Things about Firefly that niggle you

POSTED BY: hughff
UPDATED: Thursday, October 19, 2006 17:39
VIEWED: 13457
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DONCOAT

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Rabit:
Uh, if you're refering to the fact that the battle between the Alliance and the Reavers (I'm assuming I'm not spoiling anyone here! ) occurred within the atmosphere of Mr. Universe's world, these aren't fan justifications - these are as written and stated on a number of occassions by Joss. Just an FYI...

Yes, that's exactly what I'm referring to, and you just described the fanwank that's usually used to justify it. (If Joss has sanctified this explanation, I was unaware of that.)

Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me... or at least, it doesn't match up with the visuals we see during the battle. It's quite clear that the battle takes place in space, inside the "ion cloud" but not in the atmosphere. The sky is black, the Mr. Universe planetoid is far below us, and its horizon clearly shows the edge of the atmosphere much as Earth's is visible from Earth orbit.

Only after the Reaver ship follows them down do we enter the atmosphere -- sometime between the main battle and the EMP discharge.

Maybe the problem is that Joss intended the battle to be in atmo but Zoic didn't do it right. Or maybe Joss just liked having the big booms and is trying to justify it post hoc. Either way, I find it an unfortunate departure from the excellent precedent set in the series.

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I'm pointin' right at it!

ECGORDON

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:11 PM

The major niggle I have about the series concerns the ending to "Ariel," and the conceit the writers seemed to have to get us to believe no one else on the ship could possibly have overheard Mal chastising Jayne in the airlock.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

REDLAVA

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:36 PM

I try not to dwell on the small things. You can't iron out every single possible physics breaking scenario from a TV show or movie. Every movie has that one scene where you go, "that can't happen." You just have to suspend your disbelief a little.

I just wanted to chime in with my opinion about the space battle in Serenity. The Ion cloud around Mr. Universe's planet is in space or at least the VERY upper atmosphere. So techinally there would be no sound without air. The moments in Firefly where there was dead silence were good choices to have them, very dramatic and not normal in Sci-Fi. But when you come to the climax of your movie and an epic space battle between good and evil you need those sound effects to highten "the thrill ride" so to speak. What would it be like without the explosions and such? Somebody with much better A/V knowhow will have to try it. But in my opinion it would lack something.

Everybody always has the advantage over us, but that's what makes us special...and Browncoats.

HUGHFF

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:52 PM

1. I'm not that concerned when things are against the laws of physics so long as I can ignore them when watching - suspension of disbelief and all that. eg I teach The Matrix to my 6th form and i explain how the people farming "combined with a form of cold fusion" of the machines is far less efficient than just using the cold fusion asa direct source of energy. (My first degree is in ecology.)

2. Justifying Serenity as a boat by comparing it with a submarine is clearly fanwank (nothing personal, DC). If that's so, you shouldn't call her a ship. She's a ship - she has two lifeboats/shuttles.

3. Inconsistencies between the BDM and the wonderful, wonderful series are all forced because of the need to tell a complete story for newbies who aren't aware of the on-going narrative. Sadly, this necessity is what makes the BDM inferior. I can live with them - though I agree the noisy space battle is particularly disappointing. (Actually, I don't like the BDM half as much.)

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 8:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
The major niggle I have about the series concerns the ending to "Ariel," and the conceit the writers seemed to have to get us to believe no one else on the ship could possibly have overheard Mal chastising Jayne in the airlock.

Now I have this image of Wash sitting all alone in the cockpit, listening to the conversation, his face pale as milk and mumbling "Oh God! Oh God! He's gonna kill him! Oh God!"

Dammit! Now I'm going to giggle every time I see that scene!

More graphics and animations available at www.desktophippie.com

RIMGIRL

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 8:11 PM

I've said it before, I don't like how easily Zoe calls Mal "Sir". She was Corporal to his Sargent. It wouldn't trip off her lips.

CRUITHNE3753

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 8:23 PM

"Tell us about the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a ninety pound girl, 'cause that's not getting old!"

Seeing as it's the future, this should be:-

"Tell us about the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a forty kilo girl, 'cause that's not getting old!"

CHOO1701

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 8:40 PM

Quote:
2. Justifying Serenity as a boat by comparing it with a submarine is clearly fanwank (nothing personal, DC). If that's so, you shouldn't call her a ship. She's a ship - she has two lifeboats/shuttles.

i think your getting a bit too in depth there. (sorry).

Joss has proved a valed piont about language, and how it could chamge in the next half millenia or so (Shiny, Humped, Gorram, Ruttin').

Perhaps "boat" is just a new way of saying "ship". (although Mal does say "Wash -- Where the hell is my spaceship!?" in The Message)

its just another way of saying "ship", like in todays terms, some people call aircraft carriers "boats".

if you understood that, please say

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TRAIN!!!

MINK

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:06 PM

Another problem with the BDM intro: In "Jaynestown", Simon is asked to roleplay a businessman looking for mud, and he turns into a bumbling idiot who couldn't possibly do a worse job. In the BDM, he roleplays a high ranking military officer with totally self-assured arrogance - which took place earlier, of course.
It don't hang together.

The Reavers are of course problematic, but that's been discussed plenty and is more than a niggle. See "28 Days Later" for comparison.

"When I write my memoirs, that sh!t'll be in there, guaranteed."

HUGHFF

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:18 PM

I don't think the concept of semantic shift (change in the meaning of words) necessarily applies - though obviously it could. However, i think it more likely that this is simply a layperson not getting the language right. Quite a few people who have never had anything to do with the sea make no distinction between boat and ship - but you go down to the docks and use those terms inaccurately and you will cause considerable offense. I would assume that the crew of Serenity would know enough to make that distinction but they don't, they use boat and ship interchangably.

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

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