GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Shepard and Wash

POSTED BY: MIRAK
UPDATED: Monday, February 20, 2006 20:09
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Sunday, February 19, 2006 2:28 PM

MIRAK


I was curious, has Joss said anything about Shepherd and Wash returning if Firefly continues, or were they killed off because they wanted out of the project?

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Sunday, February 19, 2006 2:33 PM

DONCOAT


Neither actor wanted out, if their statements are to be believed. The events in the BDM were done for dramatic reasons within the context of the story, not for any real-world reasons.

Joss has made statements to the effect that both Wash and Book would be back in any sequels, but he hasn't explained exactly how that would work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't disagree on any particular point.

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Sunday, February 19, 2006 3:26 PM

DAGON93


Just do what a few TV series have done and have one of the chatacters wake up like from a bad dream and that's that.

Explode?! I don't wanna explode!

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Sunday, February 19, 2006 5:43 PM

DAVESHAYNE


Quote:

Originally posted by Dagon93:
Just do what a few TV series have done and have one of the chatacters wake up like from a bad dream and that's that.



I doubt Joss would yank our chains that badly. I figure they can do Book as a robot ala Alien with memories loaded up from a personality database maintained by the "abby." And then he could pull a Herbert and have Wash come back as a Ghola.

Select to view spoiler:


With no memory of his former life untill he is ordered to kill Zoe and his cellular memories start flooding back to him.



David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Sunday, February 19, 2006 7:03 PM

ACRAZYIVAN


They could always have the series pick up where it left off before Serenity came out. Follow the comics that are out, as well as throw in as many other adventures as were wanted. The only downside to that is we still wouldn't learn Shephard Book's past, since they don't know about it in Serenity.

"We've gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero."

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Sunday, February 19, 2006 7:21 PM

DAVESHAYNE


I'm on record as being opposed to the prequel notion. I think it really deflates the dramatic tension if we know how things are going to end up. But if anybody could pull it off it'd be Joss.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Sunday, February 19, 2006 11:00 PM

SAZMAN


> I think it really deflates the dramatic tension if we know how things are going to end up.

Exhibit A: the new Star Wars trilogy...


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Monday, February 20, 2006 2:00 AM

OLDMANSPLITFOOT


One idea I've thought about that would probably just confuse people would be to make the theorhetical season 2 have a kind of "Out of Gas" aspect to it. One episode could be about Mal and Zoe during the war, the next could be a couple months after the actions on Miranda were revealed to the rest of the verse, and anywhere in between. That way Joss could have his dead Book and Wash, and we could have our live Book and Wash.

But, like I said, it would probably just confuse people to do it like that. If the second season ever got made, we wouldn't want to confuse new fans away. The last thing we'd want would be a reason for network braindeads to bitch about. (All therhetical of course, /sigh.) Flashbacks are one thing, but devoting whole episodes to a more or less random time period could be disoreienting. I'm more or less used to it, having read Stephen King's It about thirty times in the past ten years. I've actually sort of come to like showing up in the middle, as long as the story is set up that way.

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Monday, February 20, 2006 3:56 AM

MIGHTYROAR


Quote:

Originally posted by sazman:
> I think it really deflates the dramatic tension if we know how things are going to end up.

Exhibit A: the new Star Wars trilogy...




Yep, especially episode III, things were just forced into the story, made it very clumsy storywise. You knew yoda and obi wan were going into hiding. You knew the how the emperor and vader were going to look. There were no surprises at all in that film.

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Monday, February 20, 2006 4:55 AM

MIRAK


Who says a new Firefly series would have to track with Serenity? Remember, Serenity didn’t exactly track with the original Firefly. They are just stories, and there is no harm in them being different. Example, in the Gospels, there are 4 different versions of the life of Jesus – they get the main points consistent, but there are a lot of differences. In one story Wash and Shepherd die, and in another they don’t – so what?

I would much prefer that these stories simply diverge rather than dredging up some contorted way to make them consistent, whether that is reincarnation, time travel, androids, or whatever. One of the reasons Firefly is such a great series is that it doesn’t have any of that campy sci-fi stuff. (No offense to the Trekkies on this board.)

Additionally, I agree with the above posts – I think very few of us would want a show full of flashbacks where you already know the ending.

In my opinion, the first episode of a new Firefly series should mirror Joss’s struggle to get the series back on the air – Serenity is grounded and the crew is struggling to get her flying again, perhaps having to deal with backwater powerbrokers to get the parts they need (not to make it too much like Star Wars Episode I.)

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Monday, February 20, 2006 5:47 AM

DAVESHAYNE


Quote:

Originally posted by mirak:
Who says a new Firefly series would have to track with Serenity? Remember, Serenity didn’t exactly track with the original Firefly.



And now we're back to the bad dream. A solution that I usually find dramatically lacking. But as I've said before if anybody can pull it off it would be Whedon.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Monday, February 20, 2006 6:13 AM

MIRAK


"Never, never finish the script with a 'Deux ex machina!'" Robert McKee, Adaptation.

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Monday, February 20, 2006 12:04 PM

IMNOTACOMMITTEE


Quote:

Originally posted by mirak:
Who says a new Firefly series would have to track with Serenity? Remember, Serenity didn’t exactly track with the original Firefly. They are just stories, and there is no harm in them being different. Example, in the Gospels, there are 4 different versions of the life of Jesus – they get the main points consistent, but there are a lot of differences. In one story Wash and Shepherd die, and in another they don’t – so what?



Good point, but the "main thing" happens in each of those four Gospels, as well as the bigger contributors to it (Peter's denial, Judas's betrayal, etc.).

It's funny that you mention different versions of how the story can pan out, because I was thinking of how Joss can bring back Wash and Book in a canon-AU. In one set of events, Wash and Book die, the signal goes out, etc. In another neither dies, the signal still goes out, but something else happens that screws up everything. Crew (ie Mal) must decide how to handle the different outcomes.

Joss did say that Book and Wash would come back, and that says (at least to me) that they will be back in the moment, rather than in flashbacks.

What worries me is that we might never get that chance to learn. Yes, the comics are coming, but I doubt Joss would have such a big moment as a resurrection/return happen in comics.

If we don't get a new series/tv movie/motion picture, will we ever know?

Quote:

Additionally, I agree with the above posts – I think very few of us would want a show full of flashbacks where you already know the ending.


Yes, that's not a big enough bone to throw at us.

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Monday, February 20, 2006 1:16 PM

ZEEK


I think they're dead and gone. Flashbacks are all we are going to get of them I'm afraid.

Otherwise it ruins Serenity and how powerful it was. It would ruin every future character death as well. This happened too much in Buffy. Death didn't mean death anymore. Everybody could just come back if they wanted. That makes you not even care about life threatening situations and you always have to worry that the annoying chick will somehow come back from the dead even though she got shot

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Monday, February 20, 2006 1:21 PM

DOG13000


Well, for Wash, he could be in Zoe's dreams at night or something like that.


As far as Shepard Book goes, his story could still be un-covered as they travel amidst the 'verse with a sort of flashback sense to it.

I think this could be done with kind of a detective show feel to it (I am thinking of Monk in particular). So, Person A is talking about how they new Book in the past, and whilst doing so, you see the Shepard doing what Person A is saying. If this were the case, a different actor would probably be needed, because of Ron Glass' Age... (and because I think he’s retired now…not sure on that…)

~Me


"Someone Ever Tries to Kill You, You Try and Kill Em' Right Back"

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Monday, February 20, 2006 1:34 PM

MIRAK


There seem to be a lot of people here who are starting from the premise that a new Firefly has to track with Serenity. I've already expressed my opinion that there is no reason it has to, and would probably be better if it didn't.

Let me boil this down to a simple choice: Would you prefer that the new Firefly:
(a) continues where the old Firefly left off, Serenity be damned, or
(b) track with Serenity (Wash and Shepherd either stay dead, are brought back in dreams or flashbacks, the show takes up a different time when they are still alive, etc.)

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Monday, February 20, 2006 1:41 PM

DOG13000


B! I don't think they need to be alive, there presence can still be achieved if they're dead, and there actual roles are un-necessary.

Wash was the pilot, He's dead, and now River is the pilot.

Book was the Shepard, he was on Serenity as a conflict of interest to Mal. Mal had lost his belief in religion, and Book was there to make him believe it still existed. Well, now Mal believes again, and that conflict is gone.

~Me

"Someone Ever Tries to Kill You, You Try and Kill Em' Right Back"

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Monday, February 20, 2006 3:49 PM

SHINEYSHINDIG


Quote:

Originally posted by mirak:
There seem to be a lot of people here who are starting from the premise that a new Firefly has to track with Serenity. I've already expressed my opinion that there is no reason it has to, and would probably be better if it didn't.

Let me boil this down to a simple choice: Would you prefer that the new Firefly:
(a) continues where the old Firefly left off, Serenity be damned, or
(b) track with Serenity (Wash and Shepherd either stay dead, are brought back in dreams or flashbacks, the show takes up a different time when they are still alive, etc.)



Hi Mirak,
Just my opinion, but I'd choose (b), since they've already aged and it would be harder for Kaylee and especially River to play younger than they were in Serenity.. and it would kind of debunk the whole premis and reason for the movie.. I guess I see it taking off, somehow, from where the movie left off; not sure how to bring back Wash and Book, but that's where Joss could get creative on us, without getting campy... does that make sense?? If they stay dead, so be it... flashbacks would work as long as they don't damage the story (or series) or possibly Book is from another time (as was mentioned on this board) and returns somehow...

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Monday, February 20, 2006 7:19 PM

MISSTRESSAHARA


Thinking this out I can see a scenario involving the theme Dog mentioned about a detective theme.

Joss said he had a lot of ideas he never got to tell, and as well The Operative said to Mal that just because for now the Allaince wasn't on their backs didn't mean they wouldn't come looking for them again. River still has many secrets, and if the Alliance wants to avoid even more embarassing situations that will make them lose more credibility and power then they'll have to go after her again. The Operative may be out of the picture, but he wasn't the only one. And The Allaince now know where to find her, so it'd only be a matter of time, sitting back and waiting for the oppourtunity.

As I see it this can be a premise to finding out a little of Books past. River can begin to have episodes again as new memories are dregded up involving The Good Shepard and it will be another roller coaster ride going from one place to another to find the truth. This was the scenario of finding Books friends who recall times of his past, thus Ron will have his part in the movie. And who's to say the crew don't start to think back at conversations they had with Book to help piece things together? There are your Wash moments as well. Do they solve the problem and learn all about him? I'd hope not, I still like a little mystery, maybe just enough to satisfy, but still tempt the mind.

Best scenario of course is it was all a psychotic episode River was having while she's in The Academy, never met any of our crew, and they're both still alive. Miss my Wash.

Anyhoo, my 2 credits.

If I'm a bitch, then life just got interesting

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Monday, February 20, 2006 8:09 PM

WTE


I can't think of a specific example, unfortunately, but Joss has done some amazing things with flashbacks where, even though we know the characters are alive in the present, we're still worried about their fates in the past. I think he's clever enough to keep a show taking place before Serenity interesting enough.

Maybe it wasn't Joss who did this, but either way, someone has, and I'm sure he's smart enough to, also.

HONKS

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