Firefly Reconsidered: Why Firefly Isn't "Hall of Fame" Great

[Deset Gled]

It's possible to appreciate his accomplishments without blinding oneself to his flaws--and, conversely, condemn the flaws without denying the accomplishments.

This, so very much. See also: Alfred Hitchcock, H.P. Lovecraft, Abraham Lincoln, etc, etc,

If Buffy had been cancelled one episode before Angel was 'revealed' as a vampire (um... spoiler?) would that have been speculation? Or both the planned outcome of the choices they were making, and, you know, obvious?

Is it possible that they might have changed direction? Sure. But there has never been any indication that they were going to.

IMNSHO, yes, that would be speculation. I treat what is formally pubished as being canon. Any word-of-god stuff is not canon until it shows up in actual, published material. Doesn't matter if it was an episode away, a season away, or a spinoff series away. For a very related example, the plot of the Annointed One in Buffy changed at the absolute last minute. He was supposed to be the big bad of season two. It was planned all through season one, was written that way completely thought season one, and didn't change until they wanted to start filming and realized the child actor had aged too much.

I actually look down on creators who try and force things into their product through "word-of-god" decrees. For a specific example, J.K. Rowling angers me with stuff like Dumbledor's sexuality. You had 7 main books, an infinite number of tie-in opportunities like Beetle the Bard, and 10 movies. If he's gay, have the guts to show it somewhere in the darned series already. If the only place you actually say it is on Twitter, it doesn't count.

 

[Umbran]

First, the network canceled the show midway through season 4. So the writers scrambled to jam in all of the important plot points in the last half of 4. Then the show was unexpectedly un-canceled, leaving them with very little to do for 5, so they had to gin up some kind of a plot to fill in the gaps. Thus the telepath rebellion.

So, it seems hat some of the telepath stuff was originally planned to happen across seasons four and five, but not all in one big glom like it came out.

And then, there was some kind of miscommunication which resulted in Claudia Christian leaving unexpectedly.

Common among reports that have floated around is that it had to do with that un-cancellation, short timelines, and contract negotiations.

 

[Umbran]

Oh, c'mon. Byron and the mopes provided the best scenery-chewing acting since, oh, junior high drama club!

And Byron did introduce the Good Hair Gene to the Telepath community. Once he shows up, even telepaths living Down Below have marvellous hair, never mind that regular bathing and hair care products are a luxury down there...

 

[Maxperson]

And Byron did introduce the Good Hair Gene to the Telepath community. Once he shows up, even telepaths living Down Below have marvellous hair, never mind that regular bathing and hair care products are a luxury down there...

Maybe they just made us all see them as having good hair and grooming.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Maybe they just made us all see them as having good hair and grooming.

I love Babylon 5 so much that I really want to be able to stake out my claim on the Hot Take corner of ... "You know, the whole Byron plot? Not so bad after all!"

I just can't. Byron was like concentrated Marcus musk. Byron made me re-think my position on Bester.

 

[Umbran]

Byron made me re-think my position on Bester.

The enemy of my enemy... can still be a complete nozzle.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

The enemy of my enemy... can still be a complete nozzle.

Definitely! But Bester is the kind of complete nozzle I can get behind!

Walter Koenig is having FUN playing Bester. And when Ensign Pavel Chekov (TOS) is having FUN, we are all winners, aren't we?

 

[Ryujin]

Definitely! But Bester is the kind of complete nozzle I can get behind!

Walter Koenig is having FUN playing Bester. And when Ensign Pavel Chekov (TOS) is having FUN, we are all winners, aren't we?

If you want to see a couple of episodes of Koenig playing a complete douche, look up the old Canadian SciFi series "The Starlost" (1973-1974). It was only a few years after Star Trek: TOS wrapped and you might be surprised by a few of the names that pop up in the credits of various episodes.

 

[Maxperson]

I love Babylon 5 so much that I really want to be able to stake out my claim on the Hot Take corner of ... "You know, the whole Byron plot? Not so bad after all!"

I just can't. Byron was like concentrated Marcus musk. Byron made me re-think my position on Bester.

I loved the series, but I didn't like the Byron and Co. storyline, either. I just kept thinking, "Someone please get these people a planet. Soon!"

 

[Maxperson]

Definitely! But Bester is the kind of complete nozzle I can get behind!

Walter Koenig is having FUN playing Bester. And when Ensign Pavel Chekov (TOS) is having FUN, we are all winners, aren't we?

LOL True story. When I was much younger I worked at a video store that Walter Koenig frequented to rent videos. We would talk a bit and then he'd go on his way. A bit later I discovered, having run into him a few times, that he also shopped at my local grocery store. Fast forward a few years and I was walking through Burbank, CA and Walter comes walking down the sidewalk. When he reached me he paused, looked at me and said, "I know you." I got recognized by a movie star!