, and Major Leage Baseball, ...few were able to follow along. And then it was gone. Before I knew what I was looking at, or how to describe this show... it was done.

I generally don't 'pimp' t.v. shows. If a show is good, I like to think of it as something I can enjoy on my own, with out everyone TELLING me it's a great show. I didn't hate Seinfield or Friends, but when a network and the t.v. culture so utterly embraces a show that it becomes the 'IN' thing to talk about the next day....I sorta tend to end up not watching.

I guess my point is that, while I dig FF/Serenity as much as anyone, I don't really know how to 'sell' the show all that well to folks who never saw it. It WAS cancelled, after all, so being overly hyped up about it to folks who aren't in the know usually comes off as me sounding a bit lame....more so than usual, even.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

GREEKTOOMEY

Monday, July 25, 2005 7:00 PM

I think the best way to "sell" Firefly is simply to play the DVDs for someone. Either they'll get it, or they won't.

NITEFALLS

Monday, July 25, 2005 8:42 PM

First of all, nice to meet you, DrDredge.

I'm sorry for those of us that have been way too...shall we say, forceful in their promotion of Firefly and Serenity. There is such a thing as going too far. That said, I can now admit that, while I havent' gone in on complete strangers, I have been pretty obsesive toward my friends. I've managed to introduce it to most people I know, and have asked them to go and see the movie, and these are the reasons I give:

1. Joss is amazingly brilliant, and he can create these characters, and situations, and bring such horror and humor and compassion together in ways that no one I've ever seen or read has been able to do.

2. The characters are gems. At first, they can seem like such stereotypes of characters, but the actors and writers and directors bring such depth and all these different facets to them, if you just watch. Some times it takes more than one viewing.

3. The television show got the shaft, right as it was getting into a good groove. THat was...upsetting. So now that we have the movie to look forward to, I'm going to go all out with my wacky obsessive love for it. Then again, I'm kind of crazy, so....

4. I believe that everyone is entitled to one big obsession in life. My mom had the Beatles, before that was Elvis, some people have Star Trek, or football/soccar/hockey/insert name of chosen sport here; and all in all, mine could be worse.

As always and in general, nitefalls

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