Blue Hand dudes, wandy things, and the Blue Sun Corp. by chael

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Blue Hand dudes, wandy things, and the Blue Sun Corp.

POSTED BY: CHAEL
UPDATED: Monday, January 12, 2004 04:12
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Sunday, January 11, 2004 2:05 PM

I re-watched Arial today, and I've been thinking about the whole Blue Sun thing, and the relationship between it and River and the Blue Hand Dudes.

I seem to recall some discussion about why the Blue Hands aren't bothered by the wandy things that make with the bloody violence, but I don't remember any specific theories, outside of the typical "brain frequencies" or that the wands were brainwave amplifiers that helped broadcast the malicious killer thoughts of the BHDs.

But each time I've heard those theories, I think .. wow. how totally cliche for a Whedon show. I mean, psychic killers, in sci-fi? *yawn* I'd be so underwhelmed.

Anyway, it occurred to me that it's possible that Blue Sun softdrinks, etc, could be laced with some kind of something that makes people susceptible to the wands effects, and more!

Joss seems the kind of creator who likes to tweak cliche. Add spicey elements to existing genre trappings. Thus, it's obvious River has some brain stuff going on, and some psychic voodoo.. but how much more interesting would it be if the things that allow her "special brain" read people so easily was this stuff in the Blue Sun products? As if it primes people for psychic reading, and leaves a sort of residue that people with these wands can then activate, causing the bloody meltdown we saw in Ariel.

The one area where this theory seems weakest is how River knows the Blue Hands arrive on Ariel. It doesn't seem to fit that she'd be able to read them, as it stands to reason Blue Hand agents wouldn't consume the products. But I've decided that it's quite possible she was reading OTHER peoples' thoughts about the BHDs showing up, and just knew who was there that way.

In any case, imagine the implications of having this gigantic, all encompassing conglomerate dropping a chemical into your consumables that makes you susceptible to mind reading... It's like a million times more violating that subliminal messaging.

It would give it kind of a nifty slant on, say, Soylent Green - only not exactly. And up would go the cry "Don't consume Blue Sun products! They'll OWN you!"

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 2:10 PM

SHINY

I like your theory...it's also supported by River's tearing the labels of the Blue Sun packaged food products ("we'll have a few mystery meals") in ... Shindig, was it?

RIVER
Purple elephants are flying.
MAL
Good. Thanks for the update.

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 3:35 PM

TEELABROWN

Quote:
It would give it kind of a nifty slant on, say, Soylent Green - only not exactly. And up would go the cry "Don't consume Blue Sun products! They'll OWN you!"

I think that's kind of funny in not-so-funny way. Anyway, I like that new theory on River's brain. And if she knew about the food or something, that would be a reason to recapture River.

............................................................................................
"Freedom is the Freedom to say that 2+2 makes 4. If that is granted, all else follws"-Winston, 1984
Keep flyin', and remember, THEY can't take the sky from US!

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 4:26 PM

HARDWARE

You know it goes far beyond the succeptibility to mind reading and a reason to recapture River.

I mean, if youhave this giant corporation / government and a bunch of independant planets that the corporation can't ship their chemically laced products to expose the populations of, well, that sounds very unacceptable to the BHD's. The obvious answer? Have a war to unite all the planets.

Putting this spin on it makes it really obvious that Mal and River are playing on the same team.

The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 4:29 PM

SNIPER

Quote:
Originally posted by chael:
it's also supported by River's tearing the labels of the Blue Sun packaged food products

Huh, didn't realize that. I think that whatever they did to River, they have done to themselves, and are 'hardened' against it's affects. What's the point of a weapon if it kills you while in use? I wonder if cutting up river's brain has something to do with it.

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 5:12 PM

SAINT JAYNE

Quote:
Originally posted by chael:
I mean, psychic killers, in sci-fi? *yawn* I'd be so underwhelmed.

That's just as underwhelming as a yummy carbonated mind-control soda. Or coffee. Whatever. I'd rather see psychic killers.

They seem totally different than River. They don't seem to be able to sense anything or predict the future; they just use those funky blue pens to give you an instantly terminal case of head-ebola.

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 5:56 PM

CHAEL

Quote:
I'd rather see psychic killers.

Well, I guess that helps explain why a lot of sci-fi is so derivative... There really are still people into played out cliches!

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 5:59 PM

CHAEL

Quote:
The obvious answer? Have a war to unite all the planets.

Wow, yeah. Absolutely. I hadn't even taken it that far! But that makes so much sense...

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 6:27 PM

CHAEL

Quote:
And if she knew about the food or something, that would be a reason to recapture River.

That and why waste all that experimentation. Once you understand a little bit more about what the amygdala is (the thing Simon says they "stripped" in Arial) a whole world of nifty ideas start unfolding.

As one medical glossary put it:
The amygdala mediates both inborn and acquired emotional responses. It seems to be involved in mediating both conscious and unconscious emotional feeling.

What better way to perfect control over unconscious emotions through your consumable products than to experiment on supremely gifted individuals who's brain functions work on a higher level?

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 6:42 PM

GAIJIN

That's an interesting theory...which we may or may not ever find out depending on what direction Joss takes the movie.

Thanksgiving is a sham. But it's a sham with yams...it's a yam sham.

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 8:22 PM

NICKTESLA

Quote:
Originally posted by chael:
I re-watched Arial today, and I've been thinking about the whole Blue Sun thing, and the relationship between it and River and the Blue Hand Dudes...

...I seem to recall some discussion about why the Blue Hands aren't bothered by the wandy things that make with the bloody violence, but I don't remember any specific theories, outside of the typical "brain frequencies" or that the wands were brainwave amplifiers that helped broadcast the malicious killer thoughts of the BHDs...

The one area where this theory seems weakest is how River knows the Blue Hands arrive on Ariel. It doesn't seem to fit that she'd be able to read them, as it stands to reason Blue Hand agents wouldn't consume the products. But I've decided that it's quite possible she was reading OTHER peoples' thoughts about the BHDs showing up, and just knew who was there that way.

And I always thought they were training her to BE one of the Blue Hands (or Blue Hands 2.0), which would explain why she could sense them.

Joss leaves himself openings with all his characters, leaving much of their histories blank, so he can fill them in later. Looking at the posts here at FFFans, its clear thisis the most popular storyline we'd liketo see explored in the movie.

Nick Tesla
http://tesla-pc.com
Computing that makes sense...

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Sunday, January 11, 2004 9:58 PM

REDKOMMIE

I like the way you think. I would be a nice twist compared to most things. I am curious as to why they have blue hands :P. Now River HARDLY ever seems to really do anything without a purpose... most of the time. Tearing the labels off the cans would make sense in a way.

The unification war also makes sense. What drives most countries. The corpations that hire its cizterns, creates their goods and services. Now I don't know most of the background story as TO WHY their was a unification war. My take is basicly tied very closely into The American Civil War. The Indepents were just a handful of planets (colonies) that wanted to be by themselves.

Now at first they were, but once the older settled worlds finally were up and running, they must have said Lets go after these Indepents. They don't want to be part of us.

Now there is no OTHER reason that can most likely be seen as to why. Slaverly is legaly as is indentured servents, but that could have been reasons why the Indepents were indepent. They must not have liked slaverly, their people were more or less PUT down on those worlds (The Message), and the way Blue Sun Monolopized everything (just a hunch :P)

Your idea could be very easily tied into this one (or actually I should say mine into yours :p hehehehe.)

This is why I like FireFly So much intrigue so much to explore

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Monday, January 12, 2004 4:12 AM

BROWNCOAT1

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

I am not really buying the Blue Sun cola as a mind control device, or a catalyst to a melt down if someone produces a blue wand.

I think the wand is some sort of generator, not really sure what it does, but if someone were to make a device that could kill someone in such a grotesque and painful way, seems to me the same people would make something to protect themselves from the effects of such a device.

I am thinking that the Blue Hands (which look to be rubber gloves of some sort RedKommie) are some sort of R & D guys for the Alliance. I am wondering if Blue Sun bankrolls the Blue Hands, or if River just dislikes the color blue because it reminds her of the Blue Hands.

It is apparent that whatever tampering w/ River's brain Simon discovered in "Ariel" was caused by the Blue Hands. The result is her ability to sometime read minds like the girl in "Safe", her precognitive insight when she says "fire" in "Out of Gas", her uncanny ability w/ the pistol in "War Stories", and many other examples.

I think that the Blue Hands have somehow supercharged her brain, giving her access to more of her mind than the average person has at any time. It could be that so much ability all at once is more than she knows how to deal with at points. She is almost childlike at times in how she perceives things and interacts with others.

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

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