Firefly Show Bible?

POSTED BY: CaptBaggytrousers
UPDATED: Saturday, March 25, 2006 22:55
VIEWED: 39496
PAGE 1 of 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 NEXT PAGE

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

Tuesday, April 29, 2003 3:55 AM

Since we've been lucky enough to see scripts from Firefly, is there any chance the Series Bible for the shows' writers is floating around in cyberspace? That's something I would much like to see. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

ZEKE023

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 12:55 PM

what exactly do you mean "Firefly Show Bible?"

DRAKON

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 1:13 PM

what exactly do you mean "Firefly Show Bible?"

In television, a book is written up for the authors that has such details, using Firefly as an example, Wash's name, the names and types of places the various planets, how various ship systems work, and sometimes an overall story arc. All the stuff a writer for an episode would need to know not to turn in a script that is completely unsuitable.

I have heard that an early version of "City on the Edge of Forever" had Kirk and the Enterprise involved in drug smuggling. This early version needed reworking because of this and other flaws that would be aleivated had Ellison a bible for TOS.

"My kind of stupid"

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 3:38 PM

Thanks, Drakon! That's exactly what I meant by a show bible. I would love to see Firefly's.

And the story behind the Ellison script has been wildly distorted over the years. Yes, there was no bible for the original Star Trek, and a lotof things were left up to the writers of the individual episodes to make up (accounting for the many inconsistencies in the early years, i.e. what year/century the show was set, what the name of the organization that the Enterprise represented was. All these things came later).

Anyway, Ellison's orignal script is available in book form, with lengthy diatribes about how the episode came about, the changes that were made to it, and how he was so unhappy with the version that finally aired he wanted his name taken off and his psuedonym Cordwainer Bird ("giving them the Bird") used. His script is vastly superior to the episode that aired, and it's my favorite episode of Star Trek.

History repeats the old conceits

DRAKON

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 3:50 PM

I want the show's bible too. Just started attempting to write fan fic, and it would of great help, (along with a chinese swearing dictionary) I have heard tell that the map that is used has been auctioned off on E-bay, but whoever bought it has not scanned it and posted it yet.

I have a bible for TNG second(?) season. It is, as I understand it, customary to update these things from time to time. Thanks for the correction concerning Ellison's script.

"My kind of stupid"

SUCCATASH

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 5:38 PM

Ah, now I understand what's going on. At first, I thought this thread was about Saffron's bible.

MELEAUX

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 6:21 PM

saffrons bible? I wish
"Whoa, good bible!"
Do you thinkk Book's bible is like the King James bible of today?

meleaux

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 6:26 PM

What, mistranslated from Hebrew and Latin? Most likely.

History repeats the old conceits

MELEAUX

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 6:34 PM

ouch cappy is a cynic?

LJC

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 7:06 PM

Not every show starts out with a bible--a lot of times, they're put together as the second season starts. ST:TNG started off with a bible (which they revised each year), but TOS didn't. And often times, a bible that you start with doesn't have much more than what a press kit would--character bios, and a production synopsis. From what I remember, a lot of times it's the script co-ordinator who ends up doing it (at least, on some of the shows where I've known script co-ordinators--like Due South and Highlander) and just has character bios and production synopses of the first season, for reference.

When you've got a full staff, rather than taking a lot of freelance scripts, it's often much easier to just reference scripts or episodes. Especially early on, when you've only got 6, 13, or 22 scripts to deal with.

But personally? I think bibles are WAY useful. I've actually seen some shows end up using fan websites or FAQs (Highlander actually used the timeline/FAQ that the fans put together to keep the dates on teh flashbacks straight, and Nikita used to send their freelance writers to one of the fan sites which had a "The Story Thus Far" page with character bios and facts).

This site has some excellent resources geared towards fan fiction authors, as does "Whoa, Good Myth" (firefly.shriftweb.com) and Browncoats.com

--
Some take the high road. Some take the low road.
And some just go screaming down the highway, dropping flaming bits of wreckage.

1 2 3 4 5 6 NEXT PAGE