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Date Posted: 17:13:12 10/11/02 Fri
Author: Rob
Subject: Re: With no episode, new or old, to talk about this week
In reply to: Cactus Watcher 's message, "With no episode, new or old, to talk about this week" on 07:49:34 10/11/02 Fri

1. Are you watching Firefly primarily because of
a. Joss' track record.
b. I like sci-fi.
c. I like westerns.
d. other (explain).

A & B.

2. Are you a fan of Star Trek? If so, what do you like and dislike about the franchise? Feel free to talk about individual series, and the movies separately or to lump them together.

Yes, I'm a "Star Trek" fan, mostly of TNG, though I'm definitely not a Trekkie. I love the characters and their interactions, and the more meaty, philosophical areas many of the episodes broached. What I dislike is all the technobabble. I truly don't care that much about scientifically explaining to death every aspect of a plot. If they said, "We can escape this warp bubble by attaching this doohickey to that doohickey," that would be enough for me. I care much more about the emotion of the story than whether something is scientifically accurate. (That is, consequently, why, as far as space shows go, I'm a far bigger "Farscape" fan than "Star Trek." "Farscape" is all emotion, epic space opera and next to no space jargon.)

3. Are you a fan of Star Wars? What do you like and dislike about it.

I am a huge "Star Wars" fan. I love it all. I truly have very little bad to say about the series, on the whole. And yes, that includes "Phantom Menace." So sue me, I liked it!

4. Are you a fan of Babylon 5? Are all 'deep' sci-fi TV shows doomed to both low ratings, and to being pushed to the margins of broadcasting?

I would love to be a fan of "Babylon 5," but I've never seen it. But I really want to, since I've heard such great things. On Nov 5, the first season is coming out on DVD, so I will definitely watch it. I do watch another deep sci-fi show, which I already mentioned, "Farscape," which was recently cancelled. SciFi cited low ratings (although I won't get into the whole debate now, because there's a great deal of evidence that that is not the reason). Like "Buffy," it is very story-arc heavy and is very hard to get into (or at least grasp everything) if you haven't started from the beginning. The episodes are not self-contained, and like "Buffy," it's full of metaphors, foreshadowing, symbolism, etc, and does not pander to a mainstream audience that might not "get" it. So I think it's very hard for a "deep" sci-fi show to find an audience, but it has a better chance when people start from the beginning. People get intimated by trying to start a complicated show from a middle episode, and won't continue to watch due to frustration and confusion.

5. If you like sci-fi, what are some of your other favorites, TV, books or movies?

I love "The Princess Bride" (the book even more than the movie, but I love both). In books, I love Tad Williams' "Otherland" quartet, which is a combination of cyberpunk sci-fi and fairy tale-style epic fantasy...a VR game that people get trapped in. Really great stuff. My very favorite author is Neil Gaiman. I've read everything he's ever published, from his graphic novels ("The Sandman" series is the best.) to his short stories to his children's books to his novels. The brilliant "American Gods" which won the Hugo was a favorite of mine. For some heady stuff, I loved "Contact" by Carl Sagan, although I wasn't gaga over the movie. I adored also Phillip Pullman's "The Golden Compass." I keep planning on reading the other two books in the "His Dark Materials" series, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Um...what else? "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" trilogy by the late, great Douglas Adams, and Sheri Tepper's "Beauty."

Movies--"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"--an intelligent alien movie that does not involve the Earth being in jeopardy; "Signs"--an intelligent alien movie that does involve the Earth being in jeopardy; "Alien"--classic; "Star Wars"--already mentioned; "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam. Actually, anything by Terry Gilliam--"Fisher King," "Adventures of Baron Munchausen," "12 Monkeys," "Time Bandits," etc.; "Blade Runner"; "Dark City," and there have to be more.

TV--Already mentioned "Farscape," "Star Trek," and of course "Firefly." Also love "Red Dwarf," "X-Files," and "Stargate."

6. Westerns have mostly faded from the tv screen. Do you have any old favorites? Do you have any favorite Western movies? Do you think the genre is worn out?

I know next to nothing about Westerns. I did enjoy "Stagecoach," though, which I saw in a film class two years ago. And lo and behold, it's one of Joss' inspirations for "Firefly" so I'm glad I saw it!

7. I would say that Buffy and Angel are about complex relationships and tearing down fixed ideas about good and evil. Assuming Firefly gets the chance to develop do you think it will follow the same pattern?

Yes, and I certainly hope it does. Actually, I don't see how it couldn't because with characters who all have possibly questionable moral codes and who are all very different being thrown together, how could there not be complex relationships (both between the characters, and the characters and the society in which they live)?

8. Play Joss for a moment. Where do you think the meatiest potential parts of Firefly lie?

The meatiest parts are Inara, and her story...and in River and Simon's relationship. There could be a great deal of fun examining all of the characters' interactions, however.

Rob

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