Newbie asking all you Original Browncoats a question

POSTED BY: mcallen
UPDATED: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 19:05
VIEWED: 3158
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MCALLEN

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:29 AM

Hi--I'm a very recent convert (just since Serenity was released on DVD) but have become obsessed with all things Firefly/Serenity. I truly think Firefly is the best television show I've ever seen--it defies explanation as to its greatness. In short, I love it. (And the BDM was great, too!)

I am amazed at what the fans accomplished after the series was cancelled. What a Cinderella story! You guys are the best fans ever, and I hope to be counted among you in future tellings of fan accomplishments.

My question, and I think this relates to one of the points being made in another thread by the "talk the talk, walk the walk" poster, is this: What was the trajectory of fan activity after the series was cancelled? Obviously, there were at least a couple of years in there after the series got axed and before the movie starting being made. During that time, were the fans and these sites going all-out? Were there flurries of activity interspersed with periods of relative quiet? Were the same types of ideas/guerilla marketing strategies proposed and discussed?

I guess I'm looking for a little reassurance that the fan base I see after the DVD release (and the constant appearance of new fans like myself) can continue to be as interested as it is now. Is that realistic? Has it happened before?

Not being around after the first wave of Firefly fandom hit the world, I'm curious to know what the mood/activity level/push was at that time. I do worry that this time around, there is going to be less personal involvement from Joss, cast and crew, because as much as I'm sure they would love to do more Firefly/Serenity and tell more stories in the 'verse, I doubt that the pressure to tell at least one complete story is as great as it was after the series was so ridiculously and prematurely cancelled and after they at least got the opportunity to tell one arc of a story with Serenity. From what I've read of Joss's interviews, this time around will be more of a readiness by him to put out more product IF and WHEN he is approached by a studio or network to do so (as opposed to him knocking on every door he can to make it happen, combined with the fan activity at the same time). Please don't misread me--I don't doubt anyone's devotion to the 'verse, and surely everyone personally involved with these projects has the need and right to get on with their lives a bit. I just marvel at any one person's (or even group or people's) ability to stay wholly committed for such a long period of time. I mean, I've only been a fan for a matter of weeks, and this level of obsession is exhausting!

Can any old-timers provide thoughts and/or reassurance that what's happening now resembles what was happening three years ago? I think it would provide a ray of hope to those of us who are going around this block for the first time.

THATWEIRDGIRL

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:41 AM

The fans have been here all along. Buying ads in Variety. Begging for dvds. Spreading the word. Converting friends. We've never stopped. In fact, Haken started before the show aired...didn't he?

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

DONCOAT

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:56 AM

In fact, the fan efforts began even *before* Firefly left the air. As soon as the rumors began to circulate that it was on the chopping block, a "Save Firefly" campaign began. Sadly, none of the blithering idiots at Fox took notice.

You needn't worry about the fans' fidelity. I've never known anybody who says, "Oh, I liked that show, but now I couldn't care less". The opposite seems to be true. Firefly works its way ever deeper into the heart and mind.

Case in point: The second Flanvention (Firefly/Serenity fan convention) is announced 11 months before the event, with only one guest signed on (Nathan Fillion). Within five hours, all 35 "Big Damn Pass" tickets sell out, at over $700 each. Other, less expensive tickets also sell briskly.

That says something about this fandom.

Of course, when it comes to getting more product made from this franchise, what counts most is the bottom line. Sales of the DVD are crucial. Right now, most fan efforts are centered around spreading the word, introducing as many people to the 'verse as we can, and pumping up those sales figures.

And before I forget -- welcome! Please have a look around, and feel free to share your thoughts and questions with the fine folk who hang out here (if I do say so myself)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't disagree on any particular point.

SERGEANTX

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 3:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mcallen:
...Can any old-timers provide thoughts and/or reassurance that what's happening now resembles what was happening three years ago? I think it would provide a ray of hope to those of us who are going around this block for the first time.

There's a quote from the original version of the pilot, the one that the more desperate among us downloaded as a copy of a copy of a vhs tape that was leaked on the internet before the series even started. After a particularly grim history lesson from Zoe about the battle of Serenity Valey, Simon asks her, "If that battle was so horrible, why did he [Mal] name the ship after it". Zoe answers, "Once you've been in Serenity, you never leave, you just learn to live there."

I think that pretty much captures what this show does to people. I'm forty-one years old and I've never found anything like this show. No piece of fiction, no book, no movie, certainly no television, has found a place in my heart the way Firefly has. I don't think I'm the only one.

Certainly the fan activity volume has ebbed and flowed with the news, and the rumors, of hope for more Firefly goodness. I've even resolved at one point or another to give up this particular habit. But I always find myself checking the boards, googling for any sliver of news on the future of the show, watching old eps - anything to get a fix.

I've heard people at various times spell out all the reasons that Firefly is doomed. But I've never once imagined that something this beautiful could evaporate from the world without notice. Firefly will be back.
http://mysite.verizon.net/damonblack64/resources/JeffBlack-TheValley.m
p3

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

DARKJESTER

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 3:26 AM

Just as one example, back before the DVDs were even announced, there was a fan who put together his own analysis of the show, the characters and their interactions on a 2-disc DVD set, using video captures from VHS tapes of the show. It was concise, looked professional, and must have taken weeks to put together. And after the initial run (which he sold for about $15 apiece if I remember correctly), he gave permission for fans to make copies to give to other fans. I watched it over and over, along with my Fox tapes, in the months before the DVDs were released.

There are some fans who will fall by the wayside when another new movie or TV show takes their fancy. That's just the way of things. But (dare I say) most of us have been changed by this storyline, these characters, and we can't go back to being the way we were.

A lot of people compare the Firefly fandom to Trekkies/Trekkers, and there are similarities. But I think we may prove to be more like the fans of Sherlock Holmes. How many decades has it been since Sir Authur penned his last adventure? Yet people are still going to 221B Baker Street in London to this day.

MAL "You only gotta scare him."
JAYNE "Pain is scary..."

http://www.fireflytalk.com - Big Damn Podcast

VETERAN

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 3:57 AM

Quote:
SergeantX wrote:
Monday, January 16, 2006 17:21

...."Once you've been in Serenity, you never leave, you just learn to live there."

I think that pretty much captures what this show does to people. I'm forty-one years old and I've never found anything like this show.

That hits the nail on the head.

FOLLOWMAL

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 4:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DarkJester:

But (dare I say) most of us have been changed by this storyline, these characters, and we can't go back to being the way we were.

http://www.fireflytalk.com - Big Damn Podcast

I will never be the same again. I'm here to stay, holding the line and waiting and recruiting too, every day.

I fell in love. Simply put.

"Once you've been in Serenity, you never leave, you just learn to live there." Zoe

SPACEMANSPIFF

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 4:51 AM

Welcome! And get ready...you're joining a community of powerfully dedicated fans. Tell us your favorite things about the show and the BDM, specifics or generalities...

Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!

RKLENSETH

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 4:56 AM

It changed us all. That's why some of us will never give up or give in even when people tell us our dream is impossible. Well we have done the impossible before and that would make us mighty.

There isn't any fandom that I know of that is like Firefly/Serenity. And we know once you been to Serenity there is no other place worth living.

Welcome aboard.

Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.

DERANGEDMILK

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 5:52 AM

We all got here at different times and in different ways but we've all come to the same place. And I don't think anyone is getting off at Haven.
-e

"Storms getting worse."
"We'll pass through it soon enough."

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