Questions about the Firefly Universe
POSTED BY: Valdron
UPDATED: Sunday, November 20, 2005 21:19
VIEWED: 7518
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I'm sort of interested in this little reality that Joss Whedon has created. So, here's a few questions.
1) Originally, I assumed that the firefly series took place in a human diaspora among the stars. Perhaps in a star cluster, but among multiple star systems. Now, however, its clear that the series takes place in a single solar system.
2) Just how big is this solar system? Is it a binary star system, or a triple star system? How many planets are in this system, and how does it work?
3) For instance, in our solar system, we've got three planet sized bodies occupying what's believed to be the habitable belt (Earth, Moon, Mars and Venus) there's one inside (Mercury), and there's a bunch of world sized bodies (Europa, Triton, Titan, Ganymede, Callisto, Io) way out in frozen territory around gas giants, and perhaps a handful way out in the Oort cloud where its really cold. But the Firefly universe has a crapload of planets.
4) How come most of them aren't iceballs outside the habitable zone? Or melting in the hot zone? Does the firefly system have a gigantic habitable zone? Or are there multiple habitable zones for a multi-star system? Or do they just stick a fusion generator in orbit around worlds no matter how far out, in order to give them local sunlight and heat?
5) More interestingly, where the hell does the technology and energy come from to do the apparent radical terraforming that we see on world after world? Or was this area fallow.
6) Even modest terraforming in the time allowed, it strikes me, may be beyond the apparent levels of technology that we see in Firefly. Think about the wealth, the cost, the resources and energy it would take to terraform thirty worlds in succession?
Anyway, is anyone thinking about these things? I'd dearly love to engage this discussion. Or to be directed to where this discussion is happening.
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Do we even have any idea how many planets are in this star system?
I figure through the course of the series, Serenity must have visited at least twenty. Throw in another half dozen for core worlds.
Mal at one point makes a reference to 70 earths in the Galaxy. Can we assume he's talking this system only?
There doesn't seem to be interstellar space travel, suggesting that its particularly difficult and beyond the abilities of most expeditions.
So, does this suggest that the Serenity Universe contains other inhabited solar systems colonized by a human diaspora?
Anyone?
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There have been lots of discussions on these points. The general theme is: don't expect things to make scientific sense!
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Bugger that. Any work of fiction has to have an underlying sense or logic. It's simply bad writing to change the rules or abandon the rules as you go along.
Otherwise, Mal could just pull out his gun and turn reavers into nympho virgin pixie cheerleaders.
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There was a very good map posted in the blue sun room a little while back it was designed for an rpg based on the show/movie you can see it here:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=5624&nid=8321
It caused a certain amount of debate which you can read below it.
This other map was posted in 2004 and was designed around the single-star system idea:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=1737
It features just stuff from the show but it give you another perspective.
I personally don't have any idea but i like the multi-star idea anyhow hope this helped.
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Liu koushui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi.
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thank you very much
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I took a look. Many, many thanks.
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Nae bodgy
besides you should thank the ones that made them I just threw a link in here they did the hard work.
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Liu koushui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi.
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Well, they're good work. Personally, I'd have to go with the multiple star hypothesis, simply because the 'marginal habitable' category doesn't give you earthlike conditions at all, but rather, ammonia atmospheres and methane seas.
For the record, I'm not prepared to accept the notion that multiple star systems can't have planets. Everything we're learning now about other solar systems suggests that planet formation is a lot more common and there are a lot more possibilities than we've factored in.
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