Shepherd's Tale discussion (for them that's read it only)
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Friday, May 27, 2011 04:31
VIEWED: 34214
PAGE 3 of 7
Got mixed feelings, but mostly good. There wasn't much that we all probably didn't already assume.
Found out what his real name was.
Found out just how deep soup can be.
Missed Inara and Simon (not vital, but would have been nice to have all nine together again, but there was 'Downtime' for that I guess).
About that fancy eyeball, I'm guessing it just stopped transmitting soon after he was booted by the Alliance.
Glad Zach mentions Ron in the epilogue.
So many adventures left in the 'Verse. Please, (to the powers that be), keep them coming! 
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There's Buffy & Angel series, really now, whynot Firefly?????
The laughing Chrisisall
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Kudos to Zack Whedon for a story brilliantly told. I loved it. Particularly the twist. Perfectly explains how Shepherd Book knew so much about how the alliance operated. Also explained why he didn't really take sides and accepted everyone flaws and all. hope Zack writes some more back story.
Rose S
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I'm going to throw in my two-cents worth, as well.
I really don't like the comic books.
For me, a HUGE part of what made Firefly...Firefly, was the creative efforts of the creators and actors of the filmed medium.
The comics would have to be superior story-telling to even come close.
And thus far, I haven't been drawn into the comic adventures.
There have been little bits that felt right,
but none of the stories grew the 'verse for me.
Until now.
I was prepared to dislike "The Shepherd's Tale".
I bought it and read it three times over the first three days.
And it kinda grew on me.
I think Zack Whedon did a fine job capturing the "feel" of the 'verse.
The dialogue felt right and the revelations mostly fit the type and scope of what I found reasonable.
The only flaw I sensed is the timeline.
I think "Shepherd's Tale puts the Unification War as going back further than the events of Miranda allows.
This isn't a first for Joss, tho'.
He confused the timeline in his pre-production notes for the BDM "Serenity", as reproduced in the Serenity Companion volume.
Here are the two most accepted timelines in the fandom:
http://signal.serenityfirefly.com/mmx/timeline/view.php
http://www.mts.net/~arphaxad/firefly.html
Counting backwards: BDM Serenity to TV pilot Serenity-less than two years, TV pilot Serenity to defeat at Serenity Valley-six years, length of Unification War-five years; total-thirteen years.
Book's wartime "experience" is twenty years in the past in "Shepherd's Tale".
In a number of ways, the comic timeline is horribly flawed.
"Canon" in the 'verse, in everything from timelines to wardrobe errors, has been very sloppy.
But, the story itself was worthy of inclusion in 'verse canon, and I hope Zack convinces Joss to help him play in the 'verse a little more.
Mike
PS:
The "Downtime" supplement in USA Today was a nice complement to "The Shepherd's Tale", and cements my desire to see Zack write further adventures in the 'verse.
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Book’s time with the Alliance is during the antebellum period of the timeline, otherwise there wouldn't have been that many civilians on a war ship when it was destroyed, which I read as an analogy for the sinking of the Lusitania in WWI, turning worldwide sentiment against the Germans.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:
Book’s time with the Alliance is during the antebellum period of the timeline, otherwise there wouldn't have been that many civilians on a war ship when it was destroyed, which I read as an analogy for the sinking of the Lusitania in WWI, turning worldwide sentiment against the Germans.
I don't agree based on the fact that the goal of Book's operation was to destroy the Independents in one, multi-pronged attack.
The fact that there were non-combat personnel on the Alliance ships is more a reflection of the Alliance's hubris than a parallel to the passenger steamer Lusitania POSSIBLY carrying military supplies.
The Alliance vessels were attack vessels going after targets,
not cargo vessels on a run.
Book's Alliance command appeared to me to be in the early to middle of the Unification War.
The Independents' early success is what led to the war taking as long as it did.
Once again, an American Civil War parallel.
Mike
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The "Independents" don't exist yet, as they are referred to as rebel forces, by both Book and his CO.
This synchronized attack was staged to prove the rebel forces were able to organize and unify creating the Independents, which triggered the Unification War.
The actual US Civil War only lasted 4 years, and remember the US had a standing army before the war, like the Alliance… during the antebellum period.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:
The "Independents" don't exist yet, as they are referred to as rebel forces, by both Book and his CO.
This synchronized attack was staged to prove the rebel forces were able to organize and unify creating the Independents, which triggered the Unification War.
The actual US Civil War only lasted 4 years, and remember the US had a standing army before the war, like the Alliance… during the antebellum period.
But the Independents did exist. To quote Book "it's a war, prople die." and a couple of panels later when Book's superior says "I knew this operation was a disaster waiting to happen.", Book responds "It would've ended the war in one day." Based on that, I get the sense that the Unification War was well under way at that point.
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On thing that I noticed in the comic that I really liked was the flier Book was given inviting him to JOIN THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT. What I liked is that the flier had the Browncoat patch symbol on it (the striped triangle with the star) and the symbol was represented triangle point down, star point up. There is a debate amongst Browncoats as to how the patch should be displayed. I for one am a member of the triangle point down, star point up camp. I also believe that when flying the Browncoat flag, the star should be right side up and not upside down. I think the orientation of the patch on the flier was a way of letting us know the way it is supposed to be displayed. The story is that that is how Joss originally intended it to look, but it was sewn incorrectly onto Mal's coat for the series premier.
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If they were at war already, why were the soldiers being transported surprised at a ground attack when they landed? That doesn’t make any sense.
Stamping out a rebel uprising could be considered at “war”
The war on drugs.
The war on poverty.
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