# Burn the land and boil the sea. (R.I.P., Firefly) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341 "2003-12-21T18:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/81 "2004-01-03T14:23:54Z")
I bought the set for myself for Christmas. I was really tempted to go staright to the the unaired episodes, but I controlled myself and am watching them in order. I watched “Trash” last night and liked it. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/82 "2004-01-03T16:32:25Z")
I lent my set to friends, and they liked it so much I just got a new set and told them to keep theirs. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/83 "2004-01-03T16:40:58Z")
Based on all the glowing reviews here, i’m tempted to give Firefly a try, also to see if there’s any validity to the “shows starting with the letter F get killed prematurely” curse, almost all my favorite shows start with an F and got killed prematurely by network morons; Farscape Family Guy Futurama I’m definitely a sci-fi fan, i like Trek, Wars, HHGTTG, Dwarf, heck, i even like Lexx ;), but the standard i hold all scifi up to is a little Australian show called Farscape so, here’s the question… How does Firefly compare to Farscape (aside from both starting with the letter F, that is 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/84 "2004-01-03T17:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\*It’s the classic space opera universe where a ship can take you to the next inhabited planet in time for the next week’s installment. \*\* To address this, though, these are “terraformed” places. The whole premise is that these uninhabitable planets are terraformed to make them habitable, so they are closer together than planets in, say, Star Trek. Also they return to some more than once. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/85 "2004-01-03T18:35:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homebrew \* > \*\*To address this, though, these are “terraformed” places. The whole premise is that these uninhabitable planets are terraformed to make them habitable, so they are closer together than planets in, say, Star Trek. Also they return to some more than once. \*\* True, but there aren’t that many planets to be terraformed in the real universe. Our solar system has 2 planets that can conceivably be terraformed, but if you want more you need interstellar travel. _Firefly_ completely ignores the question of how they achieve interstellar travel, and doesn’t even make a distinction between interplanetary and interstellar travel. Not that I’m complaining. It’s no less realistic than Star Trek or Farscape, when you think about it. In fact it feels far more _real_ than those shows. By the way, didn’t the show originally have an introductory voiceover? Something about the earth having been used up and new planets being colonized. It doesn’t seem to be on the DVD - I guess Joss didn’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/86 "2004-01-03T19:48:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by N9IWP \* > \*\*I was really tempted to go staright to the the unaired episodes, but I controlled myself and am watching them in order. \*\* I was the same way. I also tried to spread them out rather than watch them all in one sitting. Well, I managed to keep to that for a few episodes… 🙂 > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > **By the way, didn’t the show originally have an introductory voiceover? Something about the earth having been used up and new planets being colonized. It doesn’t seem to be on the DVD - I guess Joss didn’t like it.** Yeah, it did. Most were by Mal, but a couple were done by Book (Don’t think any of the other cast did any of them). It was a cool little intro. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/87 "2004-01-03T20:12:32Z")
Re the intro, I recall that when the show originally aired, the wording was different in the two versions, depending on who was talking. In one of them, the group of planets was referred to as “the solar system.” In the other, it was “the galaxy.” The show didn’t air long enough to make it clear what was intended by this, but it could have been a nod toward the show’s use of point of view, i.e. the characters are flawed and just because it’s omniscient voice-over doesn’t mean the character knows what he’s talking about. But yeah, **Homebrew** and **scr4** are correct: The emphasis of this show is not on the science. They don’t spend two words on explaining how space engines work in this universe or how far apart the worlds are or any of that. They dispense with the Treknobabble and get right to the storytelling. So instead of giving us nits we can pick, we just watch the people in the story. And like **scr4** says, this has the paradoxical effect of making the setting more plausible, not less. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/88 "2004-01-03T22:35:26Z")
I decided to rent one of the discs to see what it’s like; the video store didn’t have the first one, so I have disc two. I’ll watch it and see how it strikes me. I’m aware that the people in this thread have given it glowing reviews; that’s the only reason I haven’t returned it for something else yet. But good reviews here aren’t really a good indicator of shows I will like. I have in the past rented season one of _Angel_ and _Babylon 5_ based on recommendations from fans here, and neither seemed like anything special based upon the half dozen first season shows I watched of each. Which is just to say that I haven’t had good luck finding shows I like based on creator’s pedigree (_Angel_) or recommendations from fans (_Angel_ and _Bablylon 5_) > [@](#): > > Just out of curiosity, what are some “failed” western/sci-fi blend you are thinking about, and why did they not work? Television series _Earth 2_, _Buck Rogers_, _Logan’s Run_, _Wild Wild West_ and individual episodes of the various _Star Trek_ series, and _Battlestar Galactica_. In movies, _Westworld_, _Battle Beyond the Stars_, and practically every movie set in a post apocalyptic or frontier world. I have, however, thought of one example of western themes used well in a sci-fi movie: _The Road Warrior_. That, however, seems to be the exception. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/89 "2004-01-04T02:36:46Z")
Oh, dude, you rented _the first season_ of _Angel_ and expected it to be good? I’m so sorry. No, the first two seasons of _Angel_ existed solely to give us enough backstory to enjoy the stellar second two. Well, okay, I’m sure it wasn’t actually planned that way, but trust me when I say that the first season of _Angel_ was not indicative of the quality of the entire series. _Babylon 5_, though, well, you’re on your own. ---
**Author:** ![Scorpio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Scorpio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scorpio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/90 "2004-01-04T02:41:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MacTech \* > \*\* How does Firefly compare to Farscape (aside from both starting with the letter F, that is 😉 ) \*\* Very different feel to the two serii. But: Both have strong ensemble cast and decent female characters (which is important to me, you may not care…). And both have those funny little character interaction moments. I’m not being particularly clear. Let me put it this way - it took me one and a half seasons to really get into Farscape and I wasn’t hooked until Season 2 finale and I think it’s never been as good as that again; I loved Firefly by the end of the Train Job (first episode after the pilot). (And I also like Dwarf and Wars and etc as you mentioned so it seems we have similar tastes). My advice: beg, borrow, rent, but just give it a go. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/91 "2004-01-04T02:41:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\*True, but there aren’t that many planets to be terraformed in the real universe. > \*\* > > ITYM solar system. We have no idea how many planets can be terrformed in our universe. > > \*\* > Our solar system has 2 planets that can conceivably be terraformed, but if you want more you need interstellar travel. _Firefly_ completely ignores the question of how they achieve interstellar travel, and doesn’t even make a distinction between interplanetary and interstellar travel. > \*\* First off, they are NOT in our solar system. That much was made clear. Second, a lot of the “planets” they were visiting were moons of gas giants. Gas giants can have several large moons. And it was made clear in one of the unaired eps that they are using some sort of gravity drive, which would imply that they have at least near-lightspeed capabilities, and probably FTL capabilities. ---
**Author:** ![Scorpio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Scorpio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scorpio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/92 "2004-01-04T02:42:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > \*\*Just another cool tidbit about how loyal Whedon is to his actors. At least, when they don’t get a fat sorority-girl head and badmouth him and his work and their co-stars en route to sabotaging their careers with bullshit cartoon-character knockoffs. :rolleyes: 😉 \*\* While I’m posting, I meant to ask - is this Sarah Michelle or is this Eliza Dushku? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/93 "2004-01-04T02:52:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RikWriter \* > \*\* a lot of the “planets” they were visiting were moons of gas giants. > And it was made clear in one of the unaired eps that they are using some sort of gravity drive, \*\* Where did I miss that? ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/94 "2004-01-04T03:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\*Where did I miss that? \*\* Don’t remember which ep, but I do remember it was one of the unaired ones. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/95 "2004-01-04T18:12:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > **Homebrew:** Wait until you get to “Out of Gas”, “War Stories”, “Ariel”, and “Objects in Space”. I believe those are the four best episodes. Some of the best TV I’ve ever seen. Just finished watching _Ariel_. I had to check to make sure it was on your list of top four. If it had not been I was going to question your sanity. Wow. That was one of the best episodes of any television show I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![CadburyAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@CadburyAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CadburyAngel)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/96 "2004-01-04T19:30:35Z")
NumberSix, if you would like to see the pilot, I will mail it to you (have it on DVD). E-mail me if you want. I think it is worth seeing. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/97 "2004-01-06T16:21:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carnivorousplant \* > \*\*Where did I miss that? \*\* It’s in “The Message,” the second of the three unaired episodes on the DVD set (although actually the last episode of the show to be shot). –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/98 "2004-01-06T19:15:30Z")
Gravity drive or moons in “The Message”? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/99 "2004-01-06T19:39:15Z")
Okay, everyone. Which was your favorite of the unaired episodes? The unaired ones were _Trash_, _The Message_, and _Heart of Gold_. My favorite was _The Message_, although I did like the return of Mrs. Reynolds and the nudity in _Trash_. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/100 "2004-01-06T20:02:47Z")
My favorite unaired ep was _The Message_ as well - but that’s not why I’m here. I have to say, I’m loving this thread, but the title? R.I.P. Firefly? No! Firefly, may you NOT Rest In Peace, ever! Come back to us! Come back tight pants, come back space monkeys, come back produce fixation, come back Vera, come back Kaylee, _come back Firefly_!!! Gorram it, when is that movie gonna be made? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341.md?page=6)