Firefly 1 of 10 Most Influential Space Western

POSTED BY: Haken
UPDATED: Monday, November 30, 2009 11:43
VIEWED: 9307
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BYTEMITE

Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:39 AM

Ah.

Except, it seems, for lists.

OUT2THEBLACK

Thursday, October 29, 2009 6:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
If the western elements exist only as a metaphor, is it a western, or is it a metaphor for pioneers/settlers, miners, and 19th century fears of Indian abduction?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_fiction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_Western
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Western

...Star Trek, Star Wars, and Aliens seem to be Space Westerns only, because they do not put futuristic technology anachronistically juxtaposed with primitive wild-west settings and storylines. That is, assuming the western elements in those are strong enough to be considered western, I still think it's a stretch.

All good points , but what do you think of this ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectre_of_the_Gun

BYTEMITE

Thursday, October 29, 2009 7:39 PM

Sci-Fi western episode within a space western series.

Not completely unexpected, considering the origins of the series and the pitch for it.

OUT2THEBLACK

Thursday, October 29, 2009 9:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Sci-Fi western episode within a space western series.

Not completely unexpected, considering the origins of the series and the pitch for it.

Whoa...Good point !

" 'Wagon Train' To The Stars ".

IMNOTHERE

Thursday, October 29, 2009 10:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
If the western elements exist only as a metaphor, is it a western, or is it a metaphor for pioneers/settlers, miners, and 19th century fears of Indian abduction?

Maybe the latter:

I've never taken the speech patterns, clothes, six-shooters and music in Firefly as literal - it seems pretty implausible that a future society would replicate them. However, if Joss had invented some futuristic frontier society with its own distinctive costumes and language he'd have had to work in a huge slab of boring exposition to explain how things work.

However, as soon as you see the western trappings in Firefly you instantly understand what sort of society you're dealing with, and Joss is spared having to invent a plot-device character with mysterious yet convenient amnesia who needs everything about the verse explained to him.

I'm not sure about the Wikipedia "space western" concept: Trek, Star Wars etc. draw their tropes from a variety of sources including pulp space opera; Shakespeare; Hornblower; WW2; fairytales and the Bible (wasn't Star Wars partly based on a Japanese story?) Why single out the western over all those other influences?

ISTR the whole "Wagon Train in Space" pitch with Star Trek was not so much about western themes as to explain how you could have a SF show with a regular cast to studio bosses who, then, equated SF with Twilight-zone-style anthologies.

The list that started all this even had "Babylon 5" as a space western - sure, you can pick out western tropes in that, but only if you ignore the far more obvious "Lord of the Rings meets Lensman meets King Arthur with a dash of Dune and a side order of Macbeth" themes...

BYTEMITE

Thursday, October 29, 2009 10:33 PM

Yes, I agree. I think that the western elements here have, in a lot of cases, been expanded beyond their original influence on the shows in question in order to be able to call them "western."

For example, I've always considered Star Wars more Sci-Fi Fantasy than I have western. The only part of it I could really consider western was in episode IV on Tatooine. That's maybe 30 minutes out of 6 movies.

CYBERSNARK

Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere:
Talking of "actual classic Western plots re-made as SF", don't forget "Battle Beyond the Stars"!

The "Western" plot in this case being a remake of a Japanese movie.

(The Seven Samurai > The Magnificent Seven)

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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

IMNOTHERE

Friday, October 30, 2009 8:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
The "Western" plot in this case being a remake of a Japanese movie.

(The Seven Samurai > The Magnificent Seven)

Well, yes, that illustrates the ultimate hole in the "Space Western" theory: westerns draw on the same pool of recycled plots as every other genre.

RALLEM

Friday, October 30, 2009 8:54 PM

That list was seriously flawed by not including many films which should have been there and by including many films which should not have been there. The opinion of the writer is suspect for that reason and I think he or she should receive 14 lashes in a public flogging. jk ;)

http://www.swyzzlestyx.com/index.html

OUT2THEBLACK

Sunday, November 29, 2009 9:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Haken:
According to SPACEWESTERNS.COM, 'Firefly' is #5 of the ten most influential space westerns.

I would have put 'Firefly' as number one, but that's just me.

View the full list here:
http://www.spacewesterns.com/articles/116/

SHINIER , UPDATED List :

http://www.spacewesterns.com/spacewesternlist/

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