# Firefly question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686 "2009-08-25T20:29:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/1 "2009-08-25T20:29:03Z")
I’ve just started watching Firefly on Hulu. I know from friends who are big fans that the known universe is populated by humans only. Is it ever actually addressed? Does anyone ever state that alien lifeforms don’t exist? If the answer gives away major plot points than I’ll just wait till I get that far in the series, but I’m curious. I’ve seen bits of Serenity and know the Reavers are mutated humans, but it’s odd and a bit refreshing to have a space travel series without little green men. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/2 "2009-08-25T20:33:59Z")
God (in the form of Joss Whedon) said that the Firefly 'verse is human-only. Doesn’t get more solid than that. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/3 "2009-08-25T20:41:41Z")
It’s sort of addressed in one episode, in which they go to see an “alien” at a carnival type place. But yeah, no aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/4 "2009-08-25T20:45:53Z")
I’m so glad to hear that. So far this is proving to be awesome. I knew it would be and I’m sorry it took me so long to start watching. I was sucked in immediately and I can see why fans took it’s demise so hard. Thanks for the responses. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/5 "2009-08-25T20:54:16Z")
To be fair, it’s not that the show says, “Only humans possibly exist,” it’s more similar to our own universe – if aliens are out there, we sure as heck don’t see 'em. It’s pretty explicit in Firefly that they’ve never seen 'em either. It’s also implied, I believe, that the space tech in Firefly isn’t THAT advanced. I believe they can only move around within a (comparatively) small cluster of stars. If you hate goofy aliens in scifi, I highly recommend the new BSG as well. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/6 "2009-08-25T20:59:44Z")
The new BSG is next on my list, as well as Babylon 5. As you can see I have some catching up to do. Luckily Hulu makes that possible now. I avoided BSG at first because I have heard a fdew things that worry me, like the whole everybody’s a Cylon thing. But since I haven’t actually seen it, it wouldn’t be fair to make any judgments. Back to Firefly, are they speaking Chinese? I assumed so because there’s an asian flavor to alot of things, like chopsticks and some of the wall hangings in the captain’s quarters. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/7 "2009-08-25T21:05:09Z")
> [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > Back to Firefly, are they speaking Chinese? I assumed so because there’s an asian flavor to alot of things, like chopsticks and some of the wall hangings in the captain’s quarters. Yep. The idea is the US and China got together to form the Alliance, so Chinese culture is now intermixed with Western. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/8 "2009-08-25T21:06:01Z")
> [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > Back to Firefly, are they speaking Chinese? I assumed so because there’s an asian flavor to alot of things, like chopsticks and some of the wall hangings in the captain’s quarters. Yes, they are speaking Chinese phrases quite often - one of those Whedonian quirks that drew me into this series. BTW, there are a bunch of sites that offer translations of the various phrases used- [this one](http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/story.html) is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/9 "2009-08-25T21:07:09Z")
Firefly takes place in a single star system, with a very large number of habitable planets and moons. The only interstellar travel was the original colonization of that system from Earth-that-Was. And yes, all of the cussing is Mandarin, though I imagine with an atrocious accent. And not everyone’s a Cylon on Battlestar Galactica. Some folks are, and there’s dramatic tension in finding out who, but there are only twelve humanoid Cylon models, so you know for sure that almost everyone who looks human really is. None of that’s a spoiler, by the way, so don’t worry. Babylon 5 does, of course, have plenty of aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Kingspades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@Kingspades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingspades)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/10 "2009-08-25T21:07:10Z")
> [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > Back to Firefly, are they speaking Chinese? I assumed so because there’s an asian flavor to alot of things, like chopsticks and some of the wall hangings in the captain’s quarters. Sure are. The idea is that when Earth That Was went pear-shaped\*, the States and China were the two remaining superpowers and influencers of culture and language. You can find some translations of what’s in the scripts out on the web, but you’ll never need to know what was literally said for the episodes to make sense. By and large the Chinese was a creative way to swear on American television. _( \* Figure of speech. I don’t think it really changed shape. 🆒 )_ ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/11 "2009-08-25T21:14:18Z")
One of my very few problems with the series, is that we almost don’t see any chinese people. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/12 "2009-08-25T21:22:41Z")
The [Firefly 'verse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Firefly_planets_and_moons) is actually one rather compact system of stars, planets & moons. Big enough that humans still have a frontier, but a small “corner of the sky”–even compared with just our galaxy. And there is no Faster-Than-Light drive. The trip from Earth took several generations. (That’s the real reason they talk about “Earth That Was”–they know nothing about the current Earth.) In the greater universe, sure, there could be other life forms. Just not in the area humans can reach. Besides, those life forms might actually be really “alien”–not English speaking humanoids with weird foreheads. Whedon had already\* done\* weird foreheads! All of this still leaves us with many a story to be told. ETA: Yes, we should have seen more Chinese people. In future episodes, surely… ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/13 "2009-08-25T22:59:07Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > One of my very few problems with the series, is that we almost don’t see any chinese people. I assume that that had something to do with a very dark chapter of human history within the story, not an oversight by the casting directors of the show. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/14 "2009-08-25T23:55:55Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > It’s sort of addressed in one episode, in which they go to see an “alien” at a carnival type place. But yeah, no aliens. But that turned out to be a deformed cow fetus or something like that. Just like carni stuff back when we were kids in the '70s. Nineteen 70s. Before the mass exodus. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/15 "2009-08-26T00:11:06Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > And there is no Faster-Than-Light drive. The trip from Earth took several generations. I don’t recall that ever being addressed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/16 "2009-08-26T00:44:32Z")
It was in the movie. Or maybe in the commentary to same. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/17 "2009-08-26T00:54:17Z")
It might be in the commentary, but it’s not in the series or movie. Joss left all that pretty intentionally vague. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/18 "2009-08-26T01:05:13Z")
Never realised there was supposed to be no FTL on Firefly. What is it that the ship does with that big glowy ass end when they take off out of planetary orbit then? I always presumed that was some form of FTL drive kicking in. Personally, I can more readily accept the exisistence of FTL drives than the idea that there is a system with apparently multiple stars and that many habitable planets that close to each other. Maybe I’ll just choose to continue to believe they have short range FTL drives. Nothing like little bit of willful ignorance! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/19 "2009-08-26T01:12:21Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > But that turned out to be a deformed cow fetus or something like that. Just like carni stuff back when we were kids in the '70s. > > Nineteen 70s. > > Before the mass exodus. Back in the Sticks That Was? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686/20 "2009-08-26T01:22:25Z")
FTL or non-FTL discussed in an ep? Maybe in the commentary, but I don’t ever do commentary. I saw it in one of the discs, tho. Maybe one of the extra features or something. I don’t recall it ever being mentioned by a character in an episode, and I just rewatched them all with my wife (a FF virgin) this summer (glau). 'Sup, **Bryan**? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-question/507686.md?page=2)