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Originally posted by LoadAndMakeReady:

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Originally posted by dietcoke:

To call someone a "granpa" is an insult. It's like referring to someone as "old man." Book, instead of saying something equality nasty back, he slyly smiles and simple says: "I never married." i.e. I AM NOT A GRANPA! Dumbass!

NY/NJ Browncoats: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firefly_nyc

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In many cultures -- especially Asian cultures -- calling someone grandfather or grandmother is a sign of respect. One is deferring to the individuals superior age, maturity, wisdom and life experience.

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Originally posted by truthseeker:

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Originally posted by LoadAndMakeReady:

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Originally posted by dietcoke:

To call someone a "granpa" is an insult. It's like referring to someone as "old man." Book, instead of saying something equality nasty back, he slyly smiles and simple says: "I never married." i.e. I AM NOT A GRANPA! Dumbass!

NY/NJ Browncoats: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firefly_nyc

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In many cultures -- especially Asian cultures -- calling someone grandfather or grandmother is a sign of respect. One is deferring to the individuals superior age, maturity, wisdom and life experience.

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There are a couple of times in the commentaries where Joss talks about showing how a character reacts differently to different people, and I think the repetition of "Granpa" followed by "I never married," is another example.

The Brutus crew member is using "Granpa" with a more western connotation. I.E., "I don't know you, but by calling you this nickname maybe I can create a false sense of connection with you in order to sell you something." Book responds by casually rejecting the nickname, albeit politely, and with it the false show of friendliness. In the process, his unexpected answer confuses the Brutus huxster right out of his sales pitch, and Book blends back in with the crowd, having proved himself no push over.

Kaylee, on the other hand, approaches Book with an insight into his personality, rather than a hard sell. Book is interested; he stops to talk with her. They form the beginnings of a real connection. So that by the time Kaylee calls him "Granpa," she's using it in a much more eastern way. "Oh, aren't you clever and wise to bring something like this as a way of paying your fare," with a good dash of innocent flirtation thrown in for good measure. This time when Book responds, "I never married," he's sharing part of his life story, another first step of friendship.

As I said earlier in this thread, this little scene tells you several things about Book's character, background, and how he relates to others. But it also shows something about the interaction of Eastern and Western culture in the 'Verse. One word can have a wealth of connotations from both cultures. It all depends on how it's used.

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The woods are the only place where I can see a clear path.

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Originally posted by LoadAndMakeReady:

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Originally posted by Whisper:
While I love everything about Firefly, there has always been one word that has bugged me. It was from ep Serenity and was the word "humped." It just sounds stupid. Everyone that I have shown the series to have laughed at that line, saying how stupid the word was.

That's my only nitpick but i've since gotten used to it and don't roll my eyes at it anymore.

www.whispergraphics.net]


"Humped" is a euphemism for "f**ked," and has been for decades.

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I know what it's a euphemism for. I still maintain it sounds dumb. "Screwed" may be overused but it still works well. Maybe if they only had said it once it wouldn't have bugged me so much, but they used it 3(?) times.

Another one from Serenity... "Backbirth." I assume that it means a breech birth but it doesn't really make sense when used in regard to someone intelligence.

www.whispergraphics.net

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Originally posted by Whisper:

Another one from Serenity... "Backbirth." I assume that it means a breech birth but it doesn't really make sense when used in regard to someone intelligence.

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Originally posted by Whisper:
That makes much more sense! Thanks! Hmmm, maybe i should watch the show with subtitles at some point.

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Actually, it is a great line. A full skirted dress would be downright dangerous in the engine room, probably get caught on moving parts. BTW--Sheep walk on all fours. Send me your address and I'll send you a sheep. You can see for yourself.

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So, is he saying Kaylee would look like a sheep or that Kaylee dressed up like a lady would be as unlikely as a sheep walking on tow legs?

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Originally posted by Shorny:
I grew up on a farm and our farmhand raised sheep and he had one with 6 legs, but it was stillborn.

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Another funny one -- to me at least -- is in the episode SHINDIG, where, as Badger is leaving Serenity, he says, "Ta for a nice evening then."

I don't remember what the subtitles say, but whoever wrote them didn't know that "Ta" is a British slang term for "thank you."

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Originally posted by tmurrie:
I agree that there are no dumb lines in Firefly, and you really just don't get it. But if I have to give an example it would be when in The Train Job Jayne is laughing about what Wash said about blowing a new crater in this little moon, it seemed out of character because I could never see Jayne laughing at anything Wash says.

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Originally posted by R1Z:

Serenity frequently needs all systems running when the engines are off and she's not docked at a spaceport. Everything works while the engines are off while the ship's on Triumph, St. Albans and on whatever moon the Heart O' Gold is on.

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The only line I cringe at is Zoe in the pilot,where Mal and the crew are laughing at Simon for believing that Kaylee is dead.
"So,Kaylee is really okay?"

To me that line was written for the morons who couldn't follow the story. Two seconds before they show Kaylee waving at Simon!?!?! Overall it's not a big deal,but for me that's the dumbest line in the entire series.

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worst line in firefly hands down

Random villager : she's a witch

Mal: yeah but she's our witch

Good lord did joss get bruce campbell to write that for him

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Originally posted by R1Z:

Serenity frequently needs all systems running when the engines are off and she's not docked at a spaceport. Everything works while the engines are off while the ship's on Triumph, St. Albans and on whatever moon the Heart O' Gold is on.
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Makes sense for all but gravity. The power needed to generate a gravity on board for hours w/out the engine on would have to come from a battery bigger than Serenity itself, IMHO.

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I agree that there are no dumb lines in Firefly, and you really just don't get it. But if I have to give an example it would be when in The Train Job Jayne is laughing about what Wash said about blowing a new crater in this little moon, it seemed out of character because I could never see Jayne laughing at anything Wash says.

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Originally posted by chrisisall:

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Originally posted by BlueBomber:

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Originally posted by chrisisall:

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All cargo and transport ships are constructed with an exotic element yet to be discovered that exerts a gravitational pull to simulate gravity on board. It does not require power, except to negate it's effects (As in the pilot when they were bringing cargo in from space, Mal clearly pushed a button to cut off the gravity-negation field to drop the crates on the floor).
Lights are backed up by bio-luminecence, a loss of power and those little critters glow something fierce, almost as bright as the real thing.

YFC Chrisisall

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Me thinks ya got it perxackly backwards.

You don't need a "gravity negation field" in space . . . where there is no gravity.

What Mal did was to turn the artificial gravity back on.

Serenity DOES have artificial gravity. Do you remember in THE MESSAGE, where Kaylee explained how the artificial gravity and natural gravity toss the lunch around a bit when they conflict?

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Originally posted by LoadAndMakeReady:


Serenity DOES have artificial gravity. Do you remember in THE MESSAGE, where Kaylee explained how the artificial gravity and natural gravity toss the lunch around a bit when they conflict?

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Originally posted by captainreynolds42:
worst line in firefly hands down

Random villager : she's a witch

Mal: yeah but she's our witch

Good lord did joss get bruce campbell to write that for him


If someone trys to kill you, you kill em right back

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