So, I was thinking about Firefly over the break and about all the other sci-fi shows and movies that I've seen over the years and something occurred to me. Primarily, I found myself comparing Firefly to Star Trek (mostly ST:TNG) - thanks to an extended conversation with Josh Meadows last week at some point. As much as I love ST, I realized that I never felt truly connected to the characters and that everything felt so detached and calm - even the "bars" were calm and the enemies, though sometimes quite scary, didn't feel anywhere near as threatening as the Reavers. The characters that we encounter on ST, though primarily human or humanoid, felt less human than the characters on Firefly and I found myself wondering why this disparity existed between these two sci-fi series.
What I came up with: their use of time lines. Where ST is entirely future-based - the weapons are unusual, the way they get food is foreign - everything is unrecognizable; in contrast, Firefly has recognizable features: those types of guns associated with westerns, recognizable clothing that looks like something someone might wear today mixed with those types of clothing we generally recognize and associate with westerns - dust coats, gunslinger belts, and the like.
When I think of ST, I think of the future as glorified and detached from humanity as we know it. When I think of Firefly, I see the future as being reachable and as consisting very human elements. Every time humanity steps forward in time, we try to hold on to something of the past - we value historical buildings and artifacts like weapons and clothing from the past. ST eliminates a great deal of this connection to the past, with the exception of the occasional trip to the holodeck or the occasional encounter with an alien race that fools the crew into thinking they're in the past. Firefly embraces the past by recalling details associated with the past frequently.
Long rant aside, this is a line of thought I will continue to pursue as I watch more of Firefly for class and on my own at home - I do intend to watch the entire series on my own. It was an interesting half-formed thought when it came to me; I hope that it makes sense in writing.
1 comment:
This post is terrific--and not a "rant" at all. Really smart stuff. I love how you point out that this is a future world that seems--even remotely--attainable. And that we recognize it--and ourselves in the characters.
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