The Darker version of Serenity Crew in "Alien Resurrection"?! by CapnRahn

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The Darker version of Serenity Crew in "Alien Resurrection"?!

POSTED BY: CAPNRAHN
UPDATED: Saturday, October 2, 2004 12:30
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Wednesday, September 29, 2004 12:59 PM

Dunno if anybody has pointed this out before, but here I go anyhoo ...

First off - As most of you know Joss Whedon wrote the screenplay for "Alien Resurrection" back in 1997. If ya dinn'nt know it, now ya do!

With that in mind I pose this question: Did we actually get to see the character archetype beginnings of the Firefly crew in "Alien Resurrection"? Specifically the Mercenary's crewing the good ship Betty.

Let's look the Betty's Crew:
Captain, Frank Elgyn - played by Michael Wincott
Quiet dark and predatory. Has a way with irony.
Pilot, Sabra Hillard - played by Kim Flowers
Warrior woman and Pilot. Also the Captain's companion/lover.
Christie - played by Gary Dourdan
Big man with feminine name. Very savvy and quiet. Seems to be the Captain's right hand man.
Johner - played by Ron Pearlman
Big, Mean, Basic guntoter/womanizer.
John Viess - played by Dominique Pinon
Engineer, good natured jack-of-all-trades. Picked on by Johner
Annalee Call - played by Winona Ryder
Asst. Engineer. Very sparse on the background. Has talents no-one knows about.

And the 'hitchers'
Lt. Ellen Ripley Clone # 8
Special, sought out by the authorities for the wealth of military applications she may provide. Strong, quite and very twisted by her past.
Distenphano - played by Raymond Cruz
Military solider, Intense, driven by loyalty and a need to survive.
Purvis - played by Leland Orser
Hapless victim of the Military in the testing of the new batch of Aliens.

OK, I'll let ya think on that and see what you all come up with to post.

Have fun!

"Remember, there is only ONE absolute - There ARE NO absolutes!!!"

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Wednesday, September 29, 2004 1:16 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Hmmm.

I recently rewatched Alien Reserection to focus on the more Joss Whedon type moments. However I was really only paying attention to dialogue.

I hadn't thought about the connection to the crew of Firefly and the crew of the Betty.

There are many similarities. Both being space pirates of a sort with dubious morals as regards crime. Is one such similarity.

I guess the Ron Perlman character and Jayne are similar in manner and brusqueness.

Also space aint no glam ride in either stories.

Hmm there may be something in what you say here CapnRahn. Now I'm going to have to go and rewatch Alien Res with this in mind!

*Another late night* and I should be going to bed ready to wake up early for work.

Laters
TheSomnambulist

www.cirqus.com

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Wednesday, September 29, 2004 6:46 PM

CAPNRAHN

Cool! Let us know what you got from your re-watching of "Alien-Resurrection". I gotta get a copy and watch it again as well.

I have been thinking about this since I rented a copy the day before "AvP" came out. I Just finished the novelization of "A-R", so I thought 'why not ask others if they see the similarities'.

So off I go to watch as well!

"Remember, there is only ONE absolute - There ARE NO absolutes!!!"

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Wednesday, September 29, 2004 9:40 PM

COSMICFUGITIVE

I totally agree with the similarities between FireFly and Alien Resurrection. I saw them too.

Also, didn't Joss use parts of the same set from Alien Resurrection for Firefly?

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Wednesday, September 29, 2004 11:02 PM

MERCEDESTROY

It would appear, that while I can certainly see surface similarities, I may have to go back and watch my copy again.

Have not set down and watched it since I purchased it ... time being what it is, in short supply.

Let me get back to you.

Debs

If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress

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Thursday, September 30, 2004 3:46 AM

GWEK

I had written about this last year. The crew of the Betty is pretty much the crew of the Firefly without the "conscience" of the passengers.

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Thursday, September 30, 2004 7:28 AM

FREMDFIRMA

You know, about the 3-4th time I watched OutOfGas - I noticed a resemblance between the scavengers crew and the crew of the Betty... anyone else notice that ??

I thought Ron P did an *awesome* job of his role, the movie itself may not have been so excellent, but he really made his character shine - he made ya like Johner, when you were kinda-supposed to hate him.

And yer right, Adam does that with Jayne, although in a very different way, almost little-boy bad, compared to Ron's Johner as so horribly abrasive, yet tough and reliable. (the kinda guy you can't stand normally, but want on YOUR side when it hits the fan).

I like Jayne better, but Ron P did a supreme job, too

-F

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Thursday, September 30, 2004 10:00 AM

SHW

Quote:
Originally posted by CosmicFugitive:

Also, didn't Joss use parts of the same set from Alien Resurrection for Firefly?

Yes. The water tank was re-used I believe. I think Joss mentioned it in a commentary or interview I've read... Have a vague feeling it may have possibly been mentioned in 'The Train Job' commentary.. towards the bit where they put Crow through the engine.
My memory is bad and I also have a migraine so forgive me if I'm wrong.

shw

PS: anyone got a spare (pain free) head they'd like to lend me?

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Thursday, September 30, 2004 12:55 PM

CAPNRAHN

Quote:
shw wrote
PS: anyone got a spare (pain free) head they'd like to lend me?

Spare head three is the only one available. No real pain - but he is widgy. We think he has droid-rot and is a tad senile. But no pain!

Now back from the land of Red Dwarf to our normally schedualed thread ...

"Remember, there is only ONE absolute - There ARE NO absolutes!!!"

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Friday, October 1, 2004 5:55 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Well I went back and had a look.

The first thing that struck me was the whole experimental undercurrent.

The Aliens in those labs having all those tests done on them, with Brad Dorf resorting to torture to try and passify them. Possibly to train for what? Maybe murderous intent, assassins...? We never find out. But those experiements were geared towards controlling the Alien....

This compares with Firefly and River and the reason/cause for her being experimented on.... We never find out why but the indications are that it was to make her an assassin.

Regardsless there are similarities.

The Betty crew do come across as a lot more hardcore than the firefly crew, but the similarities are there. Certainly Jayne and Johner are close. I'd also suggest there is a link with the Winona Rider character and Kaylee. They both have this humanity to them and Winona's affection towards Dominique Pinon, who is abused by Ron Perlman, -much like Simon by Jayne- is parrallel to that of Kaylee's affection to Simon.

Those were the things that struck me more than most, but I'd imagine there are more.

Oh and obviously there's the whole thing that both crews have a superior force who are after them and are almost omnipitent in their relentless pursuit of them.

Anyone else, have more comparisons?

TheSomnambulist

www.cirqus.com

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Friday, October 1, 2004 7:30 AM

PIRATEJENNY

The only thing that really stuck out for me in Alien Ressurection..and I haven't seen it since it 1rst came out is Gary Dourdan..my gosh I thought he was so hot...and since he's been on CSI Las Vegas I can see him all the time...

its shallow I know..but thats what I remember most, didn't know that Joss did Alien R...

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Saturday, October 2, 2004 11:24 AM

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Quote:
Originally posted by CapnRahn:
I have been thinking about this since I rented a copy the day before "AvP" came out. I Just finished the novelization of "A-R", so I thought 'why not ask others if they see the similarities'.
So off I go to watch as well!

Alien IV was on TV over here just the other week -only caught a bit of it.

I suspect there are some similarities there and re-uses (although some of the elements may have been hanging over from previous scripts, although I note Joss seems to haev sole WGA credit). Plus, this is, IIRC, a film that did not survive contact with the directors.

Hey, sometimes bad scripts happen to good people.

"I threw up on your bed"

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Saturday, October 2, 2004 12:30 PM

WILDBILL

I've been thinking about how how the two compare a little bit.

Started off when the other creww in "Out of Gas" kind of reminded me of the crew in Alien Resurrection (the outright piracy and all).
Then I noticed some of the similarities with our Big Damn Heroes as posted above.

And now the conjecture begins. The big one is the "android theory". There's been no mention at all of andriods or robots in Firefly, but...Inara really doesn't want to be examined in "Our Mrs. Reynolds" (maybe for reasons other then being drugged/kissing Mal) (she was never injured or examined for any other reason), looks the same in "Heart of Gold" as when she left the Academy, and then there is the checkup on Ariel (a core planet) - checkup or scheduled maintenance?

Further, Simon mentions that an antigovernment underground helped him spring River. Call was part of such a group - maybe someone on Serenity is. River was delivered by them to Persephone (hope that's spelled right) so planting someone on board there to keep an eye on her would make some kind of sense. If Book is it, as would follow, he would have had to have had a large change of heart after whatever he did for the Alliance ("Out of Gas").

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