We’re trying to make another convert next week. She’d never heard of Firefly, but she’s willing to watch Serenity (episode, not movie) with us.
Shr ah. Nah mei guan-shee. 
I’d like to introduce you all to Malcolm
But no one yet has caught on. Everyone says Malcolm in the middle 
Maybe it’ll get better when I get him a sister named, hmmm Zoe? Inara? After that scene at the end of the movie, River. Would it be sacrilege to name a girl Jayne?
“Mal. Means bad” has never been truer 
- The Hair = 13 (it’s still there… waiting…)
What a cute puppy, FlightlessBird!
Inara would be better for a cat.
I caught the movie a few weeks ago, knowing little about it beforehand, and liked it a lot. Great chemistry among the cast - great patois (“the 'verse,” “gorram,” occasional Chinese curses) - great backstory - and an unusual villain (the Operative, who really does seem to have a conscience but genuinely feels he must do horrible things for the greater good). Mal’s last comments to River, on loving your ship, sent chills down my spine. Good stuff.
I read the Visual Companion and caught a lot of stuff I’d missed the first time; now I wanna see the movie again. The comic book (graphic novel?) Those Left Behind was… meh. Haven’t seen any of the episodes but will before too long.
I’ve been a Trek fan for a long time and this is very different - mostly for the better.
re: Firefly being similar to Cowboy Bebop. Well, OK, in that they’re both shows about people who live on a spaceship, trying to make a living. Cowboy Bebop, for the most part, doesn’t really have all that many western elements to it (aside from the bounty hunter TV show they watch), seeming to me to be more of a Space Noir than a Space Western.
Recently I’ve seen more comparisons between Firefly and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., though Brisco County Jr. was a western with sci-fi elements, rather than a sci-fi with western elements
As for the character count, don’t forget the dinosaurs! What does that bring the number up to?
Just adding a me too for Firefly. I saw Serenity in the theatre when it came out, never having seen the series at that point. It was cute but meh.
Last week I finished the series on DVD, then watched Serenity again. It was like watching a whole different movie this time. Great series. I cried at the end, knowing it was all gone.
Sorry for the double-post, forgot to ask something. You know how they say “Shiny” as if it means “cool”. Are they really saying shiny or is it something in Chinese?
They’re really saying ‘Shiny.’
Which, by the way, I’d been saying for a good while beforehand. Clearly, Joss steals all his ideas from me. 
OK, I’ve heard all the Buzz about Firefly and would like to know more. Here are some general questions I know y’all can answer.
–When and where was Firefly first broadcast?
–Do the movie and episodes come in the same DVD set or seperately?
–Do I watch the movie first?
–Can I rent them at Blockbuster or do I have to buy them?
–What is Serenity and how is it and Firely related? In what order should I watch them?
THANKS
You can rent the series and the movie from Blockbuster and Netflix.
Watch the series, then the movie. Watch the series in the order Joss intended, not the order in which they were broadcast.
The series and movie DVDs are seperate.
Serenity is the movie that follows the series Firefly and attempts to wrap up some story/plot lines.
Then watch the series again, with commentary. Then watch the blooper reel. Then watch it all again. Repeat as necessary.
COOL, thanks!!
On Fox in 2002. I was a convert after the series was cancelled, but the original air dates are on the dvds.
Nope. Not yet, anyway.
I wouldn’t. I think the movie stands well on it’s own, but you’ll lose out elements by not watching the series first.
I believe they can be rented, but the dvd set of the series is available for about $25. A bargain.
There’s a little debate on this, but I’ll chime in with watching the series in the order it was meant to be watched…the order presented in the dvd set. After that, I guess you should read the 3 issue comic series, and then pop some popcorn and watch the movie.
You’re welcome. Welcome aboard. Enjoy.
I’ve seen this debate mentioned a few times, but I’ve never seen anyone arguing the other side. Are there actually people who think that the pilot episode should be watched somewhere near the end, only because FOX decided they didn’t want a two-hour episode after all?
I’ve never seen the TV series at Blockbuster, although like AndyPolly says, the DVD set can be purchased for a very reasonable price. I bought the set on blind faith without seing either Serenity or any of the episodes, but based on the buzz from this board and elsewhere on the net, my love of sci-fi and Westerns, along with my enjoyment of Joss Wheden’s other work, it was a good gamble.
By the way, “Serenity” is the name of the ship, which is a Firefly class transport ship. The feature film had to be called Serenity because Fox, who still owns the rights to the show, wouldn’t let Wheden use the name “Firefly”. IIRC, the word “firefly” is never spoken in the entire film.
I suspect that part of the reason the film tanked (at the box office anyway), is that “Serenity” is such an unusual title for an action/sci fi movie, plus there’s no obvious link to the series upon which it was based. So some of the target audience probably avoided it, assuming it was some kind of chick-flick, and the more casual Firefly fans may never have made the connection between the show and the movie.
Well, FOX obviously thought they should be shown in a different order.
Nobody with any sense thinks this.
Joss Whedon planned the 2 hour premiere with a very obvious break at the 1 hour mark. The main argument for Fox skipping it is the fact that there is relatively little action until the 2nd hour. They wanted to introduce it as what it was a Space + Western, however in doing so they skipped the layout that Whedon had planned and so you were left going “Spaceships? Cowboys? Who are these guys? What’s going on? Who’s Mal? Where’s Picard? Have you seen Yoda?” And to be honest “Train Job” the second episode is pretty weak overall.
shrugs Just my gorram 2 cents.
I think the ship’s class was mentioned by some Alliance officer in the pilot, referring to where to look for River. Something like “a Firefly was seen leaving Persephone.”