Ramblings on Bushwacked
POSTED BY: Trickster
UPDATED: Thursday, October 12, 2017 09:40
VIEWED: 27934
PAGE 3 of 6
Quote:The Mandarin lines are also rendered phonetically on the closed captions, if that helps.
Originally posted by BlueBanrigh:
According to my sister they are actually speaking Mandarin (she's learning it right now) and she was laughing at their accents when I made her watch the download from the Train Job (the bar scene).
According to her he was asking for one coffee when he was talking to the bartender.
And the second line she didn't really hear correctly, but it mentioned something about someone not being happy. I'll have to get her to listen to it again.
If someone has the .wav files on line I can get her to listen and translate. She says it's good practice for her.
Coffee? Looked like a shot of something heavier. But perhaps I wasn't paying attention.
Here's a movie from the official site of NF practicing his Mandarin:
http://www.fox.com/firefly/video/trainjob_language.htm
A thought: Mandarin is the official language of both Chinas, but doesn't it have relatively few native speakers? Wouldn't a more popular dialect, such as Cantonese or Szechuan tend to predominate among Chinese colonists?
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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Quote:
Delvo:
No, they're humans, they've just got to be diseased or drugged. They were treated as "fallen" humans in the show, and quotes from JW make it clear that he's avoiding the usual sci-fi silliness of aliens that are amazingly similar to humans living on every other planet. It's a basic premise of this show that humans alone are good enough to make good science fiction and "explore the facets of humanity" that Trek uses aliens that aren't alien for, so therefor it's all about what becomes of the human race after exporing some space and living, alone, on multiple different planets.
To be honest, I hope Whedon changes his mind about that element of the series. As I said before, I like the element of western motif. But a sci-fi series without an alien or extra-terrestrial sub-plot and contiual western motif could limit the potential of the series as well as quickly wear thin the interest of some sci-fi fans.
Also along the language thread of discussion, did anyone recognize the language Inara was writing while she was watching River? Was it Mandarin or Japanese?
As for the use of Mandarin rather than Cantonese, who knows. Whedon may have chosen Mandarin because it is the language used by the Chinese diplomatic and educated class during the late 1800s.
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Sorry Revyn, no aliens, period. JW doesn't believe in them.
Also (with apologies to everybody who's already heard this rant), I don't believe the "western" look is a "motif". It's a serious attempt to visualize frontier worlds where most people can't afford to buy all the latest technology.
I know this sounds preachy and nitpicky. But to me, the fact that Firefly tries to do things for a reason, instead of just for a "look" is one of the biggest reasons this show is a cut above most recent SF shows and movies. I'm tired of watching Special Effects in search of a Story. And from what I've heard, Joss Whedon's recent work is all driven by the fact that he loves to tell stories, and hates seeing his stories smothered in Special Effects.
About that calligraphy: written Japanese uses a lot of Chinese characters. So it's often hard to distinguish writing in the two languages. Here's an interesting page on the subject:
http://www.kanji.org/kanji/japanese/writing/outline.htm#2
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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Quote:
Originally posted by ReyvnDarKnight:
To be honest, I hope Whedon changes his mind about that element of the series. As I said before, I like the element of western motif. But a sci-fi series without an alien or extra-terrestrial sub-plot and contiual western motif could limit the potential of the series as well as quickly wear thin the interest of some sci-fi fans.
Saying that Firefly is going to get boring if aliens aren't introduced is basically just saying that humans, and more specifically the crew, are boring. And if thats true then no extraterrestrial force in the universe could possibly save it.
I, on the other hand believe that the presence of aliens, or lack thereof, isn't going to help or hinder the story possibilities of Firefly. Only the imaginations of the creator and writers could do that and I have faith that Joss can make his Western "motif" stretch as far as he wants it to.
"I was gonna get me an ear, too." - Jayne
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Quote:
Originally posted by Zicsoft:
If they really knew guns, they'd never put a fancy gas-operated pistol in the hands of thug living on isolated frontier planet.
Actually some of the most reliable weapons are gas operated. All the Klashnikovs and the US M-1 Garand for example.
Quote:Could it be that modified H&A we discussed earlier?
Mal: Still carrying that odd sidearm of unknown origin and capabilities.
I don't think so. It looks relatively long, like some of the Colt Percussion Revolvers.
Jeff
Who likes the challenge.
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Quote:
Delvo:
To be honest, I hope Whedon changes his mind about that element of the series. As I said before, I like the element of western motif. But a sci-fi series without an alien or extra-terrestrial sub-plot and contiual western motif could limit the potential of the series as well as quickly wear thin the interest of some sci-fi fans.
Hmm i guess some scifi fans don't like books like Brave new world, or Neuromancer, or Frankenstien, or movies like Blade runner, minority report or Pi....but to be honest i would have a hard time calling them scifi fans if they didn't like the above mentioned. Personally i find it refreshing to see a space opera scifi without Aliens. I am sick of aliens. They detract from good story telling more then they add.
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Quote:I was talking about a specific weapon, the Wildey you pointed out earlier. This is an unusual and expensive weapon even in our own time. In the Firefly universe, the cost and availability gap between the Wildey and more standard sidearms would be even more extreme.
Actually some of the most reliable weapons are gas operated. All the Klashnikovs and the US M-1 Garand for example.
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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Quote:
Originally posted by Zicsoft:Quote:I was talking about a specific weapon, the Wildey you pointed out earlier. This is an unusual and expensive weapon even in our own time. In the Firefly universe, the cost and availability gap between the Wildey and more standard sidearms would be even more extreme.
Actually some of the most reliable weapons are gas operated. All the Klashnikovs and the US M-1 Garand for example.
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
Actually, given advanced computer controlled fabrication, all you may need are accurate plans and the right alloys.
Jeff
Who notes modern machines have cut the production costs of weapons. Legal actions have driven prices higher.
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Hello! Frontier planets! Absence of industrial base! It's a basic premise of the show that most people can't afford all the latest technology.
JOSS, WHERE'S MY CHECK???!!!
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Quote:
To be honest, I hope Whedon changes his mind about that element of the series. As I said before, I like the element of western motif. But a sci-fi series without an alien or extra-terrestrial sub-plot and contiual western motif could limit the potential of the series as well as quickly wear thin the interest of some sci-fi fans.
A Whedon show is always more about the writing and the characters which (in my mind) makes for a stronger show anyway. The western motif is just the back drop and only is only prominant on the outskirts of the system (I'm sure we will see super high tech planets and cities as we move forward with the show).
Storywise, when you have more backdrop than foreground you end up with tepid (at best) sci fi along the lines of Lucas. That's fine for the kiddies but adults need more meat and potatoes in their science fiction. Whedon will give us a full meal, I'm sure.
Besides, Joss could always change his mind and write a first contact story arc that is different from all other takes on first contact.
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