firefly versus battlestar galactica by est120

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

firefly versus battlestar galactica

POSTED BY: EST120
UPDATED: Sunday, February 13, 2005 04:27
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Saturday, February 5, 2005 12:43 PM

okay, i found that USA is running episodes of battlestar galactica at 4 on saturday afternoons. i am currently watching the second of back to back episodes as i type this. after watching one episode, i have started to wonder if the creators were firefly fans or if someone who used to be part of firefly now works on battlestar galactica. some striking similarities:

1. the use of free hand camera

2. the use of camera zooms and rapid focusing

3. the replacement of the f-word with the word "frack" (which i find very annoying) to copy the use of "gorram" in firefly (which i find incredibly more palatable)

anyway, has anyone else noticed this?

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Saturday, February 5, 2005 12:52 PM

MONTANAGIRL

1 & 2) The same effects company (Zoic) that did Firefly is also doing Battlestar Galactica, so it makes sense that the look would be similar. As has been pointed out before, they even put a Firefly class ship in the background in a scene in the miniseries. (There's a screencap of it around here somewhere.)

3) Most shows seem to have their own swear word(s) that they use so they can be broadcast without being censored. Firefly used "gorram" and Chinese, BSG uses "frack", and Farscape used "frell". I'm sure there are more examples out there that I just can't think of right now.

Good observations, though.

Packer fans welcome.
All others tolerated.

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Saturday, February 5, 2005 12:53 PM

JRC

I believe that the people doing the special effects for Serenity are also doing the effects for BG. As for writers, don't know.

Everyone dies alone.

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Saturday, February 5, 2005 1:02 PM

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Quote:
Originally posted by montanagirl:

3) Most shows seem to have their own swear word(s) that they use so they can be broadcast without being censored. Firefly used "gorram" and Chinese, BSG uses "frack", and Farscape used "frell". I'm sure there are more examples out there that I just can't think of right now.

I dunno, BSG and Firefly have nothing on Farscape - which has a long list of swear words, most of which can be worked out in the context. It is a nice trick for SF shows that they can swear fairly freely and it doesn't get noticed - though I do have to wonder what happens if they ever show the pilot episode on Chinese TV, as I've seen some of the translations from that and it looks as though they tried to get away with some strong stuff.

"I threw up on your bed"

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Saturday, February 5, 2005 1:13 PM

NEEDLESEYE

As far as I know the original BSG series using "frack" is the first substitute swear word on a scifi show.
Farscape does have an interesting variety of them, as well, all prior to Firefly. HOWEVER, I think the firefly cursing is far more amusing, even if you don't know what they are saying in chinese.

Keeper of Jayne's goggles. 8)

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Saturday, February 5, 2005 2:03 PM

MALLORY

Someone said they didn't know about writers. Well, I know that there has been at least one director who has worked on both Firefly and BSG: Marita Grabiak.

"...Somebody should organize a picnic where they barbecue and play that game with a parachute and a giant World Ball and then we should go to that picnic and take all their stuff and make fun of them..." --Drew Goddard

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Saturday, February 5, 2005 5:06 PM

SIMONWHO

I don't they really need to be "versus" each other, the market for good TV programmes is quite big. I don't actually follow BG but I keep hearing how good it is. Certainly more than I heard about Enterprise, which seems to have just gotten special pleadings over the last two years.

Of course, probably in some room at Fox some executive is going "Hey, Battlestar Galactica is pulling in some big numbers. We should do something like that." And then the mailboy will come in and say "You had something like that and you killed it." And then the exec will be cut into pieces and posted all across... sorry, lost track there.

Anyway, yeah, where Firefly led, others were sure to follow.

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Sunday, February 6, 2005 6:25 AM

CYBERSNARK

I'm just hoping "felgercarb" shows up. It's not Galactica if there's no felgercarb.

Wait, that came out wrong. . .

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

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Sunday, February 6, 2005 8:14 AM

BRITCHICK

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
I'm just hoping "felgercarb" shows up. It's not Galactica if there's no felgercarb.

OK, I have to ask.... what was/is felgercarb? ALthough I watched the original series I was very young so I don't remember these audio details. Didn't even remember "frack".

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Sunday, February 6, 2005 8:54 AM

NWUKSTEVE

Quote:
Originally posted by montanagirl:
3) Most shows seem to have their own swear word(s) that they use so they can be broadcast without being censored. Firefly used "gorram" and Chinese, BSG uses "frack", and Farscape used "frell". I'm sure there are more examples out there that I just can't think of right now.

Red Dwarf had "Smeg". You were looking for more examples, right?

---
"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder." - Homer Simpson

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Tuesday, February 8, 2005 5:13 AM

CYBERSNARK

To Britchick: Felgercarb = noun (so, sh*+, gos se, lu-su, etc)

Farscape had many: frell (verb), dren (noun), mivonks (can't recall if this was male or female parts, term used by Chiana and Rygel [who probably picked it up from Chi]), fahrbot ("crazy," used by Rygel), Hezmana ("Hell," used by D'Argo and Rygel).

Star Wars actually has one: "stang" (noun, Alderaanian), but it's only been used in the EU (by Leia, predictably).

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

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Tuesday, February 8, 2005 5:53 AM

TOMANTA

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:

Star Wars actually has one: "stang" (noun, Alderaanian), but it's only been used in the EU (by Leia, predictably).

Also "sithspit" and "sithspawn". Maybe more, I'll have to dig out my X-Wing novels to see. I can see them as being the best source for Star Wars curses...

"FOX! Where the shit hits the fans." - Tim Minear

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Tuesday, February 8, 2005 6:27 AM

FINN MAC CUMHAL

Quote:
Originally posted by est120:
1. the use of free hand camera

2. the use of camera zooms and rapid focusing

3. the replacement of the f-word with the word "frack" (which i find very annoying) to copy the use of "gorram" in firefly (which i find incredibly more palatable)

Zoic studios did the special effects; that’s probably the biggest part of it. There were also several people such as Lee Stringer and Emile E Smith who worked on Firefly, but now work on BSG, I believe. There may be quite a bit of crossover.

BSG was reinventing the language long before Firefly or Farscape. Although I have to admit that Firefly’s incorporation of Chinese is rather unique. But essentially Firefly is copying BSG, just to give credit where credit is due.

A few terms from the old BSG:
(food/beverage) ambrosa, grog, mushies, primaries, K biscuit
(bug) crawlon
(money) cubit
(Anara) socialator

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Tuesday, February 8, 2005 7:18 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

Quote:
Originally posted by est120:
the replacement of the f-word with the word "frack" (which i find very annoying) to copy the use of "gorram" in firefly (which i find incredibly more palatable)

anyway, has anyone else noticed this?

Quote:
Cybersnark added:
I'm just hoping "felgercarb" shows up. It's not Galactica if there's no felgercarb.

Wait, that came out wrong. . .

I'm with Cybersnark on that one.

Actually, FRAK (as it's spelled in the books) harkens back to the original BSG, and it wouldn't be true BSG without it.

I always thought "Gorram" is the bastardization of "God damn" in Firefly. I'd say that "rutting" would be the replacement for "F*ing" and "Made" in Chinese is the F* word. Right?

Zoic has indeed been doing the effects. They paid homage to Firefly by giving Serenity a fly-by over Caprica's capital city in the pilot of the new BSG. If you haven't found it already, look for it about 12-15 minutes in. Zoic is also implementing sound in space, but it's muted compared to what's been used in sci-fi in the past. I also noticed that they used an old BSG standard where they reused some viper footage. The fast landing sequence in the first episode was borrowed from the footage of the pilot.

I could go into the Colonial time increments and probably dig up a web site that tells all about it. I did look them up once. Classic BSG used to bog itself down with "Yahren" for year and could never really work out what "micron" or "centon" applied to in terms of time.

The original BSG was in re-runs by the time I became aware of it, so I spent a lot of late Saturday nights catching up. And when Richard Moore said he was going to re-image the original, he wasn't kidding. So far I've recognized three scenarios from the original episodes. And if that is in fact the case, then I'm cheering for Dirk Benedict to be cast as Commander Cain. Or if he passes, then Goran Visnijc because believe it or not, he's a HUGE fan of the original.

Fans come and fans go...but zealots are with you until the bitter black end.
I draw...therefore I am. http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922
Minnesota Meetup - join us! http://firefly.meetup.com/45/

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Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:27 AM

NIKNAK

Just to be pedantic - its a Firefly - not necessarily Serenity.

I just went googling and found this screenshot of the Firefly in BSG:
http://www.buffy.nu/article.php3?id_article=2945

And if you want a list of made up swear words Wikipedia is the place to go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_curse_words

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