Money makes the 'verse go 'round by DarkArchon

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Money makes the 'verse go 'round

POSTED BY: DARKARCHON
UPDATED: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 03:51
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Tuesday, May 11, 2004 7:04 AM

One thing I noticed and admired about Firefly early on was the use of currency. I mean, part of the realism or accessability as JW would put it, is the fact that the crew is scrounging for money to keep themselves and Serenity going. That is something that was never an issue in other popular space genre shows (i.e. Star Trek).

It would be nice if, in the future, we didn't have to worry about anything, especially money, but I personally don't see humans evolving past the need for currency for a very long time. I guess if you have matter/energy converters all over the place, money would become somewhat less usefull but that kind of technology is pretty radical in concept, much less in practical application.

The other great advantage of a monetary system is that it can be, and is, used to drive the plot at times. The crew is hungry and doesn't want to be on the Alliance dole; therefore, they find any work they can, legal or not. Let us not forget why the crew picked up passengers in the first place...money. That action provided the crew with much adventure and would have continued to be a source of plot twists had the FOX execs not axed the show. With ST and other similar shows everyone just gives each other what they need, or they fabricate it out of thin air...boring. The whole compression coil thread running through several eps of Firefly is a great example. Kaylee harps on the captain for the part but is repeatedly shot down because they 'cant' afford it. Then in OoG, I'm sure Mal is thinking somewhere along the way that it would have been a sound investment. Hell, they might even have picked up a spare after that debocle. Point is that these decisions were based on money, or the lack thereof.

The use of money takes away the 'utopian' aspect of space genre shows. Don't get me wrong, I liked STtNG and it's spin-offs for the most part, but that was one thing I could never quite wrap my head around. Give me people struggling to get by every day...now that I can relate to.

"Ten percent of nothing is...let me do the math..."

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Tuesday, May 11, 2004 7:17 AM

GUNHAND

Well said and I agree.

Part of the appeal of Firefly is that they're real people. They aren't trying to save the world, they're trying to survive in a world that is all sorts of hostile to them. That's very refreshing indeed when most Sci-Fi focuses on Saving The Universe every gorram week. Frankly that sort of thing bores me to tears.

One of the problems I have with Star Trek is that aside from Starfleet what is there to do? Need food? replicate it. Bored? Holodeck. Want to go see Aunt Minnie in Bangladesh? Transporter. Lungs and kidneys fell off? See Bones. Etc, etc.

Now utopian societies are nice in theory but I'm glad I'll never see one because I would weep manly tears and wish that something, anything would happen. I mean hell, I'd probably get so bored I'd start a revolution based on the worship of kiwi fruit just to liven the place up...

With thermonuclear weapons if need be if they didn't take me seriously. Oh yes, firey immolation I can take, just don't bore me.

Now back to the money. I like the fact that there are different currencies as well, you have the standard Alliance credits which seem to be mostly electronic and the platinum coins which seems to be the standard out in the frontier. Simon mentions bits (quarters) so there's the possibility of dollars being used in relation to the coins perhaps, or with the paper money that gets passed around.

Another thing that I wonder about is the use of the term "square", now at first I thought Saffron was meaning it as in "even" but the more I thought about it I'm thinking it's the slang name for paper money, squares of paper. I know the Chinese use simple names for some things so perhaps "square" is like saying "buck" just translated from the standard Chinese into English as slang. Could be way off on that one though.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
"Oh hey, I got an idea. Instead of us hanging
around playing art critic till I get pinched by
the Man, how's about we move away from this
eerie-ass piece of work and get on with our
increasingly eerie-ass day, how's that?"

My eerie-ass website:
http://gunhandsfirefly.homestead.com/Index.html

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Tuesday, May 11, 2004 7:21 AM

BROWNCOAT1

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

I agree DarkArchon; money can be a great motivator and the need for it can make for a great plot.

Personally I don't believe that we as people will evolve beyond the need for some sort of monetary system, at least not for a very long time. That is one of the things about Star Trek that left me flat, everyone lives in this wonderful Eutopia where all their needs and wants are taken care of by the established government w/ no need for money.

I think the drive to get money to pay the bills, feed the family, and keep your mode of transportation going is something most everyone can identify w/ & is another of those small things that makes Firefly such a great show.

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

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Tuesday, May 11, 2004 5:28 PM

DARKARCHON

On the subject of money and the need for it. Has there ever been any discussion on how exactly Mal purchased 'Serenity'? The best estimate we have is that he got the ship roughly 5-6 years after the war ended. I pondered this today at work and thought that maybe he had money set aside with his mom during the war. As far as I can determine, it wasn't bought on credit because he makes mention of the ship being 'bought and paid for' during an episode. Even for an old 'flying piece of gosa', it would take a bit of money. So...where did he get the money? I wouldn't mind seeing that answered in the BDM. Until then, I'll entertain any ideas people might have.

"I love this ship; I have from the moment I saw it."

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Tuesday, May 11, 2004 6:12 PM

HOWDYROCKERBABY1

I think that Mal bought Serenity about 2-4 years after the war... this because Mal does look considerably younger when he first sees Serenity and the fact that by the time WE start seeing the goings-on Mal has already made quite a few connections and has quite a reputation going in the 'verse. no idea how he paid for it though.

MAL: This is my scrap of nowhere. You go on and find your own.
SAFFRON: You can't just leave me here, on this
lifeless piece of crap moon...
MAL: Sure I can.
SAFFRON: I'll die.
MAL: Well, as a courtesy, you might start
getting busy on that, cause all this
chatter ain't doin' me any kindness.

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Wednesday, May 12, 2004 3:36 AM

BROWNCOAT1

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

I would put Mal's purchase of Serenity somewhere around 1-3 years after the War. The first episode, "Serenity", takes place 6 years after the Battle of Serenity Valley. As Howdyrockerbaby1 mentioned, Mal looks younger in "War Stories" when he has the flashback to purchasing Serenity & he shows the ship to Zoe.

A lot will have happened in the time since Mal bought the ship. He hired Wash as pilot. Remember how Zoe did not like him at first? I think it would have taken some time for Zoe to warm up to him, let alone agree to marry him. There was the firing of Bester & the hiring of Kaylee, running into and hiring Jayne out from under his then current employer, and all along taken on work to keep the ship flying and food on the table. I would say that would mean Mal has had Serenity for at least three years.

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

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Wednesday, May 12, 2004 3:51 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat1:
That is one of the things about Star Trek that left me flat, everyone lives in this wonderful Eutopia where all their needs and wants are taken care of by the established government w/ no need for money.

Well, in Trek's (somewhat backhanded) defense, almost all of the Trek we've seen involves a Starfleet crew on a state-of-the-art Starfleet ship. Of course everything would be provided for them.

Remember DS9, and Quark's constant harping about business? Most of the time the bar was barely breaking even (not that the local shape-shifting cop was making life any easier).

I keep hoping for a "fringe" Trek series, like the "Rising Son" neo-DS9 novel. The whole novel focusses on a bunch of traders tooling around the Gamma Quadrant just trying to get by. Not too unlike Serenity's crew (just a little more "out there," with the aliens and all).

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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