Firefly Character Deaths by SergeantX

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Firefly Character Deaths

POSTED BY: SERGEANTX
UPDATED: Sunday, September 28, 2003 12:12
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VIEWED: 3878
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Thursday, September 25, 2003 1:10 PM

OK, I've never followed a Joss Whedon series before Firefly, but its my understanding that Mutant Enemy, and Tim Minear in particular, have a reputation for killing off regular cast member characters when the whim hits them. My question is, what do you all think of that in regards to Firefly. How would you react if they killed off your favorite character? I ask because I've seen some pretty angry posts online from Buffy fans pertaining to losing characters they liked.

As for me, I enjoy the suspense of knowing that it might actually happen. It made the ending of Ariel a much more intense situation for example. Even if that means we might actually lose a character we really like, I think it's worth it.

SergeantX

"..and here's to all the dreamers, may our open hearts find rest." -- Nanci Griffith

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 1:47 PM

GLUEHWURM

I agree with you that the show gains in suspense if you truly believe that a character could die. I could stand it on Firefly as long as the character was NOT Mal. In fact, it would be very moving to watch him deal with the guilt he'd be sure to feel from losing a crew member.

Gluehwurm

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 3:25 PM

JOEMAN

I'd have been upset if they'd have killed off Jayne, Mal, Wash, Wash's wife (shoot me, I don't remember), Book, or Inara.

Kaylee or the Doctor? Meh.

I would have been happy if they'd have killed off River. She annoyed the beJEEzuz out of me.

Purveyor of Pulchritude

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 3:51 PM

KAYTHRYN

What? And again with the “what”? Kaylee, Simon and River are my favorites! They kill those three off and I'll be crying in my soup for days.

I might be able to live without Inara or Mal, ugh, that might be a bit stretch. There would probably still be tears.

And Wash's wife is Zoe.

-------------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 4:28 PM

VETERAN

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Could you kill off Mal? Isn't he the main character?

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 4:39 PM

BRTICK

I'd say pretty much anyone who isn't Mal would be fair game.
with good odds on Jayne, Kaylee, Zoe or Book(but only after he reveals his past, ala Jenny Calendar).

Keep Flying!

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 6:10 PM

TALONPEST

They can't kill Mal any more than they could have killed Buffy or Angel... though technically they've temporarily killed all three characters. I should say they can't PERMENANTLY kill him. While he's not the titular character, he's pretty much the lead.

Generally, I think they'd kill someone that they wouldn't have to replace with someone who does exactly the same job (unless one of the cast wanted out). So Mal, Wash, Simon, and Kaylee were pretty much safe.

That leaves Zoe, Jayne, River, Book, and Inara as fair game. I think Book or River would probably be the first to go, since one their stories unfold there's no longer much of a use for them. Once we know what Book's past is, then he can die a heroic, redeeming death. Once River gets her act together and realizes her full potential, she'd probably be too powerful to keep around. There wouldn't be any challange for her, or anyone else.

'Course, we'll probably never know who would have died, will we?

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 6:18 PM

SERGEANTX

Characters might also leave just as a matter of course. Book and the Tams are only passengers anyway, although Simon has been declared the 'medic'. Book could have any number of reasons to leave before they kill him off.

SergeantX

"..and here's to all the dreamers, may our open hearts find rest." -- Nanci Griffith

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Thursday, September 25, 2003 8:56 PM

GRANNYSTEEL

Don't want to see anyone die.
Nada
Not for a long time.
I prize all of my FF friends.

Problems is Joss is becoming known for the gosspel that happy people don't make good drama.
The problem is that this belief makes the stories predictable on some level as a Greek play.
I am a rabid Firefly fan and tremendously admire Joss's writing and creativity, but I would like to see him grow up to have Terry Prachett's skill warping the old strories out of their tracks and pulling off a happy ending.

He seems unaware of the fact that keeping things running smoothly and happily is often requires luck, good will, and effort that would make the Keystone Cops look sadate. Maybe he thinks that clean socks and underware appear magicly.

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Friday, September 26, 2003 1:27 AM

ATHERTONWING

Joss whedon is a total bastard for killing off his cast but theres usually a main theme (usually) they have to be involved in some great love story, tara,angel,spike,doyle...i could go on (but i wont) so that narrows it down to either simon,kaylee or inara...but i would be devastated if any of the crew died! i guess zoe or wash too but there realtionship really isnt the big will they wont they caper that spirals around mal/inara and kaylee/simon.

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Friday, September 26, 2003 2:59 AM

CALHOUN

Dont want to see any of'em killed off!

Grown so fond of them all.

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Friday, September 26, 2003 3:42 AM

STILLSHINY

Have to say, don't really wanna see any of em killed off either.

But if they do I say leave em dead. To many resurrections gets way too unbelievable. Yeah, I know it's sci-fi, but the characters are people not superhereos & I like em that way. Mal's heart quit beating, he was revived, not resurrected.

Mal: “See how I'm not punching him? I think I've grown!”

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Friday, September 26, 2003 6:46 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
How would you react if they killed off your favorite Firefly character?

Too early to tell this one, really. Everybody's too integral to the plot, or there are too many unknown variables. Also, those who have perished in Buffy haven't necessarily been part of the core cast. Angel is a different ballgame, of course. I'd go with a strong likelihood of getting dead:

Mal: None - he's the hub of the wheel
Wash & Zoe: None - they're the only spokes Mal has
Jayne: Possible - likely for no good reason
Kaylee: Possible, but not a wise choice
Inara: Possible, but not a wise choice
Book: STRONG - once we find out what he's about
Simon: None - because he's stuck with his sister
River: None - too much fun to write about

All opinions are mine own - Sarge you pick the bestest topics!

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Friday, September 26, 2003 7:49 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Quote:
Originally posted by Channain:
Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
How would you react if they killed off your favorite Firefly character?

Too early to tell this one, really. Everybody's too integral to the plot, or there are too many unknown variables. Also, those who have perished in Buffy haven't necessarily been part of the core cast. Angel is a different ballgame, of course. I'd go with a strong likelihood of getting dead:

Mal: None - he's the hub of the wheel
Wash & Zoe: None - they're the only spokes Mal has
Jayne: Possible - likely for no good reason
Kaylee: Possible, but not a wise choice
Inara: Possible, but not a wise choice
Book: STRONG - once we find out what he's about
Simon: None - because he's stuck with his sister
River: None - too much fun to write about

All opinions are mine own - Sarge you pick the bestest topics!

Great topic!!!

I agree w/ Chainnain for the most part, but it goes a little more like this:

Mal: Can't kill him off. He is the pivotal character. Without Mal, there is no need to stay out in the black. It's his ship, and he and Serenity are only flying out there on the fringe of space because Mal wants to avoid the Alliance and deal with his demons.

Zoe: She is a possibility, but only because of the emotional upheaval it would cause to Mal & Wash. Zoe is Mal's right hand & the only one to have been through the thick of it w/ Mal & see the horrors he has. To lose that connection would be devastating for Mal. As for Wash, Zoe is his wife, and the love of his life. Without her, he would most likely leave Serenity.

Wash: Possible. The loss of Wash would be devastating to Zoe. Wash helps to keep Zoe grounded, and he is like her comedy relief. Without him, she might become mired in the horrors she has seen, as Mal seems to have from time to time.

Jayne: Possible (Gods I hope not!!!). Jayne is a mercenary, and we have seen that he will do nearly anything for money, up to and including selling out River. One of his schemes could come back to haunt him one day. His loss might not be felt that greatly by the crew, who seem to tolerate him for the most part, but it would hit fans hard.

Kaylee: Good possibility. Sure she is a great engineer, but another engineer could always be found. The budding romance w/ Simon could lead to good plotlines down the road, but her death could allow us to see much more. Mal, Simon and River would be the most affected. Mal seems to look on her somewhat as a kid sister. He took her from home, so he would have the whole burden of guilt thing. Simon would carry around unrequitted love. River would be affected as Kaylee is closest to her age and is somewhat of a friend. Lots of potential here for character dynamics to play out.

Inara: Another good possiblity. Sure there seems to be some chemistry between her and Mal (see how everyone is tied to Mal=pivotal character), but her death could give the writers more grief and brooding potential for Mal. They could have a lot of vengence material to work w/ if she were killed. Though a good character, and she adds class to the ship, she is not pivotal to the show.

Book: Strong possibility. You could write a whole season on delving into Book's past, finding out about his ties to the Alliance, what he did (can anyone say a flashback episode), why his simply showing his papers causes Alliance officers to rush to his aid & save his life. There could even be a tie in to the War and perhaps some action that Mal & Zoe saw.

Simon: Possible. He is the anchor in the tempest that is River's life. Without the anchor, what would River do? What would she become? What would she be driven to do? What about the budding romance w/ Kaylee? What would his loss do to her?

River: Possible, but not likely. River is like the sleeper plot. You have an idea of what is going on there, but we have solid idea of what was done to her or why. There could be lots of episodes tied up into digging into what the Blue Hands did to her. She seems to be Joss's ace in the hole. Of course her lose would nearly destroy Simon. He left his career, family and home to save her. He gave up everything and became a fugitive. What path would he take if something happened to her?

Lots of potential plots & twists with the deaths of any of the characters. I of course would not want to say goodbye to any of them.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Friday, September 26, 2003 9:58 PM

DRAKON

"Jayne: Possible - likely for no good reason"

Actually, I would rate Jayne as the most likely to get killed. He likes being thought the hero and good guy. So far, he and Mal know what a low down snake and fraud all his heroics have been to date. So I see him as needing to prove himself a real life bona fide hero on purpose.

And Jayne ain't the brightest bulb in the string. So I can see him trying to be a hero and getting killed in the process quite easily.

Note in War Stories, he was the one on point raiding Niska's space station. Even took a slug at one point.

"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"

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Saturday, September 27, 2003 1:05 AM

JAYNESGIRLFRIEND

Oddly, I think of all the "expendable" characters Jayne is the least likely to get killed off. The emotional payoff for the crew at this point in the story would be nil. Even if he died sacrificing himself for someone else, which is itself highly unlikely to happen anytime soon, it still wouldn't resonate the way the death of Wash or Kaylee would. Jayne simply isn't loved or respected enough to get a truly dramatic reaction (without seeming forced) out of anyone.

"I was gonna get me an ear, too." - Jayne

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Sunday, September 28, 2003 12:12 PM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

Quote:
Originally posted by Drakon:
Actually, I would rate Jayne as the most likely to get killed. He likes being thought the hero and good guy.

Yes, but this is JOSS WHEDON we're talking about. when I said he would kill off Jayne for no good reason, I was thinking that it would happen without him being able to prove he is in fact the hero and a good guy at heart. Joss already did that in season one of Angel when Doyle sacrified himself for demon-kind. Jayne would die - probably by being in the wrong place at the wrong time - and somehow Mal would end up feeling responsible for it. A job that not only doesn't go smooth, it gets pretty darn rocky.

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