What I'm expecting from Firefly
POSTED BY: Ringwraith
UPDATED: Monday, October 7, 2002 18:47
VIEWED: 8236
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To be quite honest I haven't read a whole lot about the show in regards to reviews of episodes and such. I'm trying to be as spoiler-free as possible (as is my wife) but as the day draws near it's hard to not want to read anything. Still, I think I'm doing a pretty good job.
So what am I expecting from Firefly?
I'm expecting great writing. This is a given, I think. It's a Whedon series and once again he's surrounded himself with great scribes. I've come to expect the unexpected from him and his crew and I think that it won't be any different this time around. I mean, this show won't be having aliens (thank God!) or ray-guns (thank God again!) so right off the bat you're knocking most sci-fi conventions on their head.
I'm expecting a story-arc. Okay, that actually is in the "writing" category but I am expecting some sort of arc, if not this season then in the next--providing there is one. If there is an arc this year I won't expect it to be big but perhaps an underlying arc, like season 1 Babylon 5, Millennium or Buffy. Heck, even Angel's first season had one.
I'm expecting strong performances from the actors. His shows have good acting (and stand-outs like James Marsters--sp?) and I hope this one is no different.
I'm expecting a cinematic look to the show along the lines of Angel. Not widescreen, though that would be nice, I mean the overall look and feel. I don't want it to look like Star Trek (though I like Trek). A Farscape kinda look would be nice.
I'm also expecting people to say, "Well, this show is OKAY but it's a rip-off of fill-in-the-blank." Star Trek, Andromeda, Babylon 5, Farscape, Doctor Who, Battlestar Gallactica, Lost in Space, Manimal. It's a TV show, just relax. If you don't like it, don't watch it.
What I'm not expecting but looking forward to...
The fact that there will be no sound in the space scenes! Everyone loves the roar of the Millennium Falcon, Enterprise hitting warp speed or the sound of a jump gate opening in Babylon 5 but having no sound at all...that is so 2001: A Space Odyssey--in a good way. Some sci-fi purists won't like it but at least it's being realistic.
I'm looking forward to the whole "western" look. Six-shooters, the clothes (gotta love those gun belts--will someone have a bandolier?) and horses. I know some will hate this concept but I for one think this, more than anything, will make Firefly stand out amongst the other sci-fi shows. It's so out-there that it will work. Besides, what's a better sound than someone cocking a pistol?
I'm looking forward to the cool visual effects I've heard so much about and have only seen fleetingly on commercials.
More than anything, I'm looking forward to discussing this show with all of you this season and hopefully future seasons. Haken has started a great community here. My hat is off to him.
Sorry, it's not a cowboy hat.
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"How will this end?"
"In fire."
--Babylon 5, 'The Coming of Shadows'
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Quote:What do you mean, "I think"?!
I'm expecting great writing. This is a given, I think.
Quote:Well, they all look promising. But keep on eye on Ron Glass, the elder of the ensemble. Whedon's better stories are always about moral conflict and ambiguity, and his character would seem to be getting more than his share. Plus Glass has the screen presence of a small orchestra!
I'm expecting strong performances from the actors.
Quote:No danger of it looking like Star Trek. I've seen the pilot, and I won't even try to describe how un-Federation this story is. Like Farscape, it doesn't avoid unpleasant details --though unlike Farscape, it doesn't wallow in them either.
I'm expecting a cinematic look to the show along the lines of Angel. Not widescreen, though that would be nice, I mean the overall look and feel. I don't want it to look like Star Trek (though I like Trek). A Farscape kinda look would be nice.
I've heard Firefly compared to the Alien movies, and the Mad Max movies, and of course to those western and civil war stories it officially emulates. And Firefly does resemble all of these. But you'd never confuse it with any of them. It has a look all its own.
Which I won't attempt to describe. I'm not just avoiding spoilers -- I don't think I have the words! Well, I have one word: it's very, very, real.
Quote:Well, you know, there is a "western look". But then again, there absolutely is not! What do I mean? You'll see!
I'm looking forward to the whole "western" look.
Quote:Oddly enough, the effects are not all that "cool". Which is not to say the effects are badly done. They are very good indeed. They are so good, in fact. that the line between effects and live action gets pretty blury. But not in a show-offy George Lucas kind of way. It's ... well, there's the R word again!
I'm looking forward to the cool visual effects ...
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[q]Ringwraith:
So what am I expecting from Firefly?
I mean, this show won't be having aliens (thank God!) [/q]
First zicsoft now, you? Everyone hates aliens in sci-fi? When did sci-fi become so racist? 
Admitidly some sci-fi can get over board with use of aliens (ie Star Trek and Star Wars). But some sci-fi has used aliens as great characters (ie Farscape). I think Whedon shouldn't ignore the conventional use of aliens or at least one alien race. Perhaps Whedon could change his mind and introduce an alien race. **cough cough** Reavers **cough cough**
[q]Ringwraith:
The fact that there will be no sound in the space scenes! Everyone loves the roar of the Millennium Falcon, Enterprise hitting warp speed or the sound of a jump gate opening in Babylon 5 but having no sound at all...that is so 2001: A Space Odyssey--in a good way. Some sci-fi purists won't like it but at least it's being realistic. [/q]
I am looking forward to that too. Though I like Star Wars, I cringged when Jango used those sonic torpedos in the vaccum of space. One of the best effects I have seen so far was during the meeting with that Russian mafiaso in the premier episode. He had a window to space and the light practically glared into the room similar to what I am sure it is like from the International Space Station.
And I am also looking forward to chatting with everyone about Firefly. Hope it keeps flying.
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I have nothing against aliens as such. (Some of my best... no, don't go there.) But there are a couple of big issues:
First off all, I've seen and read more human/alien encounter stories than I care to think about. Some of them are worth my time, but most of them are crap. And the crap ratio keeps going up -- it's an easy out for hack writers who can't think up anything original. By getting rid of aliens (and a lot of the other conventional SF stuff) Whedon forces himself and his writers to get back to basics, and not use the Gee Whiz factor to hide weak stories and characters.
Second issue: aliens probably don't exist. Yeah, we've all taken them for granted for a long time (the first story about them -- de Bergerac's "Empires of the Moon" -- was written over three centuries ago), but there's something called the Fermi Paradox that says we're all alone in the universe. It's not a pretty thought, but what you gonna do?
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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I wonder if Joss believes in time travel...
Then the Firefly folks can play around somewhat with the "visitation" theme (or lack thereof).
I remember when I read Whitley Strieber's Communion (way back when) how one of his theories about who the visitors are involved future humans (evolved beyond recognition/communication) visiting our era of Earth to learn about the past.
I'm certain Mutant Enemy could have some fun with that premise. And since they are us, they wouldn't, technically, be aliens.
Just a thought...
mattro
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Quote:I'm betting not. It's not a question of belief -- I think maybe JW wouldn't use aliens even if he did believe in them. He just doesn't want to do that kind of story. He's made a hard-edged show about people living at the fringes of history, and eye-popping science/magic is gonna spoil that. They might as well have a Buffy crossover ep!
Originally posted by Hjermsted:
I wonder if Joss believes in time travel...
Then the Firefly folks can play around somewhat with the "visitation" theme (or lack thereof).
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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Personally I really like the No Alien idea on this show.
It does make you have to think more and makes it a bit more real to me. I feel like I can identofy with this world a bit more. I don't remember a show that didn't have aliens that was sci-fi or at least have human looking aliens or aliens masqueraing as humans yada yada yada. I didn't know how I would feel about it but now after seing the reavers and the way the shows progressing I think it is kinda cool not to have aliens and I hope they stick with it.
Take out the aliens probably also adds to a less costly and tecnically challenging show.I know Firefly is an expensive show because of all the CGI space stuff and fancy floating trains and the like but take out the latex and it probably makes it for an easier to shoot show for him then Buffy and the like. MAybe he didn't want aliens just for that sake. It's easier to keep costs down on CGI then it is on Latex and puppets so maybe this will be the wave of the future on sci-fi type shows.
Bac.
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My biggest problem with aliens in SF is that they are rarely (I mean very rarely) done well. They're either basically just funny shaped humans (i.e. they think and talk exactly like we do) or they have some artificial broad-brush distinction to make them different (e.g. Vulcans being utterly logical) which usually gets abandoned the first time someone thinks it'll make an interesting storyline (Spock cries! Look an unemotional alien acting emotionally!).
My guess is that real aliens would be so alien that we'd struggle to understand them at all. Portraying that realistically in a way that still enables you to tell an interesting story would be difficult.
Of course you can (and I have) level a similar criticism at Buffyverse demons. At times I feel they treat the vamps like the evil soulless things we were originally told they were - and other times like regular people with whom we might sympathize - depending on what better suits the storyline.
Shug
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When it comes to Aliens/demons you are right at them not being totally alien. ALiens/Demons usually serve 2 purposes in sci-fi/fantasy shows. As metaphors for real humans problems/conditions or to serve as Big Bad monsters.
Making a alien that has no emotions could serve as a purpose how emotions are either valuable or a hindrence in certain situations. Or in other words Spock shows no emotions and as a human we can say how valuable our emotions are by bouncing them off this emotionless uncaring person(presto see emotions are what makes humans special) it also show how our emotions get us into trouble(poof we charge in and get in trouble because we were led by our emotions and didn't think of the dangers etc..)
monster of the week is a really easy way to make a villan that humans can see without the ambiguity. or in other words the Pro wrestling approach. There's a good guy and a bad guy. make the bad guy an alien and he's equally distingused as bad because well look at how unhuman he looks he's bad. ISnple. Its way more of a cop out then the Villian as metaphor idea.
So for example Buffy had Vampires as just the bad pro wresler guy. You knew you had to hate him you knew he was bad because he wore black or was souless etc.. Then came Spike and emotional driven vampires like Darla more human type vampires like harmony etc.. It changed the lanscape a bit because we added human values to these vampires again to express human conditions. Spike/Dru expressing Love. Can you be evil and still show love? It's the shades of human emotion that is so vital.
Joss talked about Mal being from the vietnamese side of things when it comes to the alliance(us). SO he will see the good of the alliance as the bad from his perspective but the alliance also is bad as well in some things like our own country. WIth our present post sept 11th analagy I really want to see this explored alot because it is a valuable part of the equation for us to explore and only SCi-fi/fantasy can explore this in a good way because it doesn't hold the raw emotions of real cultures issues or the danger of culture bashing/anger/emotions protesting this but can teach us. That's the power of this type of show and why not having aliens is an even better way to get us closer to exploring real peoples experiences without the gut reaction against it. Because if the person going through this doesn't have a ridge on his head he becomes closer to who we are and in terms of the world we understand it better and that a good thing even if what we see is not very pretty.
Bac.
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Quote:Probably not that much. I don't know how much it costs to hire a prosthetics expert, but Hollywood must be full of them. It's a pain for the actors though -- all that latex takes hours to apply and remove.
Take out the aliens probably also adds to a less costly and tecnically challenging show.
And after a while, it just stops looking real. I don't see aliens any more, I see humans in latex masks. Plus I used to hate it when some particularly pretty actress would guest on Star Trek, only to have her face totally hidden.
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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