Common ground with Farscape fans.

POSTED BY: DeSangro
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 21:46
VIEWED: 11394
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TRIP327

Friday, July 9, 2004 3:33 PM

I'm a fan of both Farscape and Firefly, and the two shows have a few things in common:

- both start with an 'F'

- both were cancelled before their time

- both were brought back (in some form) due to the fans

- both are intelligent, well-written shows that put a new spin on sci-fi television

- both of the lead characters have brown hair

- both have cast and crews that are really passionate about and dedicated to their respective show

CAPNRAHN

Friday, July 9, 2004 3:47 PM

I think FireFly and FarScape have much in common - Less one thing - The oddity of science, real or imagined. FarScape has more of that and FireFly much less.

Both had the guts to take the genre in to places no other show would dare to tread.

Cheese?! I'm I hearing that 'you' (the universal, not a specific 'you') do not see any cheeeese in Firefly?

WoW! elements of "JaynesTown" comes to mind. "The Train Job" is a perfect example of old cheese redressed and presented beautifully. "Heart of Gold", "Objects in Space" ... the list goes on. Cheese is everywhere. Whether one decides to aknowledge it is an entirely another matter and thread.

BTW - FarScape had 4 full seasons to "Go Boldly Where No Writer Wishes to Tread" - FireFly only had one half of a season. So ostensibly FarScape would have more cheese!

But hey! I LOVE cheese, if it tastes excellent and is not bland and crumbly.

What does make 'cheese' good -
1) Writers that insure that there are interesting twists to the old hackneyed plots.

2) Actors that CARE about their characters.

3) Directors that UNDERSTAND the materiel they are working with.

4) Fans that are WILLING to let a series find its balance.

Both shows are about PEOPLE. Maybe those who dislike FS prefer a more 'normal' setting in their SciFi.

All I can say to that is this -- "Opinions and Perspectives vary."

If we all agreed on what was good -- diversity would suffer greatly.

Myself - I watched 70+ episodes of "Babylon 5" - could NOT get into it and I am still trying to understand the draw. But that is my point -- these shows touch different things in different people. Just because I do not understand does not mean the show has NO merit. It just has not touched on any thing that I feel is required for my enjoyment of a story.

Perspectives vary ... or to quote Trek: "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations".

Enjoy what we can and try to get the smegheads who run the studios to rid the world of the plague know as "Reality TV" - Jerry Springer-isms have gone TOO far when they replace shows like FireFly and FarScape!

"Remember, there is only ONE absolute - There ARE NO absolutes!!!"

CHANNAIN

Friday, July 9, 2004 5:52 PM

Whoa... good quote.

Quote:
Originally posted by CapnRahn
Myself - I watched 70+ episodes of "Babylon 5" - could NOT get into it and I am still trying to understand the draw. But that is my point -- these shows touch different things in different people. Just because I do not understand does not mean the show has NO merit. It just has not touched on any thing that I feel is required for my enjoyment of a story.

Of all the things I enjoyed about Babylon 5, I enjoyed these three the most:

Space station life, made to look casual. Pardon me while I go off on a selfish little tangent for a minute. They made it what I would like it to be. I've dreamed of living on a space station, where I could look out my window and DOWN on a planet? I'm not even talking about the alien encounters, but normal, everyday stuff that just happens to go on in space! To go from your apartment to your work just by going from one end of a station to the other the same way a lot of us go from one side of the city to the other, then eating lunch in a public pavilion where your window looks out on a starfield. Whether I saw a Vorlon or not (okay, yes, it would be cool) I wouldn't care because I would be living in space. Sci-fi that bases its storylines on space battles and gun fights every week hold no interest for me. There has to be character interaction, development, and intriguing backstories otherwise, I might just as well be watching a war movie. End of tangent.

Interesting and engaging characters. Pick one, whether you liked them or not. SOMETHING happened to each and every one of them, whether you liked it or not. Biggest mistake was what happened to Marcus at the end of fourth season. Huge.

No sudden shock of cancellation.JMS said he was only doing 5 seasons, and that's what he did. It took some finageling, a deluge of letter-writing and a SOS or two, but when it came down to it, we knew when it was going to end. We never once had the rug pulled out from under us, we just had to change to a different channel. There was comfort in that.

That, by the way, only applies to Babylon 5, not Crusade.

Quote:
Originally posted by JimGoings
I am halfway through season 2 of Farscape. It's a fun show, but it just doesn't compare to FireFly. My wife and I find ourselves laughing at the crazy events that occur.

And if all sci-fi was the same, what fun would that be, really? I laughed at the crazy events too - that was part of the charm of FarScape. Even if the episode was a groaner, they had no fear. They raised the bar for me, and missing it so terribly is why I gave Firefly not one, not two, but three chances. I never do that for anything, I don't care what genre it's in. If any TV show doesn't impress me by the second impression (thank you, Jayne), I don't go back. Firefly was the sole exception.

And now, every time I see the premise for a new sci-fi show, I find myself thinking "How long will it take for that to be submarined by the Powers That Be?" That seem right to you?

We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

CAPNRAHN

Friday, July 9, 2004 7:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Channain:
And now, every time I see the premise for a new sci-fi show, I find myself thinking "How long will it take for that to be submarined by the Powers That Be?" That seem right to you?

Heh, I'll leave my observations about Bab 5 for a thread dedicated to that subject as debate will be SURE to follow. I know you and I can do it in a civil manner. But I don't want to hijack this thread.

Now to the line I quoted above - from your post. I agree, the folks at the networks, be it cable or otherwise, have no clue as to what the audience wants. They run in fear of a show creating a loyal fanbase. Which leads to the "Save Our Show" syndrome when the series is canceled out-of-hand. We, the audience have to realize that "Save Our Show" has become almost a daily threat to them. Boycotts, flooding the mailrooms with Tabasco, crackers et al. is now a nuisance instead of a show of support. It does not have the desired impact anymore.

We need a new way of showing our passion for GOOD series. Hummm ... hit 'em in the marketing - go after the Advertisers - therein lies the power.

"Remember, there is only ONE absolute - There ARE NO absolutes!!!"

AURAPTOR

Friday, July 9, 2004 8:43 PM

RelFexive wrote:
Friday, July 09, 2004 03:01

Quote:
In short: fans campaigned; the people behind the show campaigned, too; momentum was built up; money and the will to produce it was found; it went through pre, actual and post production; and finally, the Sci-Fi Channel decided to show it and to try and tell everyone it was their idea to bring it back in the first place.

All well and good. But can you elaborate...what it are you referring ? I didn't catch the last season of Farscape, so I'm a bit in the dark as to where it left off. Will the 4 hours be in the form of final episodes...like what Joss was allowed to do w/ Angel ?

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

RELFEXIVE

Friday, July 9, 2004 10:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
All well and good. But can you elaborate...what it are you referring ? I didn't catch the last season of Farscape, so I'm a bit in the dark as to where it left off. Will the 4 hours be in the form of final episodes...like what Joss was allowed to do w/ Angel ?

The fourth series ended on a humdinger of a cliffhanger, made all the worse by the fact that at that point it was The End. There was No More.

Now we have the Mini-Series.... Farscape: Peacekeeper War. Four hours (probably three and a quarter less all the frelling adverts) to tell a story that is sort-of season five, only cut down to the arc and leaving out all the extraneous stuff that would have been in the other episodes had they been made.

Does that answer the question?

Head over to www.watchfarscape.com or www.farscapeworld.com for more info.

Mal: "We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis. You know why? Because we are so... very... pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die."

HAKEN

Friday, July 9, 2004 11:20 PM

'Serenity' might start a trend when it makes a ton of money at the box office. We'll start seeing Farscape: The Movie, B5: The Movie, Stargate SG1: The Movie, etc..

JIMGOINGS

Saturday, July 10, 2004 12:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CapnRahn:
Cheese?! I'm I hearing that 'you' (the universal, not a specific 'you') do not see any cheeeese in Firefly?

You're right in saying that cheese is subjective. I don't mind crazy events, but sometimes something happens that shatters even the illusion that the show is setting up... something that just defies the shows own logic.

For example, Farscape actually tries to make use of conceptual science (biological ships, good use of atmospheric and vacuum effects, etc) but then will choose to ignore them later on. Just like Star Trek, it seems every planet's atmosphere is breathable and most aliens are bipedal. Why go through the trouble to have the occasional need for a space suit and some aliens that are different? It adds flavor, sure, but it seems to tear down their own illusions because it's inconsistent.

Firefly is consistent, the characters consistent, and I like it. Notice I say consistent, no predictable. Surprises happen, bit they always seem to fit withing the boundries that the show has established.

Farscape and Babylon 5 are strange and seem cheesier to me because of stark and obvious plot holes that force my attention back to reality for one reason or another.

But you said it... there's cheese everywhere. :)

I really love some of the directions that Farscape has gone and the idea of a modern day human dealing with alien worlds is a lot of fun. John's sarcastic comments crack me up.

Jim
Web: http://www.3rdedition.org
Blog: http://www.goingsfamily.com/jim

Join: http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=too
ls.invlink&u=jimgoings&linkID=36

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Sunday, July 11, 2004 9:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CapnRahn:
Myself - I watched 70+ episodes of "Babylon 5" - could NOT get into it and I am still trying to understand the draw. But that is my point -- these shows touch different things in different people. Just because I do not understand does not mean the show has NO merit. It just has not touched on any thing that I feel is required for my enjoyment of a story.

And intelligent and persuasive post ruined at the last

Seriously though, couldn't agree more with the reasons FF, FS and B5 work - each show began as the thoughts of one or more people and then the writing staff, cast and crew embraced the idea of putting those thoughts on screen - and actually seem to care about the end product.

"I threw up on your bed"

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Sunday, July 11, 2004 9:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jimgoings:
The comment about "intelligent writing" strikes me as odd. I would not consider that a trait of Farscape. It's a good show and is fun to watch, but intelligent writing? Seriously people, some of the cheesiest science fiction moments have appeared in this show.

Different strokes for different folks, but I think "intelligent writing" doesn't necessarily rule out cheese.

Check out the West Wing - whether you enjoy it or not, its hard to dipute that the writing isn't "intelligent" - but I'll concede its cheesy as hell.

I don't think it needs it, but to avoid the burning in the flames of spoiler hell - even for a three year old episode:

Select to view spoiler:

(CJ's bodyguard finishes his job protecting her and arranges to meet her for a date, then dies in a convenience store robbery

Despite the cheesy idea, the execution works for me. Besides, FS just takes a way out view on SF concepts - there are some pretty damned hard SF concepts in there (living ships, clones, mirror universes etc), with a twist. the way they deal with things may not be to everyone's tastes, but they flag up the tone of the show pretty early on - if its not for you, fair enough (though I see you're working your way through the show - it took a little while to grow on me as well).

"I threw up on your bed"

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