So, after some marathon reading for A More Diverse Universe, followed by a marathon of clicking and commenting on all of your wonderful posts, I pretty much took this week off from reading and blogging. What did I do instead?
I DISCOVERED THE AWESOMENESS OF FIREFLY.
Yeah. Welcome to 2002, Aarti. I'm over a decade late to this party, but what a party it is! I made my way through the entire first season in less than a week, and then watched the movie Serenity, too. It was amazing!
Firefly is set a few hundred years in the future. Humans have created new earths and spread through the universe. There was a war, and now many of the central core planets are controlled by the Alliance, a Big Brother type of government. The Alliance basically ignores the frontier planets, though, and that's where many people (including those on the Serenity spaceship) spend a lot of their time, flying under the radar (pun totally intended).
So what you get in Firefly is science fiction with a generous dose of the romance of the Western frontier, and a lot of commentary on social issues. And lots of very, very funny scenes.
And you get all that with a wonderfully diverse cast!
The people on Serenity come together for many reasons - often escaping their past or on a quest for adventure or on the run from authorities. Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his first mate Zoe are the two main characters. Both of them fought against the Alliance in a war, and their friendship is one of the highlights of the series. It's rare to see friendship between men and women on-screen, and this is an excellent example. They trust each other implicitly, and there is never any sexual tension between the two of them, which I LOVE.
Firefly features four female characters, all of whom are capable of talking to each other about things other than men, and all of whom excel at their chosen vocations. I'm thrilled that this show aired over 10 years ago and got all this right, and that it was such a cult hit. (Sadly, not a ratings hit.)
My favorite character switches from one episode to another. Zoe is often up there, but I also am a big fan of Jayne, who is basically the muscle of the operation. He usually has the best lines, and while he isn't portrayed as being very bright, he has a wonderful character journey and some very raw moments.
I just wish there was more!!
There IS a comic book series, Leaves on the Wind, that takes place post Serenity (the movie sequel to the canceled TV series), and the compendium comes out next month, so I will ABSOLUTELY get my hands on that.
Between Aliette de Bodard, my current read, Howl, and this Firefly series, I'm totally hooked on science fiction! I may have to return to Battlestar Galactica and finish off that series, too. Any other recommendations for quality sci fi from all of you?
I DISCOVERED THE AWESOMENESS OF FIREFLY.
Yeah. Welcome to 2002, Aarti. I'm over a decade late to this party, but what a party it is! I made my way through the entire first season in less than a week, and then watched the movie Serenity, too. It was amazing!
Firefly is set a few hundred years in the future. Humans have created new earths and spread through the universe. There was a war, and now many of the central core planets are controlled by the Alliance, a Big Brother type of government. The Alliance basically ignores the frontier planets, though, and that's where many people (including those on the Serenity spaceship) spend a lot of their time, flying under the radar (pun totally intended).
So what you get in Firefly is science fiction with a generous dose of the romance of the Western frontier, and a lot of commentary on social issues. And lots of very, very funny scenes.
And you get all that with a wonderfully diverse cast!
The people on Serenity come together for many reasons - often escaping their past or on a quest for adventure or on the run from authorities. Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his first mate Zoe are the two main characters. Both of them fought against the Alliance in a war, and their friendship is one of the highlights of the series. It's rare to see friendship between men and women on-screen, and this is an excellent example. They trust each other implicitly, and there is never any sexual tension between the two of them, which I LOVE.
Firefly features four female characters, all of whom are capable of talking to each other about things other than men, and all of whom excel at their chosen vocations. I'm thrilled that this show aired over 10 years ago and got all this right, and that it was such a cult hit. (Sadly, not a ratings hit.)
My favorite character switches from one episode to another. Zoe is often up there, but I also am a big fan of Jayne, who is basically the muscle of the operation. He usually has the best lines, and while he isn't portrayed as being very bright, he has a wonderful character journey and some very raw moments.
I just wish there was more!!
There IS a comic book series, Leaves on the Wind, that takes place post Serenity (the movie sequel to the canceled TV series), and the compendium comes out next month, so I will ABSOLUTELY get my hands on that.
Between Aliette de Bodard, my current read, Howl, and this Firefly series, I'm totally hooked on science fiction! I may have to return to Battlestar Galactica and finish off that series, too. Any other recommendations for quality sci fi from all of you?
Yayyyyyyyy! I'm so pleased you're enjoying Firefly! Isn't it great? What's your favorite episode? (I like Out of Gas the best but I am in the minority.)
ReplyDeleteSci-fi recommendations: Can I interest you in Daryl Gregory? I looooved his most recent book Afterparty, or if you want something shorter, he has a superb novella called We Are All Completely Fine. I want him to be more widely known! I really love his work.
I love Out of Gas, too! I am looking at the episode summaries online and I THINK I missed Heart of Gold - that maybe isn't on Netflix? There are only 13 episodes on Netflix, but I think there were 14 originally...
DeleteAnd I will check out Daryl Gregory for sure!
DeleteIt's such a great series and I wish there was more! And yay for Aliette de Bodard! I'm a huge fan of Iain M. Banks' Culture series beginning with Consider Phlebas and also Samuel R. Delaney's Babel 17.
ReplyDeleteI have heard a ton about Delaney and Banks. Banks intimidates me because his books are SO LONG, but I shouldn't let that stand in my way!
DeleteFirefly is the BEST! I've watched the series several times and it doesn't get old. Battlestar Galactica is also excellent, especially the first couple of seasons. I've been meaning to track down and finish watching Babylon 5, which I remember being GREAT. As for books, Ursula K. Le Guin writes incredibly good sci-fi which usually deals with interesting social issues (The Left Hand of Darkness has aliens who kind of shift genders throughout their life, for example - I also love The Dispossessed because of it's exploration of anarchic-syndicalism...!) Lois McMaster Bujold is also good. :)
ReplyDeleteI have tried one of Bujold's Vorkosigan books - I shall continue with the series!
DeleteLove Firefly & Serenity. Must try and rewatch it some time soon.
ReplyDeleteI assume they hold up well - so much to enjoy in them :-)
DeleteYou may have opened a dangerous floodgate asking for sci fi recommendations! Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga (terrible title, please ignore) is my suggestion to someone starting out. I'm going to have a ton and a ton and a ton of other recs.
ReplyDeleteYay, such an awesome show!!
ReplyDeleteBest. Show. Ever.
ReplyDeleteI love Firefly! It's an amazing series and I'm so glad you have enjoyed it. As for sci-fi, I echo the Miles Vorkosigan series and also would suggest the Confederation series by Tanya Huff. It takes the first book to get into it but it was very worth it for me. Also, Rachel Bach's new series, starting with Fortune's Pawn.
ReplyDeleteMy brother loves this show so much that he must have watched it umpteen times. I haven't yet though it's always on my list!
ReplyDeleteI loved Firefly when I watched it a few years ago and I loved the first two seasons of Battlestar Gallactica, but I just could NOT bring myself to care about the third season and I never finished it before they took it off Netflix. I'm so glad you're enjoying Firefly! I can't think of any other very sci fi shows that I've really gotten into, but I'm looking forward to reading through the recs you get!
ReplyDeleteSo good! It may be time for a re-watch. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted something lighter but still sci-fi, we had fun watching Warehouse 13 and Eureka.
You aren't late to the party! Browncoats (i.e. what fans are called) always welcome more to the group. You can’t stop the signal!
ReplyDeleteFor sci-fi books, I would recommend The Conquerors Saga trilogy and the Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn. Both are fantastic. If you want to go old-school, try the Starbridge series by A.C. Crispin or the Caves of Steel (and its sequels) by Isaac Asimov. Both were written before 1990 (Asimov’s published in 1953) and they have the unique flavor of Golden Era science fiction. Happy Reading!
I was late to the party too, watched it earlier this year. I've not watched Serenity yet because I don't want it to end!
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite episode is Our Mrs. Reynolds.
ReplyDeleteYou might try some SF by Joan Slonczewski, starting with A Door Into Ocean.