Dollars and Cents

POSTED BY: InevitableBetrayal
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 13:38
VIEWED: 5606
PAGE 1 of 2

1 2 NEXT PAGE

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 5:45 AM

Please pardon if this has been brought up before...

In "Jaynestown" we witness a local bard playing what appears to be a ballad to Jayne, the "Hero of Canton." I know this is all review. But the last time I watched my DVD I got stuck on the line, "He saw the magistrate takin'/Each dollar and leavin' five cents". Now, every other time I'd seen the episode, that line just slid right on by and I never gave it a second thought. But this last time, I wondered, "What the devil is he doing talking about dollars and cents??" We've seen reference to platinum in "Safe" and "bits" in "The Message", and although I might be missing one (possibly having to do with "credits"--the ubiquitous sci-fi currency stand in), they never talk about dollars and cents except in this one episode.

*Whew*

Glad I got that off my chest...

So the question is, why is a 26th century mudder pop star singing about dollars and cents, a unit of currency that would be over 800 years old in his day, and come from another planet?

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

PURPLEBELLY

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 6:04 AM

Mudders are only allowed to use company tokens, which are denominated in dollars and cents, rather than the core planet credits or open currency platinums.

STARPILOTGRAINGER

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 11:44 AM

Or, like songwriters sometimes do, in searching for a rhyme he reached a little into more obscure language.

Plus, how many people still sing "Shave and a hair cut... two bits?" ;)

Star Pilot Grainger
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down."
LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/newnumber6
http://www.unreachablestar.net - Comics & SF News/Reviews/Opinions

NEDWARD

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 11:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by InevitableBetrayal:
So the question is, why is a 26th century mudder pop star singing about dollars and cents, a unit of currency that would be over 800 years old in his day, and come from another planet?

I think he's a folk singer, not a pop star. If so, he could use whatever out-of-date terms he fancied. Besides, 800 years isn't unusual. We've been using the pound in England since 1158 (I think the thaler [dollar] is 14th century, but hey).

GAVIDA

Friday, August 27, 2004 9:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by InevitableBetrayal:
Please pardon if this has been brought up before...
We've seen reference to platinum in "Safe" and "bits" in "The Message", and although I might be missing one (possibly having to do with "credits"--the ubiquitous sci-fi currency stand in), they never talk about dollars and cents except in this one episode.

The reference to credits is in "Safe" as well, in the flashback where Simon's father pays the fine to get Simon out.
Probably it is not exactly the right quote, but Mr. Tam says something like "I just paid 2000 credits to get you out"

Maybe Credits is the common Alliance currency, with the others, like Platinum and bits are more local currencies used in the outer worlds?

And who knows, maybe the planets and moons themselves have another local currency made up by the first settlers to arrive there.
So the mudders could still stick to Dollars and Cents as the offical mudder-currency?

Just my take on it, though

Keep flying,
Gavida

DB

Friday, September 24, 2004 4:23 PM

It seems to me that using a "mythical" currency from the Earth that Was is a good literary device to mythologize your hero. Perhaps "Five cents on the dollar" is an archaic colloquialism like "Minding your P's and Q's" or "in for a Penny, in for a Pound"...

And even if there are no dollars anymore, there are certainly cents. (Assuming, of course that some derivative of the metric system exists here) What else are you going to call hundredths of a credit/platinum/whatever?

DB Sousa

YT

Friday, October 15, 2004 9:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by db:
And even if there are no dollars anymore, there are certainly cents. (Assuming, of course that some derivative of the metric system exists here) What else are you going to call hundredths of a credit/platinum/whatever?

Why should a metric currency imply hundredths? Perhaps they find tenths, or thousandths, a more significant ratio.

I think it is most likely just a mistake on the part of the writer. But it could be folk use of colloquialism, for the sake of style & rhyme. Lastly, the writer could have chosen to avoid problems, in reconciling with other Firefly eps, by not using any denomination. "There's one for you, nineteen for me". Of course, that leads to another problem.

Keep the Shiny Side Up

REAVERINA1985RIVIERA

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 6:16 AM

I think I figured it out:

Credits are Aliance currency, totaly electronic, like online banking.

Since the outer planets have very few modern ammenities to handle money transfers, their money would have to be physical, coins made out of gold (dollars) and silver (everything else). Paper money would have no value at all.

Platnum would be the coin equivalent of a $100

Considering the Mudders were mostly indentured serveants, I think they made $150 per-person a day.
What they actualy take home would be, what?, about $30?

up yours, Boss Higgins.
---------------------------------------------
The real-life box droppin', man-ape gone wrong thing, without the pesky falling boxes

BELASERA

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 8:06 AM

Wish I made $150 a day. Those are some pricey indentured servants they got there!

"I'll be in my bunk."

PURPLEBELLY

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 9:19 AM

This link may give some illumination on the nature of indentured labour http://www.answers.com/indentured+labour&r=67
The thread is, of course, answered succinctly in the second post above.

1 2 NEXT PAGE