^TagShepherd (character in Firefly)

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 4, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Featured, Firefly (TV series 2002-2003), Inara (character in Serenity), Joss Whedon, Mal (character in Serenity), Malcolm Reynolds (character in Serenity), Mr. Universe (character in Serenity), Operative (character in Serenity), Reavers (in Serenity), River Tam (character in Serenity), Science fiction (Wild West theme), Serenity (film), Serenity (film) critical plot choices, Serenity (film) why no sequel, Shepherd (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Serenity), Wash (character in Serenity)}

Serenity Review Part 2: Great Scenes Dogged by Bad Plot Choices

_{We meet fresh villains and finally learn River’s secret: She knows the origin of the malevolent Reavers and it is not neat or pretty} _{Gary Varner

June 4, 2022

16

Arts & Culture}

Last time, I began my (now) three-part review of the film Serenity (2005) with a defense of creator and director Joss Whedon’s character development choices. I have issues with some of his plot choices, however, so let me pick up where the first review left off. In order to get more information on River, Wash suggests speaking with a galactic hacker known as Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe tells them that the Alliance had indeed used a subliminal signal to activate River’s programming. He also points out that River mentions the word “ Miranda”. At the same time, Simon checks on River and, as he speaks with her, she tells him that “Miranda” is a memory, but it isn’t hers. In Read More ›

Exploration of new worlds, space and universe, new galaxies. Planets in backlight. Exoplanets. Solar systems. 3d rendering

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
May 28, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Ambassador (character in Firefly), Featured, Firefly (TV series 2002-2003), Joss Whedon, Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), Operative (character in Serenity), River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction, Serenity (film), Shepherd (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Serenity: My Defense of the Film’s Initial Choices (Part 1)

_{Some viewers have complained that director Joss Whedon changed the characters’s behavior in the film vs. the TV series. I believe they are mistaken} _{Gary Varner

May 28, 2022

12

Arts & Culture}

I watched the movie Serenity (2005) long before I ever watched the series, and I fell in love it. Some people have complained that, because Joss Whedon couldn’t decide between writing the film for the fans of the preceding TV series Firefly or for a new audience, the movie was hard to follow. This was not my experience, although I didn’t know the backstory and thus didn’t understand the significance of some of the events of the film. But these events help explain why the movie Serenity never got its long-desired sequel. The movie opens with Simon rescuing his sister River from the lab where she was held captive. This event had actually been recorded by the security archives and Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 26, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Ambassador (character in Firefly), Featured, KayLee (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction (Wild West theme), Shepherd (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 5: Brawls That Don’t Make Sense, Part 1

_{In this episode, after the cattle are unloaded, characters act in an uncharacteristic way in order to create a plot crisis} _{Gary Varner

February 26, 2022

10

Arts & Culture}

The vast quantities of cow dung left on the ship after a shipment of cows was dropped off is a telling omen for how this episode unfolds. We do get some much-needed exposition in the form of hints and flashbacks regarding the Shepherd and River Tam’s past but, apart from that, Episode 5 is by far the worst. While the first four episodes had some weak moments, they’ve been funny and enjoyable. Episode 5 dives into the incoherent. We open with the cows from the previous episode being unloaded from the ship and herded into a corral. Mal (Captain Malcolm Reynolds) and his crew work the herd like real cowboys which is enjoyable, but as they’re working, Simon Tam begins Read More ›

Laser Cannon Incapacitates Enemy Satellite In Space

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
February 12, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Medicine and Health, Religion

Tagged
Alliance (in Firefly), Firefly Episode 3, Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), Reavers (in Firefly), River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction, Shepherd (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 3: Should Some People Be Left To Die?

_{After the space crew rescues the survivor of a pirate attack, Captain Mal faces off against The Shepherd on whether God can save even that man.} _{Gary Varner

February 12, 2022

10

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Medicine and Health, Religion}

Episode 3 begins with a friendly game of basketball… or something like it. Simon, a doctor who has joined the Firefly crew, notes that there appear to be no rules to the game as he watches from the balcony. The game is interrupted by a “proximity alert” and the crew discovers a wrecked ship floating in space. The captain decides to check it out and they quickly discover that the ship has been attacked by the infamous Reavers. We’d seen their ship once in episode one, and we’d heard some ominous descriptions of what they do to their prisoners: “If they take the ship, they’ll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, Read More ›