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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Westgate Polks" data-source="post: 2463518" data-attributes="member: 13524">Firefly - "Low" Sci-FiReveal -First off - yay to you!  There are not too many people who would comment against something this popular they don't like while making strong points (as opposed to simple bashing).  As someone who has recently come to really enjoy the show I appreciate the honesty and the open mind.Second off, not everyone will like Firefly.  The show is a bit quirky and no show is for everyone.  I won't try to show you where you are "wrong", because you aren't.  What I will do is point out a few things that I enjoy about the show you can get a sense of where at lease one of the fans is coming from.Just as a bit of background, I don't really enjoy either Buffy the Vampire Slayer OR Angel, and I missed the Firefly tv show.  I have several friends who are fans and they talked the show up.  At ComiCon 2005 I was fortuante enough to attend the sneak preview and to playtest the new RPG coming out; both were thoroughly enjoyable and prompted me to begin watching the DVDs.The most striking elements of the show are "low" science:  there is no FTL travel and there are no aliens.  Combining these elements make for a setting that is very different from most Sci-Fi fare.  It also places boundaries around the storytelling, as locals can't be hundreds of lightyears away from one another and the antagonist can't have wild racial abilities to pose challenges.  The resulting setting is very human-esque.I find the juxstaposition of the science fiction element and the western element very entertaining even if it presents a few logical conundrums that I have yet to reconcile.  It illuminates the whole "space as the last fontier" mentality that sci-fi has had for some time.  It also highlights the relatively low technology level of the show.  This again places emphasis on the story by removing elements that some sci-fi creators hide behind.  Everyone does not possess massive laser weapons (although laser technology does exist), there are not teleporters to instantly bridge the gap between locals and make "instant calvary" a possible story option, and there are not robots / droids for every function.  I do have troubles with so many characters speaking with a southern accent:  it doesn't make sense to me that such a large population would speak with a particular American dialect AND that said dialect really exists only on the fringes of Alliance.  The parallels between the War of Unification in the series and the American Civil War also interest me, in that the Alliance (the winners, the group trying to maintain cohesion) is portrayed as the 'bad guy' while the Brown Coats (the losers, the sepratists) are portrayed as freedom fighters seeking their own place in the world.  Not only does that decision stand much conventional teaching about the civil war on end, it also places the shows point of view such that we get a different perspective.The other component of the show that really captures my attention are the characters.  Some are a bit stereotypical, but most have at least one fresh aspect that sets them apart.The Captain is probably the least unique of the characters, as he is an ex-soldier type no running a team of thieves who (mostly) rob from the rich, etc. etc.  His relative lack of superior knowledge does set him apart a bit, and the fact that he is NOT always cool and collected is also a nice touch.  The first mate is unique in that she is a strong black woman; NOT the typical second-in-command type at all.  The fact that she almost blindly follows the captains orders yet has no hesitation in prioritizing differently when her husband is also at risk.  Her husband, the pilot, is atypical of 'hot-shot' pilots in that he is not overly macho and does not always handle himself well.  He flies, but he is not a great fighter.  The master mechanic is a very young woman (who, when over her head, acts more like a old girl) with a raging sex-drive.  And of course there is the companion (the 'whore') who, in a great twist of irony, has more legitimacy than the rest of the crew.It's very cool that you are planning on watching a few more episodes to get a better sense of the show for yourself.  I hope you enjoy them!</blockquote>

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