Tracy's Death: Avoidable?

POSTED BY: Madrik
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 19:38
VIEWED: 5919
PAGE 1 of 2

1 2 NEXT PAGE

MADRIK

Saturday, October 22, 2005 8:01 AM

During the scene of Tracy in the bridge telling the crew not to call the the Alliance cop in, Tracy, out of fear of them, from his point of view, betraying him, he shot at Wash. Immediatly after, out of love of course, Zoe quickly shot Tracy in the chest.

I believe this could have been avoidable if they had told Tracy the plan! They didn't. Mal just said, "Wash, make the call" while Tracy had a gun pointed at them.

Great idea, Book! But you coulda shared that info. Would have saved a lot of grief.

JACQUI

Saturday, October 22, 2005 8:30 AM

It's the popular theory.

Mal has a habit of expecting people to do his bidding, just 'cause he's the captain and he tells them to. It's the same in "Bushwacked" when he just orders Simon to go get River and Simon arcs up and accuses Mal of wanting to sell them to the Alliance... if Mal had just said "I plan to hide you", it would have saved time and a lot of worry.

Same as 'The Message', if Mal or Book had just said "we have a plan, listen to us", they could have saved Wash getting shot, Tracey getting shot, Kaylee getting held at gun point and then Tracey getting shot and killed by Mal.

Lotsa trouble, all 'cause Mal's too stubborn to say the word "because".

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

GIANTEVILHEAD

Saturday, October 22, 2005 11:49 PM

Well, he was going to die sooner or later. They can't take those organs out of him without killing him.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

JACQUI

Sunday, October 23, 2005 12:08 AM

Yeah, but he probably didn't need to shoot at Wash or hold Kaylee at gunpoint, did he?

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

NOSADSEVEN

Sunday, October 23, 2005 3:28 AM

Well, by that point Tracey was already convinced they had turned on him, and could very well have assumed that they were BSing him since he had them at gun point. Plus, Tracey was pissing Mal off.

Also, as Captain, Mal doesn't want to set the precedent of needing to explain things before his crew will do as he says. His ship is not the ruttin' town hall. These were both public challenges to Mal's authority, and he disregards their legitimacy. Every time an incident like that happens, Mal demonstrates not only to the people directly involved (Simon / Tracey), but also to everyone else on the ship, that they are expected to follow him, and that he will do right by them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

VISITINGMYINTENTIONS

Monday, October 24, 2005 9:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
It's the popular theory.

Mal has a habit of expecting people to do his bidding, just 'cause he's the captain and he tells them to. It's the same in "Bushwacked" when he just orders Simon to go get River and Simon arcs up and accuses Mal of wanting to sell them to the Alliance... if Mal had just said "I plan to hide you", it would have saved time and a lot of worry.

Same as 'The Message', if Mal or Book had just said "we have a plan, listen to us", they could have saved Wash getting shot, Tracey getting shot, Kaylee getting held at gun point and then Tracey getting shot and killed by Mal.

Lotsa trouble, all 'cause Mal's too stubborn to say the word "because".

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

I'd have to agree with that. Mal makes mistakes. Remember when Kaylee is shot, and he wants to stand there arguing with Simon? Mal's need for control sometimes overrides his attention to practicality.

---------------------------------------------------
Early: Where'd she go?

Simon: I can't keep track of her when she's NOT incorporeally possessing a spaceship, don't look at me --

AURAPTOR

Monday, October 24, 2005 9:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by nosadseven:
Well, by that point Tracey was already convinced they had turned on him, and could very well have assumed that they were BSing him since he had them at gun point. Plus, Tracey was pissing Mal off.

Also, as Captain, Mal doesn't want to set the precedent of needing to explain things before his crew will do as he says. His ship is not the ruttin' town hall. These were both public challenges to Mal's authority, and he disregards their legitimacy. Every time an incident like that happens, Mal demonstrates not only to the people directly involved (Simon / Tracey), but also to everyone else on the ship, that they are expected to follow him, and that he will do right by them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

Excellent post there. But I have to wonder, as fine a plan as Mal has w/ both Simon( Bushwhacked) and Tracy ( The Message ), several times the point is made that Mal's plans usually blow up in his face. Not that any of that is so relevent to the characters, but to us the viewer, it's an odd dichotomy.

But as we see in Firefly and Serenity, it IS Mal's ship. Make no mistake about that.

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

GROUNDED

Monday, October 24, 2005 10:29 PM

Even so, I don't think Mal's need for control is great enough that he'd let an old war buddy (maybe the term buddy is a bit generous here...) die for no real reason.

AURAPTOR

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 12:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Grounded:
Even so, I don't think Mal's need for control is great enough that he'd let an old war buddy (maybe the term buddy is a bit generous here...) die for no real reason.

You wouldn't think so, whould ya? But maybe Mal figures Tracy as much as anyone ( after Zoe ) would know what Mal is all about. What the viewer sees as a flaw in the Capt. ( and perhaps justifiably so ), Joss writes into his characters levels which the viewer may / may not be privy to. Or maybe if the story went . " Hey, Tracy...put down that gun, we've got a plan" then the Feds would be chased off,Tracy would still be alive and be bangin' Kaylee in the engine room, with Simon all but forgotten.

Would ya rather have that ??? Huh?

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

VETERAN

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 12:20 AM

Quote:
AURaptor wrote:
Monday, October 24, 2005 14:05
...Tracy would still be alive and be bangin' Kaylee in the engine room, with Simon all but forgotten.

Would ya rather have that ??? Huh?

Aura, You're cracking me up.

1 2 NEXT PAGE