Your thoughts on getting into Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Grey]

If you can hold off for the miniseries then do it. It really sets up most of the key characters and elements.

 

[Jeff/C]

Great topic, I was thinking about this myself. Unfortunately, I've seen Serenity but not the show :b it's the movie that made me interested in the series.I really liked the movie, if the T.V. is the same, I know I'll enjoy it. BTW: Stupid question...is the movie a prequel?

I must have picked up Battlestar and put it back down a dozen times...maybe I should commit. You guys have sold me on it.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Serenity takes place after the final episode of the series.

 

[Sam Favate]

I recommend watching the BG miniseries first. It really sets things up, and the events of the mini are referred to right up to the present episode.

 

[Holadem]

Well too late, I went ahead last night, watched the 1st 2 eps, and really liked what I saw.

My initial reaction to the 1st episode (33) was: "Holy cow, I know these are extremenly trying circumtances, but do these people ever lighten up??!!". Possibly the bleakest SF show I've ever seen.

I am REALLY digging the Firefly-style Fx.

--
H

 

[Steven_F]

Definitely go for BSG. In the past I was a big Star Trek and Stargate fan and never gave shows like Farscape and B5 a chance. When I was talked in to trying B5, at first I thought it was really crappy, but by the beginning of the 2nd season I was loving it. I am halfway through Farscape season 1 and it is just ok. But BSG blows them all away. It is so good that it has made me not like Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis nearly as much. I still enjoy them, but they are nothing I get excited over. The BSG mini series can be purchased seperately, but it comes with Season 1.

I have never watched Firefly but I do have it on DVD. I have seen Serenity and I thought it was ok, but I wasn't overly impressed. But after watching BSG, my standards have risen. Maybe this is why I am not that impressed with Farscape.

 

[Will_B]

That sure is true. I recently saw an episode of one of the Stargate shows, and I was blown away by how low budget (and crappy) the special effects were in comparison to the cinematic effects that Battlestar Galactica and Firefly shared.

Seeing Stargate's effects in comparison to Galactica, it was like looking at a TRS-80 computer game when they had spaceships shooting at each other. And the stunt casting (on Stargate) of every recognizable sci-fi actor made me wretch! (In the one episode I happened to tune into, they had Cancer Man from the X-Files, the military father from Twin Peaks, Ben Browder from Farscape, an actor who regularly played Klingon on Star Trek, and a couple others whose faces I recognized but can't quite place).

I think Galactica has ruined Stargate for me. But regarding Farscape, I think Farscape's effects still look "ok" compared to Galactica. Perhaps it is because the presence of muppets on Farscape announces right off the bat that the show won't be terribly realistic in look or tone. It is so colorful and animated, it isn't in competition for the realism of Galactica.

 

[JasonB]

I'm way late to the thread but I just recently had a friend recommend these two to me (maybe 3-4 months before you Ron) and I have watched almost nothing else saved Firefly and BSG.

IMO, they are some of the best television that has ever been produced period. Granted I haven't watched alot of TV in my life but to call these series tv shows seems like a slap in the face to me. They are exceptional productions.

I'm now caught up with BSG and am finally getting over the realization that there will be no more Firefly. Friday night is now my new favorite TV viewing night.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

So Ron what have you decided to do?

 

[Bill Williams]

Ronald, while I can't comment on Firefly at all since I've never seen it, you have DEFINITELY got to pick up the new BSG on DVD! When I saw the miniseries on television a couple of years ago, I was extremely hesitant and reluctant to give it a chance. All that changed last year when I got the Season 1 DVD. I was blown away at how good this series actually is! It has that little something extra that Star Trek had missed over the past few years, edginess.

Since then I've gotten Season 2.0 and the original miniseries disc releases - what I did was replace Disc 1 of S1 with the original miniseries disc because of the extra stuff that was left off S1 (the deleted scenes, the 40-minute "Lowdown" documentary, and even the SciFi Channel trailers) to have the complete set in one package - and I can only say I'm excited about how the rest of BSG plays out! (Too bad I can't watch new episodes on TV, since my wife and I don't have cable at the new house, I have to wait until it arrives on DVD! Oh well, the sacrifices we make...)

 

[Mary_P]

Hey, Jason, don't close the book quite so quickly! While "Serenity" didn't do as well theatrically as many of us had hoped, I'm still cautiously optimistic that there will be more to the series in some form. The US DVD is still selling reasonably well after being out for more than a month -- both the movie and the series are still in Amazon's Top 20 -- and foreign DVD sales haven't even started yet.

Ronald (and anyone else interested in sampling some episodes), if you have Comcast, the series is available through their OnDemand service and is scheduled to run there through the end of April. It's $2.99 for three episodes; the biggest problem I see is that they're following the Fox broadcast order rather than the intended order as on the DVDs. That means the two-hour pilot -- which really should be seen first as it introduces all the characters as well as the world they live in -- is buried on package #4, following the last one-hour episode that Fox showed, which is the last episode in the DVD set. The movie "Serenity" starts on OnDemand tomorrow, 2/2.

 

[KevinGress]

In defense of Stargate SG-1, if you're seeing a recent episode, you're not seeing it at it's best. Remember, SG-1 is in it's 9th, repeat 9TH, season. It's gotten a bit stale, and not to mention, cheaper, since its move from Showtime to SCI-FI (starting with season 6). I would wager a bet that BSG, and even Atlantis is given more money per ep. than SG-1, and yet, SG-1 is still achieving essentially the same numbers, ratings-wise.

Also, comparing sfx between BSG and Farscape is a bit like comparing Star Trek TOS vs. TNG. Farscape ended at least 3-4 years ago, with the miniseries airing last year. BSG is barely 2 yrs old and is benefitting from techniques pioneered on Firefly.

I actually like the richness of Farscape - its sets and characters are more 'believable' of what a galaxy with a plethora of different, and importantly alien, species would be like. Too many series have 'copped out' by making the vast majority of their aliens humanoid, and at least Farscape makes a serious attempt at showing life in other forms. How often do we see the metallic Cylons? BSG took the cost-cutting measure of making 'human' Cylons, that are SO alike humans that they can even cross-breed. A bit convient, sfx-wise.

Finally, I hold no argument that BSG is certainly a great drama, with sci-fi elements. I think, however, using the term 'realism' in regards to sci-fi is problematic at best. Looking at just the last episode of BSG, in regards to the black market, shows that BSG stretches believablity. (It's not believable to have a black market, operating from space ships, attacking military officers with no fear of reprisals) All of the shows mentioned (SG-1, B5, Star Trek, Farscape, Firefly, and BSG) are of high quality and during their time each marked the pinnacle of sci-fi, in one way or another.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

FOX is still making stupid mistakes in regards to FIREFLY. Hilarious.

 

[Mary_P]

I don't know whose bonehead idea it was to arrange the packages the way Comcast did, but I agree, it does seem like the kind of mishandling we've sorta grown accustomed to with this series.... Maybe they can make an arrangement with their carriers to air it upside down as well....

 

[Tony Whalen]

Just to echo the majority of posters in this thread... BOTH series are awesome.

Firefly is great fun, and very enjoyable. Love the effects, and found it interesting to watch a sci-fi/western that did NOT feature any aliens. Characters are fun, and a great cast. Worth the investment, and an easy watch with (sadly) only one season. Also, as others have said, watch Firefly BEFORE you watch Serenity.

BSG... well, I was one of the hesitant ones, being a fan of the original. Starbuck as a babe? AND Boomer? Hmmm...

However, the show won me over. Thought the mini-series went a BIT over the top with the sexuality and the shaky-cam-in-space, but one the whole I found it quite gripping. Edgy disaster drama with realistic characters. It's TOTALLY different from the original... but very well-written... and quite dark.

We're just starting to see season 2 on the "Space" channel in Canuck-land... dying to see more!

 

[Holadem]

--
H

 

[David Williams]

I would have agreed with you last year with the lessening of RDA's committment to the series, but this season is firing on all cylinders. They finally found their groove with the new cast members (and the addition of Claudia Black full time next season is just icing), as the latest episode was just fantastic (for both SG-1 & Atlantis).

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread about BSG & Farscape : I come to Farscape lately in a truly bizarre fashion. When the show first started I was a huge fan and remained that way right up until the beginning of the third season (with the exception of the hideous events depicted in DNA Mad Scientist. I almost parted ways with the show then.) With the up and down cast changes that S3 wrought I became so disenchanted/disgusted I even sold off my DVD collection. Now I find myself trying to get back into it as I got the S1C1 Starburst DVD as a late Christmas present. I'm crossing my fingers that S3 won't be as severe as I remember it (especially now that I know why things were changed.)

BSG, on the other hand, was simply too dark. Great characters, great acting, great effects but ultimately too bleak for my tastes. I enjoy dark stories, but there has to be some sense of "we will overcome" for me to get into it. There is no real sense of hope in the BSG universe, at least, not from what I saw in the miniseries and the first two episodes of S1.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Get both. It doesn't have to be either/or, after all, we can all enjoy sitcoms/dramedys and dramas, right? Think of Firefly as almost a dramedy, whereas BSG is serious hard-core drama.

As a taster, just watch Serenity (the actual pilot episode, not the movie), and if you enjoy it, you should watch the rest of the TV eps, followed by the Serenity movie. As noted, Serenity was the original pilot, shelved by Fox suits in favour of a more action-oriented Train Job, but it is clear it should have been the pilot and your starting point.

For BSG, the mini-series is the obvious place to start, and considering it sets up the series, you really should start there -- sorry Holadem! -- although if you know the premise of the original BSG, you already know what you need to know anyway.

In both cases, you've invested only 1.5 or 3 hours' time, if you don't like either one (or *shock!* both), they are more or less self-contained stories anyway, and you can just drop the rest and move on. But I think you'll be glad you did.

BTW, since Firefly is notionally "over", you might as well start there first: BSG is ongoing so by the time you get around to it, Season 2.5 might be out on DVD as well, sparing you our torment as we wait for weekly offerings...

Which is why you need to perservere and watch the whole thing...

 

[John Leaning]

I watched the Serenity movie first, and wasn't particulary impressed, but was convinced by my sister-in-law to watch Firefly.

I powered through the series over 2 nights and loved it. It has real characters, they don't take themselves too seriously, similar to B5, but they play the situations they are in honestly.

I then watched the Serenity movie again and found it to complement the series fantasically, completing the story and character arcs.

 

[Kevin Grey]

I have to wonder how much of that is stunt casting and how much just comes from a limited pool of actors available in the Vancouver area.