h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is not the first time I've watched Serenity: As a UK resident I didn't get to see it's abortive broadcast by Fox. However, the series & DVDs got good reviews so I went out and bought it about 6 months ago. I watched it all in a couple of weeks (along with all the extra's) and, like most, came away wanting more. Fortunately for me, the Serenity movie was already underway, so I had something to look forward to.

So back to Serenity the pilot episode, not the film. Overall, the pros outweigh the cons, but it's not flawless:

Pros:
1. Space is silent.
2. Good SFX (e.g. 'handheld' camera-work in space scenes).
3. Cast - good actors & easy on the eye too.
4. Rounded characters, each getting a good introduction.
5. Witty script.

Cons:
1. Too long.
2. Mal is too nasty - he is nasty to everyone on board at least once, and although he does mostly redeem himself I would imaging this would be pretty off-putting to the non-fan viewer. I'm afraid I understand why Fox wanted a second pilot with a nicer Mal.
3. The spaceship is ugly.
4. The unexplained science - is Serenity FTL or not? How can the afford to run nearly empty - the catwalk/stairs waste a lot of cargo space.

One more point of note, the recent new Doctor Who series featured a 'repeated meme' of the Phrase 'Bad Wolf' appearing in most episodes. Firefly does that too (but more subtly) with "Blue Sun", which was set up but never resolved (but may be in the movie).

I wonder if Russell T Davies (DW showrunner), who is a confessed Buffy fan, has watched Firefly?

One thing that interested me is when Mal shoots the policeman. Obviously, having been away from the ship for a while, Mal doesn't know how he escaped or beat up Book.

No, he just sees the guy holding a gun and a hostage. So he shots him. If he hesitated, or stopped to wait for explanations, it could have developed into a very tricky situation that he hasn't got time to deal with. So, one quick shot, while walking may I add, and it's all over.

One of the defining moments of the show, I thought.


Geggs

Alex wrote:
Pros:
1. Space is silent.
2. Good SFX (e.g. 'handheld' camera-work in space scenes).
3. Cast - good actors & easy on the eye too.
4. Rounded characters, each getting a good introduction.
5. Witty script.

Cons:
1. Too long.
2. Mal is too nasty - he is nasty to everyone on board at least once, and although he does mostly redeem himself I would imaging this would be pretty off-putting to the non-fan viewer. I'm afraid I understand why Fox wanted a second pilot with a nicer Mal.
3. The spaceship is ugly.
4. The unexplained science - is Serenity FTL or not? How can the afford to run nearly empty - the catwalk/stairs waste a lot of cargo space.

Funny how 2 big fans can pick up on different things. My situation was similar to that of Alex, though I picked up the recommendation from the Niven list . What a pleasant surprise, and shame to find something so good, that was so short lived (hopefully not permanently though!) OK, pilot episode(s) point by point:
Pros.
1. oh yeah, real physics in space suits scenes too
2. SFX excellent, but the handheld camera work pissed me off at first, seemed like trying too hard to be "real world POV", luckily in later episodes, this settles down to where it works rather than be overused.
3,4,5 no argument there!
Cons.
1. Hmm, a little overlong, pacing not up to later eps, but improves with each viewing. Some *great* moments
2. Mal *is* a bit of a bastard, some of the time. Nice to have a central character with some major character flaws, which maybe were too evident in Serenity perhaps. I found it refreshing.
3. Nu-uuh! no way is Serenity ugly. Gorgeous design IMO. Stubby, functional looking, not sleek, but I can immediately see what Mal (and Kaylee) saw in her (see later ep for the purchasing flashback)
4. Unexplained science: Well, sure, it's all everyday stuff for them, why would the need to go into long exposition speeches about how stuff works? Same with the Chinese influence, it's so part of their culture, they simply wouldn't discuss it. It also neatly gets around the need for too much scientific handwaving and a "particle of the week" explanation. I think the characteristic Firefly glow is the FTL drive, along with the rotating "Dean Drive" engine that Kaylee keeps tinkering with (A.Bertram Chandler used a similarly small scale "gyroscopic" space drive in some of his books)I'd like to know more, but I'm content to stay mystified for now. That' part of the appeal, Firefly doesn't attempt to explain it all up front. We discover a lot about Serenity and the characters along the way, but are still left with some mysteriess to ponder.
Yeah, the waste of space kinda bothered me, but then as a "ramp steamer" kind of vessel, there is no telling what cargo they will be carrying next. But you'd be stuffed if the gravity went off and you got stuck in the middle of the cargo bay. ('Course, in later eps, they may go in for a bit of zero-G 3D basketball

Nick