telophase | (no subject)

I don't remember who it was that recced Star Nomad (and sequels) to me, but so far (two books and a short story in ) it's really hitting the spot. I don't remember because every time I come across a rec that sounds interesting, I just send the sample to my kindle and, perhaps weeks later, read it and make the decision. Anyway, it's a basic ragtag group thrown together in a starship getting into trouble* sort of book, but that's apparently what I was looking for.*** So if that's what you're looking for, you might also like it.

* I have a vague recollection that something I sent to my Kindle in the recent past had a comparison to Firefly attached to it. It might have been this, but I don't remember for sure, Either way, that wouldn't have made my decision for me because I never got into the show. (GASP! THE HORROR!)**

** There was a time there a few years ago where I had this exact same conversation multiple times with multiple people:

Them: Have you seen Firefly?
Me: I tried it, but it wasn't for me.
Them: Did you watch the pilot?
Me: Yes.
Them: But did you watch the episode that was the real pilot?
Me: Yes. A Firefly fanboy showed it to me and explained why we were watching this episode. I didn't like any of the characters and didn't care about them.
Them: Oh, no, no! The characters change over the course of the show! You just have to keep watching!
Me: I have too many other things I want to do to invest time in watching a show that I don't like starring characters I don't care about on the off chance that I might eventually give a damn.
Them: Oh.
Them: ...
Them: ...
Them: ...
Them: Have you seen Lost?

The end of Lost has, finally, put an end to that particular conversation.

*** okay i have a weakness for supersoldiers in power armor

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I hear you.

*If you've not seen Farscape and plan to, delete this now, because I'm spoiling! My feelings won't be hurt, promise.*

So many people said Farscape was wonderful - the best thing on tv, life changing, and I was loaned an episode by someone who said that specific episode was the best episode of the best series he'd ever watched.

So I plugged his DVD into the tv, and stared at the screen as one character sobbed because her relationship dissolved as a result of her affair with her partner's son, and thought, Okay, no, not for me thanks, and returned the dvd, at which point I was told by someone else that I had to start from the beginning, that I had to grow to love these wonderful characters and invite them into my home and heart and so okay, clearly I was hasty, because {friend} knows me, so I found the first season on enough of a sale that I could purchase it, and watched all the way up to where they tore off bits of the pilot in order to make a deal that they knew was a trap and I thought, Okay, yeah, I'm done, thanks, as they converged in a pile to do the tearing of bits.

--::--

A friend watched Firefly through to where Mal and crew were laughing as Simon rounded the corner to find Kaylee sitting up and said, Nope, he's an asshole. I'm done.

My first thought was, but wait! and my second thought was Farscape and I said, okay doke! and we put in Chicago instead.

I've seen, maybe, five episodes of Farscape ever. I liked the ones I saw and have this vague intention to go back and watch more one day, but since I am terrible at watching 45-60 min shows, I suspect I'll never actually do so. :) (In other words: spoilers for that are FINE!)

So you understand my feelings! XD

Annoyingly persistent reccers are one of the reasons I no longer take fiction book recommendations, so you have my sympathies on the Firefly front. :]

Heh. Yeah, for all I know I might end up loving Firefly, but by this point it's a matter of pride. XD

Might have been me? Anyway, glad you're enjoying it!

If it was you: thank you! :D

That looks interesting, I grabbed the sample. We'll see if I get to reading it before I forget who recced it. :)

(Also tempted to post a "Heresy!" meme but I never got into Warhammer so I don't have one handy.)

I think you might like it, but I don't know enough of your tastes to say for sure, so consider that a qualified rec. :)

Fair enough.

i watched all of Firefly. i found it entertaining enough, and like some of the characters (most of the women, actually), but i never really saw why it was such a cult thing. it has plot holes big enough to drive a tank through in almost every episode (i'm the kind of person who is entertained by picking apart that sort of thing), and as science fiction goes, it's not all that original.

My husband, the fanboy in question in the above conversation, although I don't think we'd started dating at the time, tells me that what he enjoys best about it is the dialogue. I'm more of a character person, and I can watch or read some true drek at times if there's a character or two (or sometimes a situation) that I'm obsessed with, and nothing hit me in the show, alas.

yeah. i spent the entire show wondering why they put the least compelling, weakest character in charge. like, they had to have a white guy in the captain's seat *that badly*? because the black, female, second-in-command is a WAY stronger, richer, and more interesting character.

I think the biggest advantage Firefly has for cultishness is the lack of source material. In two days you can be a full-fledged Browncoat. Three if you read the comics. Becoming a fan of Babylon 5 or Buffy requires going through over a hundred episodes. Pity the new Star Trek fan who wants to see it all before attending a con.

Note that the biggest Star Wars fan group has organized around the original trilogy rather than insisting people see the animated spin-off shows.

Note that the biggest Star Wars fan group has organized around the original trilogy rather than insisting people see the animated spin-off shows.

Which is a shame, because I loooove Rebels. :) Although there's several points where I can tell a reveal would have had way more impact if I'd seen Clone Wars previously.

there's a comic? huh. ;)

i think you're on to something. Even Dr Who requires a good 9 seasons of watching, plus the spin-offs like Torchwood. (i am amused to note my husband and i are now watching Star Trek -- my first time doing so -- starting with The Next Generation. he keeps swearing the episodes get faster and more interesting as it gets out of the early 90s.)

of course, as for Star Wars, the original trilogy is actually good, and the "prequel" movies are perfectly horrible, so it's really no surprise. the new one was so meta-star-wars, like it was a movie *about* star wars, that i hope they can follow it up with two more at least equally good. we'll see. ;)

I don't get the swooning over Firefly either, which is especially frustrating since the general concept sounds like it should be my jam. Snarky salvagers/shippers/pirates in space, plus it has Gina Torres and Nathan Filion in the cast? I'm there. It came out at a time when I was watching Andromeda and really wishing I could've gotten a show just about the Eureka Maru crew working, snarking, and occasionally grifting their way through the Known Worlds before they came upon the Andromeda Ascendant. I was so disappointed. The culture seemed so randomly patched together, the Western cowboy elements annoyed the crap out of me (plus, heavy wooden furniture with no latches on a space ship?), I didn't like any of the characters or the plots enough, and Mal seriously and deeply annoyed me (particularly the way he treated Inara, his love interest), which is problematic when he's the lead character. The kickass, nutty, waif Mary Sue wore on my nerves more and more. I saw the "real" pilot and thought it was better than the series but that was a low bar.

I had to stop watching Lost somewhere during the first season because it started to get on my nerves, though I don't remember why, which in its own way says a lot. Fortunately, none of my friends lasted with it any further than that.

I don't remember any specific of why I didn't like the characters, other than that I was kind of bored while watching.

Never even started Lost, though Toby watched the whole thing. By the end of it, though, it was hate-watching: Toby vs. Lost and he was not going to let that show win.

(no subject)

Spoilers for Farscape - delete unread if you like and consider this just a me too!

Re: Spoilers for Farscape - delete unread if you like and consider this just a me too!

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