[SPOILERS] Things I didn't understand from Serenity, and an overly-elaborated theory.

POSTED BY: Gortx
UPDATED: Sunday, October 16, 2005 16:47
VIEWED: 4611
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RABBIT2

Sunday, October 16, 2005 11:09 AM

It always makes me wince when people, some times quite intelligent ones use terms like `Galaxy` and `Intergalactic` in the way they do.
I suppose that deep down a lot of people think the entire `verse revolves around them, (I LOVE that contraction) particularly in Hollywood.
I suppose that the line of dialog delivered by the operative shows that people hav`nt changed that much in the future but this sort of blooper is very much in the best tradition of SF film making.
Remember "She`s the ship that made the Kessel run in less than five Parsec`s"
I suspect that the actual story of the destruction of Earth and the migration to a new star was a much more complex affair taking decades, or even a century or so. The people in this system probably dont know all that happened towards the end, just stories of a war beween the two remaining superpowers (America and China according to Joss)told by refugees from the last colony ships to arrive (There are no Warp, Jump or Hyper drives in Joss`s `Verse just very good sub light engines).

As to why Mal did`nt kill the operative, well he was totally beaten by that point so killing him would be murder. Furthermore, Mal knows that the operative has justified his actions by telling himself that it is all for the long term common good so, by showing him what he has been actually protecting he is undermining the poor guy`s entire belief system. Killing him would be easier by comparison.

GROUNDED

Sunday, October 16, 2005 11:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by GWEK:
Mal didn't kill the Operative because he's a great man.

Well, he's a good man.

Okay he's alright...

Seriously, though, the mercy is a bit out of character, but I think he's just so tired of all the killing and death that he doesn't want to contribute to it any more.

Killing the Operative once he's down would be danged close to murder (justifiable, sure), and that's not the way Mal does things. Heck, he let Niska live after the old coot tortured him to death, so maybe he's growing as a person...

Mal didn't kill him because forcing him to see that his belief was so deeply unfounded was a far crueler punishment. Plus I suspect the Alliance forces aren't going to be disposed to mercy when they find their commanding officer dead...

Oh and on the topic of 'things I didn't understand from Serenity', what is that injection Simon gives Mal during the opening tour of the ship? Not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere.

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 16, 2005 12:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Grounded:

Oh and on the topic of 'things I didn't understand from Serenity', what is that injection Simon gives Mal during the opening tour of the ship? Not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere.

A standard innoculation for immunization. At the start of his conversation with Simon, Mal says "Guess I need to get innocked 'fore we hit planetside."

DECLAN

Sunday, October 16, 2005 3:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by Grounded:

Oh and on the topic of 'things I didn't understand from Serenity', what is that injection Simon gives Mal during the opening tour of the ship? Not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere.
A standard innoculation for immunization. At the start of his conversation with Simon, Mal says "Guess I need to get innocked 'fore we hit planetside."

Ah! An unsolicted thanks from me, also, because I didn't hear that line and I've been wondering the same thing about the shot. Much as love our Captain/Nathan and the accent... there are times when I wish for better elocution. Oh, well, I guess that's what the DVD subtitles are for.

***************
"'Course, there are other schools of thought."

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 16, 2005 3:31 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Declan:
Much as love our Captain/Nathan and the accent... there are times when I wish for better elocution.

Or better theaters.

I saw the BDM again last night. The theater was a new one for me (the 5th screen and 4th cineplex I've seen it at). While generally good, this particular theater had the dialog channel too low (and/or the surround channels too high) so that the dialog got washed out in scenes with a lot of background noise.

Of course, the scene we're talking about is one of those, what with the rough reentry and all. If I hadn't already seen the movie in a room with a proper sound setup, I might have blamed the actors too.

Actually, I'm getting pretty peeved at the general level of quality control at the theaters. Only one of the cineplexes I've been to had really top-notch sound and picture. How do they expect to compete with home DVD if they don't ensure they're giving the best possible experience to their paying customers? [/rant]

GUERILLATHEATRE

Sunday, October 16, 2005 4:47 PM

Quote:
What we've seen of them shows that they've got no fear and never stop killing. So why haven't they turned on themselves?

First, you must understand that the Reavers are not psychopaths. They are humans lacking both the Ego and the Super Ego and completely driven by the ID. They are animals and driven by instinct, but not psychopaths.

That said, look at the animal kingdom. Wolves are very aggressive animals. They will hunt and kill humans, dogs, etc... but they do not turn on their own. They will fight one another to establish a societal structure but they don't kill each other. Think of Reavers in that light and it should make sense.

Quote:
why is it this massive fleet of psychopaths, having wiped out their entire world, then proceed to simply HANG OUT around said world, instead of launching a massive invasion of other worlds?

Again, use the wolves analogy. Wolves don't slaughter entire herds of prey animals. They kill what they need and leave the rest. Reavers, driven by the same instincts are very similar.

Also, it should be noted that a missive invasion would require a great deal of strategy, the ability for which the Reavers have not been shown to possess. These aren't Borg.

Finally, ask yourself this question: "Why would the Reavers want to invade other worlds?" Wolves don't invade the territory of other animals to build massive wolf empires. In fact, most animals don't. Colonization and Invasion seem to be unique human qualities. Reavers have lost most of those things that define them as human.

Quote:
the Operative (did he have a name?) comes in and shoots him in the back with some kind of sci-fi pistol. Mal winces, then straightens up, and COMPLAINS about it. What the hell was that pistol supposed to do? :) Seems to me the Operative likes special FX guns too much...

The Operative did not have a name.

Now, to the question: The shot in the back was an attention getter. The Operative, if you follow his story arc, is established as a man walking a path very similar to the Bushido path of the Samurai. A Samurai would never stab a man in the back. He would lose his honor. A Samurai would only kill a man that he has seen face to face. That is the reason that the Samurai believe Ninjas were without honor. Ninjas used stealth and surprise to defeat their enemeies while the Samurai would fight them directly.

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