[spoiler] SERENITY IN SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR- CONTAINS LOTS OF MOVIE SPOILERS !! [/spoiler]

POSTED BY: roboz
UPDATED: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 04:23
VIEWED: 11048
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ROBOZ

Monday, October 10, 2005 11:58 PM

CAUTION- CONTAINS SERENITY MOVIE PLOT SPOILERS

Ni Hao,

I was browsing through my copy of Sun Tzu's The Art Of War t'uther day and ran across some amusing quotes, well, maybe only amusing to me in a general Sinophilic way, and in the context of the multicultural Firefly verse!

I seem to recall first reading Sun Tzu not long after hearing it quoted in the first Season Next Generation episode The Last Outpost, way back in the late 80s, early 90s. Although I did English Literature in school there's still a powerful lot of my early mainstream reading choices that have been inspired by following up quotes from Star Trek and other genre sources. Who says S.F ain't educational!

Anyway, perhaps Mal's done more reading than just poetry!

EDITION REFERENCED. SUN TZU: THE ART OF WAR. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS. TRANSLATED BY SAMUEL B. GRIFFITH. 1971. ISBN 0-19-501476-6.

There's an Ancient Chinese Proverb that states: "You can prove anything with Ancient Chinese Proverbs". Ahem! Sail on....

SUN TZU'S ESSAY ON MANOEUVRE #23 "In good order they await a disorderly enemy; in serenity, a clamorous one. This is control of the mental factor."

Tu Mu, a later commentator, adds: "In serenity and firmness they are not destroyed by events."

Sun Tzu's essays on The Art Of War were written in China more than 2000 years ago and retain a good deal of tactical relevance to this day; or at least some of the 20th and 21st century military and business gurus seem to think so. (Which may or may not be an endorsement!)

Just for fun, I started looking for Sun Tzu principles which might apply to the events in Serenity, and as with all stories that have a military component there are easy parallels to be drawn. If sometimes the fit is awkward blame the colorful Chinese translations!

It's hard to say how much Sun Tzu is reflected in the work of the Firefly verse's Shan Yu ("War Stories"), who probably shouldn't be confused with the Hunnish war chief of the same name in Disney's Mulan! Athough, Shan Yu (which can also be read as chanyu) is also a generic term for warlord anyway.
The Firefly dictator was apparently a psychopath who fancied himself an expert on torture and interrogation, and a bit of a writer as well, seeing as how he left behind some rather pithy sayings! "Live with a man forty years. Share his house, his meals, and speak on every subject. Then tie him up and hold him over the volcano's edge, and on that day, you will finally meet the man." That kind of pleasant outlook makes me wonder if Shan Yu is also meant to be the source of the Assassin's quotation, "If your quarry goes to ground, remove the ground."

To begin our observations of the Sun....

ESSAY ON WAGING WAR #15 ".....the wise general sees to it that his troops feed on the enemy..." Serenity's raid on the Bank Vault purdy much fits the bill there.

ESSAY ON ESTIMATES #26 "Attack where he is unprepared; sally out when he does not expect you." Partially describes Mal's cunning plan to sick the Reavers on the Alliance Fleet! The fedcoats were prepared for Mal but not for him to bring Company. Mal, with his series of improvised ruses, makes use of ESTIMATES #17 "All warfare is based on deception."

ESSAY ON OFFENSIVE STRATEGY #3 "...To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill." Mal's broadcast of the Awful Truth would qualify, in a sideway's fashion, as not fighting. Also, he leaves the bulk of the battling to the Reavers, who'd probably thank him for the chance if they weren't homicidal maniacs and not long on gratitude. Also, isn't one of the boxes in the cargo hold labelled "ACME"? (Okay, kidding!)

The Assassin, on the other hand, does not seem to be as studious; perhaps he's more of a warrior-poet and prefer's Musashi's Book Of Five Rings? (If so, perhaps he does not fully understand how to use both large and small forces, as OFFENSIVE STRATEGY ESSAY #26 recommends as being a requirement for being a victorious general?) He more or less disregards OFFENSIVE STRATEGY ESSAY #1 "Generally in war the best policy is to take a st

THEPYRO

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 12:20 AM

wow..............thats FREAKIN AWESOME! Holy shit you know your stuff, i love this kinda stuff, and i've always wanted to read Sun Tzu's Art of War.....But i've never had the chance.....All i can say is GOOD Analagys. And i can definatly see Joss using some of those stratigies when writing, giving it....culture(perhaps)not sure if that the right word. Anyway....very nice...

The Pyro - 1 l0\/3 53r3n1ty!

DONCOAT

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 12:32 AM

Very cool. Thanks, roboz.

ROBOZ

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 12:46 AM

To DonCoat & ThePyro

Shieh-shieh folks, thankee kindly!

As Joss said during my interview when I complimented him, "Undeserved but I'll accept it anyway and tell all my friends." (They should call him Joss 'Deadpan' Whedon!)

Stripped of the commentaries The Art Of War is
actually a pretty short read. Reckon someone has it stashed online in a convenient format. Can also recommend Musashi's The Book Of Five Rings, though that's more relevant to individual swordsmanship. Again, I do wonder if the Assassin was too much a warrior and not enough of a soldier...but then his lack was Mal's gain, so I won't get too teary eyed about it!

Cheerio

Rob Oz

LIMINALOSITY

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 4:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by roboz:
CAUTION- CONTAINS SERENITY MOVIE PLOT SPOILERS

ESSAY ON OFFENSIVE STRATEGY #33 "If ignorant of both the enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril." It's interesting that once Mal and Co. learn the truth they stop being on the back foot and start taking the battle to the enemy. But, actually, what I liked was Li Ch'uan's commentary on #33. "Such people are called 'mad bandits'...."

Wo shuo de quan shi zhen de, pian ni shi xiao gou! (What I said is entirely true. If I lied, may I turn into a little dog.)

Thank you for this. The last bit is my favorite.
I tried reading Sun Tzu years ago after reading something about the battle of Dien Bien Phu, but I got bogged in the commentary, and by an ethos that says taking power over others is the worst kind of wrong. I'll try your edition, and ignore the extraneous.

"Sorry dad, the independents attacked us with dinosaurs." -Simon