Firefly: Overrated and Unoriginal

[Khas 12,158]

Yes, I know I'm probably going to be getting a lot of flack for this thread, but it really needs to be said. Firefly is overrated and unoriginal. And here's why:

 

Overrated:

Going by how the Firefly fandom tends to react to Firefly so much as being mentioned, you'd think it was the Second Coming, or something similar. So, seeing as it had gotten so many positive reviews, I decided to give it a watch.

 

I was incredibly UNDERWHELMED.

 

Sure, Firefly was a cute series, and made me chuckle, and didn't deserve to be cancelled, but it wasn't the Super-De-Duper Sci Fi Show to End All Sci Fi Shows they said it would be. It was good, just not "The Godfather of Sci Fi Shows".

 

Then came the film, Serenity. Okay, I'll admit that I saw Serenity before I saw Firefly, but I had done some research on the Firefly Universe, but not on the film, so I wasn't completely in the dark. I have to admit, it was better than I expected, but still, not the Supreme Masterpiece of Sci Fi. As well as the fact that the Alliance created the Reavers was one I saw coming as soon as they found out about the planet Miranda. Which, by the way, Miranda is the name of a moon of Uranus. Much like how the cliche storm that was "Avatar" used the name Pandora for the moon it took place on, despite Pandora being the name of a moon of Saturn. Wait, did I just compare Firefly to Avatar? Oh dear God. Firefly may be overrated, but it in NO WAY deserves to be compared to Avatar. Hell, I'm left-wing on most issues, and I thought Avatar was just one big political straw-movie. Anyway, back on topic. One of Serenity's, and indeed, Firefly's biggest flaws is it's portrayal of River Tam. Not because of her back story, or anything. If anything, her back story made her a very interesting and tragic character. It was her badass-ness. As my dad, a former US Marine Gunnery Sergeant, once said, even though River may be fast enough to deliver all those punches and kicks, she's got so little mass backing it up that it would be impossible for her to do the damage that she did, due to her lack of body mass. And while you may be saying that she's using her opponents' body mass against them, like in many martial arts, her fighting style clearly showed that this was not the case.

 

Also, the fact that people wear 19th century clothing in the 26th century is just a bit of a WTF moment for me. And for a bit of Narm (when a moment that's supposed to be serious ends up cheesy), the fact that they said "Uplift" instead of "Take off". What.

 

Overall, Firefly is a good, and funny series, but not the best one out there. The characters are likable, but they don't stick to you the way James T. Kirk and Luke Skywalker do.

 

The Unoriginality:

Okay, this is probably going to draw just as much flack, but it still needs to be posted. Firefly isn't really original. In fact, it's like a mashup of three separate shows, Outlaw Star, Cowboy Bebop, and Blake's 7. I'll explain why.

 

First, I'll go with Outlaw Star. This was a 1995 science-fiction anime wherein a bunch of outlaws are running from a powerful organization (The Kei Pirates, in this case), while going from planet to planet, trying to earn a few bucks, and among their crew is a girl with a mysterious past, whom everyone and their Uncle Morris is after. Hmmm, sound familiar?

 

Also, get a load of how Melfina (the mysterious girl mentioned earlier) is introduced in Outlaw Star. She's introduced naked and in a box, while the captain of the ship (Gene Starwind) watches her emerge. Hmmm, sound familiar?

 

The next of these series is the 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop. Another science fiction anime by the same people who brought you Outlaw Star, this series brings us a space western, wherein Earth was abandoned, and humanity has spread throughout the Solar System. Criminal organizations run rampant, and the ISSP (Inter-Solar System Police) pay bounty hunters called "Cowboys" to bring these criminals and terrorists to justice. Cowboy Bebop is a world of anachronisms, where spacecraft and old handguns can be found side-by-side. Sound familiar?

 

The final one of these three series, Blake's 7, isn't an anime at all. It's not even from Japan. It is a British live-action sci-fi show, that ran from 1978 to 1981. In this series, a political dissident, Roj Blake, who goes around with a gang of misfits, stirring up as much trouble as possible for an oppressive regime. Gorram, am I the only one getting flashbacks?

 

So basically, Firefly takes the ragtag bunch of misfits out to stir up trouble from Blake's 7, the girl with a mysterious past that everyone wants on a ship crewed by Average Joes looking for work from Outlaw Star, and the Old West meets Outer Space from Cowboy Bebop, and puts them in a blender. Hardly something I'd call "original". Although, I have seen worse ripoffs. *coughTheInheritanceSagacough*

 

So, feel free to disagree and state why, and I'll be happy to respond.

[Ali-Sama 5]

I want a bebop firefly crossover.

[scvn2812 504]

So I assume you can point out a series that did not borrow any thematic elements from any other right, a series that is pure, pristine and completely original?

[Khas 12,158]

Not really. This is more of a rant against rabid Firefly fans who think that Firefly is "Teh Greatest Thing EVAR!!!1111", and who think that it's completely original.

[Millenniumfalsehood 11]

I appreciate your view here, and agree completely.

 

I think most Firefly fans who think that it's original are simply either uninformed/ignorant of anime, or are just enamored and looking for any label they can slap on it. I loved Firefly, but it's for the writing and dialogue. I like Whedon's style of "buffy-speak" and the characters, and I think the series is very likeable, even to non-scifi fans. But on the whole, it still doesn't merit *all* the praise the Browncoats are wont to heap on it.

[Tyralak 12,068]

Actually, this is the main reason to watch Firefly.

 

[WalksInDarkness 4]

The problem with Firefly is that a lot of the dialogue comes of sounding like douchebaggery. My wife wanted to punch me after watching the movie. Some can be funny, but that series made me roll my eyes so many times I got vertigo. Not really, but you get the level of yawn I think it deserves.