^TagSimon Tam (character in Firefly)

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

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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 ›

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Author
Gary Varner
Date
April 9, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Relationships

Tagged
Adelai Niska (character in Firefly), Featured, Firefly (cancellation), Firefly (Episode 10), Firefly (Episode 9), Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), River Tam (character in Firefly), Serenity (film), Simon Tam (character in Firefly), Wash (character in Firefly), Zoe (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 10: Jealousy Divides the Firefly Crew in Space

_{And yet jealousy plays a key role in saving Mal and Wash from a villain’s sadistic torture} _{Gary Varner

April 9, 2022

11

Arts & Culture, Relationships}

Episode 9 marks a turning point for the series. The previous episodes have been somewhat hit and miss but so far, there’s only been one outright bad episode (Episode 5, which broke all the “rules” of consistent character). However, at best thus far, the series has been very… episodic. That is, a handful of the characters recurs but the events from the preceding episodes seem to have no effect on the upcoming ones. But with Episode 9, that changes. The transition from Episode 9 to 10 starts off on a promising note. We see the events of Episode 9 actually affecting the events of Episode 10. This is a trend that continues as the story builds to a crescendo. That Read More ›

dramatic lit image of a bloody crime scene with a knife on the floor

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Author
Gary Varner
Date
April 2, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Neuroscience

Tagged
Brain (10% use myth), Firefly Episode 9, Jayne Cobb (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), Nathan Fillion, River Tam (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 9: A Medical Heist — the Best So Far

_{Simon, with access to medical equipment, diagnoses his erratic sister’s neurological issues — after she has unaccountably stabbed Jayne} _{Gary Varner

April 2, 2022

11

Arts & Culture, Neuroscience}

This is my favorite episode so far. It’s a classic heist with all the traditional beats! The crew is sitting around the table talking and eating while Jayne cleans his gun. He keeps spitting on the various parts for some reason, and Simon asks him to stop. He doesn’t. Jayne keeps spitting on the parts, glaring at Simon all the while River, Simon’s sister, gets up, grabs a butcher knife, and slashes Jayne across the chest. Jayne hits her, but she looks up, stares at the big man, and says, “He looks better in red.” With the stakes suddenly raised, the mystery of what happened to River surges to the forefront again. It’s time to get some answers. It so Read More ›

Sculptor artist creating a bust sculpture with clay

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Author
Gary Varner
Date
March 19, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Relationships

Tagged
Adam Baldwin, Featured, Jayne Cobb (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 7: Jayne Can’t Live With Himself As a Hero

_{Jayne Cobb, otherwise dumb muscle, once helped many people — inadvertently — and is stuck with deadly consequences when the truth emerges} _{Gary Varner

March 19, 2022

10

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Relationships}

After the strong “Stagecoach” rebound of Episode 6, Episode 7 focuses on Jayne Cobb. Up to now, the dumb muscle has mainly been comic relief. But when Mal and his crew stop by a planet to retrieve some smuggled cargo — under the pretense of ordering a shipment of mud used to make ceramic parts — we learn a little more about the big man’s past. As the crew exits the Serenity to pick up the goods, they come across a giant mud statue… of Jayne. He has no idea why the statue is there but, come to think of it, he’s been acting nervous throughout the mission. Years ago, we learn, things went south at a job he was Read More ›

Still life with old-fashioned lamp, magic witch books, tarot cards and old papers. Mystic background with ritual esoteric objects, occult, fortune telling and halloween concept

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Author
Gary Varner
Date
March 5, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Featured, Firefly (TV series 2002-2003 Episode 5), Malcolm Reynolds (character in Firefly), River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction, Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 5: So River Is Now a Witch? Part 2

_{Simon and River are captured because a town on the planet lacks a doctor. But then things take an occult turn…} _{Gary Varner

March 5, 2022

12

Arts & Culture}

As I mentioned in the first part of this review of Episode 5, we stumble through a series of contrivances to get Simon and River kidnapped. Mal and his crew continue to make baffling choices. They decide to leave Simon and River behind. Mal essentially says that they were stupid enough to get themselves caught, so they are on their own. This is baffling because Mal’s driving force is worry about his crew, and he’s long since made it clear that he considers Simon and River to be part of his crew. Because he was the one who had told them to take a hike, one would think that he’d feel some sort of responsibility for their predicament. But he Read More ›

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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

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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 ›