Nitpickers of the verse...UNITE!!

POSTED BY: everyworldspinnin
UPDATED: Tuesday, January 3, 2006 15:08
VIEWED: 18137
PAGE 1 of 1

EVERYWORLDSPINNIN

Thursday, November 10, 2005 4:54 AM

OK, so no show or movie is EVER perfect. But what "irregularites" have you noticed in Firefly/Serenity?

In Ariel, Jayne is handcuffed by the Federal Marshals, then is shot with a weapon from one of the Marshals. As he hits the ground, his handcuffs are gone. Magically!!

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"The last thing I want is that any of our descendents should look back in some years and despise us for not daring to act when we had so much capacity to act. We must dare to seek how, why and on what we agree. We shall thus be able to join together to look for alternative solutions and new ways of managing the world's challenges. Being diverse is our richness, acting together will be our strength". (Federico Mayor; 02-04-01;
UBUNTU Constituent Meeting).

MUFFINMANISTHESKIES

Thursday, November 10, 2005 5:03 AM

How about Simon, in Firefly, saying that other people got River out of the "Acadamy"...but the in the movie its him saving River

KHYRON

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by muffinmanistheskies:
How about Simon, in Firefly, saying that other people got River out of the "Acadamy"...but the in the movie its him saving River

I really don't think that that's an inconsistency, since he could have been telling the crew somewhat less than the whole truth (he didn't know them, after all), or the others did do most of the work in terms of preparation, he just went in and got her out.

How's this for nitpicking: in Ariel, Jayne's complaining that they aren't looking for work. Then Simon comes in and says that they can "stop looking". They weren't looking in the first place, so how can they stop? Trivial, but it always annoys me.

KHYRON

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:51 AM

In Ariel, getting them into the complex involved a huge amount of work and everything had to be just right. Then when Jayne, Simon and River didn't come back in time, Mal and Zoe went back to get them. They didn't go back to the medical part of the complex, though, but to the security area.

Now, if getting them into the medical complex was tough, getting them into to security area should be even tougher, but somehow they manage without a problem. How did they do that? I know they used the *back entrance*, but even back entrances should be guarded, especially in a security area. Even the Alliance knows that.

JACQUI

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:01 AM

The end of the pilot episode 'Serenity', where Wash is driving the ship with his hand in thin air. I swear, it cracks me up every time.

- And, also, in The Message, Jayne's hat and the straw. Which I didn't even notice until Alan Tudyk pointed it out. Grrr. Now it bothers me.

- Another thing that bothers me, it's not really a mistake, but still... in 'Trash', if they were expecting Saffron(yo-saff-bridge-whatever) to double cross them, including Inara for that very purpose, why didn't Kaylee just rig the trash compactor thingie to land somewhere *other* than the planned spot? That way Saffron couldn't have found it, even if she had disabled Serenity.

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

MALSWAY

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Khyron:
Quote:
Originally posted by muffinmanistheskies:
How about Simon, in Firefly, saying that other people got River out of the "Acadamy"...but the in the movie its him saving River

I really don't think that that's an inconsistency, since he could have been telling the crew somewhat less than the whole truth

That's how I've always looked at it. Under the circumstances, I don't think Simon would want to tell the truth to a shipload of strangers.

As for nitpicking, there's a typo in Serenity. After the scene in the Maidenhead, when the Operative is watching the security feed and then zooms in on Mal and calls up info on him, there's a brief moment when you see a fairly wide shot of the screen the Operative is viewing with Mal's info and picture. On that screen, Mal's name is spelled "Malcom" (missing the second "l").

On the next screen, which is a bit more of a close-up, his name is spelled correctly - "Malcolm"

I noticed this the third time I saw the BDM, and confirmed it in subsequent viewings.

ILGREVEN

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:

- Another thing that bothers me, it's not really a mistake, but still... in 'Trash', if they were expecting Saffron(yo-saff-bridge-whatever) to double cross them, including Inara for that very purpose, why didn't Kaylee just rig the trash compactor thingie to land somewhere *other* than the planned spot? That way Saffron couldn't have found it, even if she had disabled Serenity.

...but then it wouldn't have been half as funny when Inara beat her to the bin and trapped her in it. Inara was their insurance policy, and of course Mal didn't want her to feel totally useless. :D

"Bye now. Have good sex!"

JACQUI

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:04 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MalsWay:
On that screen, Mal's name is spelled "Malcom" (missing the second "l").

On the next screen, which is a bit more of a close-up, his name is spelled correctly - "Malcolm"

I noticed this the third time I saw the BDM, and confirmed it in subsequent viewings.

I'll have to look at it again, but I'm not sure this is a typo at all. The screen that the Operative looks at to get Mal's info actually changes two or three times, the words on one screen blend into the words on the next, so it's possible that his name wasn't mispelled, it was just mid-blend when you got a look at it.

Then again, it's possible it's a mistake, I'll need another look.

I had to go back to the cinema with eyes wide open, because I caught a glimpse of what looked like "Son of a preacher" when I first saw the screen and I got wildly excited and had so many theories when it came to his relationship with Book... and then another viewing brought forth "Son of a rancher", which we already knew. Dammit.

*~*~*
"He's hurting a woman, he really *is* a bad guy... and I wouldn't call him a gentleman."
- Kyle, 9, watching 'Serenity'.

MALSWAY

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
Quote:
Originally posted by MalsWay:
On that screen, Mal's name is spelled "Malcom" (missing the second "l").

On the next screen, which is a bit more of a close-up, his name is spelled correctly - "Malcolm"

I noticed this the third time I saw the BDM, and confirmed it in subsequent viewings.

I'll have to look at it again, but I'm not sure this is a typo at all.

I'll be interested to know if you see it, because I've seen the movie a couple of times with friends and pointed it out, and they've agreed with me. It's really quite obvious if you're looking for it, even though the screen isn't shown for very long.

JACQUI

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:18 AM

Quote:
I'll be interested to know if you see it, because I've seen the movie a couple of times with friends and pointed it out, and they've agreed with me. It's really quite obvious if you're looking for it, even though the screen isn't shown for very long.

You're right. I just had a look: it's there and it's spelled wrong. Of course, this is the same file that lists Mal as a CAPTAIN of the Independent Army, when he was but a SERGEANT, so... *shrug*. The Operative's sources obviously aren't as good as he thinks they are.

*~*~*
"He's hurting a woman, he really *is* a bad guy... and I wouldn't call him a gentleman."
- Kyle, 9, watching 'Serenity'.

MUFFINMANISTHESKIES

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:18 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Khyron:
Quote:
Originally posted by muffinmanistheskies:
How about Simon, in Firefly, saying that other people got River out of the "Acadamy"...but the in the movie its him saving River

I really don't think that that's an inconsistency, since he could have been telling the crew somewhat less than the whole truth (he didn't know them, after all), or the others did do most of the work in terms of preparation, he just went in and got her out.

How's this for nitpicking: in Ariel, Jayne's complaining that they aren't looking for work. Then Simon comes in and says that they can "stop looking". They weren't looking in the first place, so how can they stop? Trivial, but it always annoys me.

OK i'm sayin he says that he made contacts, with his money, who then told him they could get River out and get her to Persephone where he could pick her up later...if he himself was gonna get her out anyway why would he have to pick her up later in a box on Persephone? he could have just taken her right away and not been seperated so they could freeze her

MALSWAY

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
Quote:
I'll be interested to know if you see it, because I've seen the movie a couple of times with friends and pointed it out, and they've agreed with me. It's really quite obvious if you're looking for it, even though the screen isn't shown for very long.

You're right. I just had a look: it's there and it's spelled wrong. Of course, this is the same file that lists Mal as a CAPTAIN of the Independent Army, when he was but a SERGEANT, so... *shrug*. The Operative's sources obviously aren't as good as he thinks they are.

Well, Mal's name IS spelled right on the next screen, so methinks the Operative's sources need a new spellchecker!

KHYRON

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by muffinmanistheskies:
OK i'm sayin he says that he made contacts, with his money, who then told him they could get River out and get her to Persephone where he could pick her up later...if he himself was gonna get her out anyway why would he have to pick her up later in a box on Persephone? he could have just taken her right away and not been seperated so they could freeze her

I obviously don't know the details of the plan, but it seems reasonable to assume that Simon and River were split up to make their get-away easier. Simon would have fled to Persephone as quickly as possible, whereas River was frozen and shipped to Persephone at a later time. Had Simon fled from the central planet with a giant box it would've been pretty suspicious.

But to be honest, I don't really care that much. It actually bothered me more that people were making such a big deal out of this, because what's been said in the series isn't exactly the bible. And in the entire series there was about one sentence on River's escape from the academy, so it's annoying to see how many people think they knew for certain that the version in the movie was wrong.

To keep this post topical: this isn't exactly a fault, but it's stupid. In Safe, Mal is busy negotiating with those two guys about the price of the cattle, when Book comes by and asks him if everything's going okay. Why would he come to talk to Mal while Mal was busy negotiating? There's absolutely no reason for it.

DONCOAT

Thursday, November 10, 2005 2:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by MalsWay:
Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
Quote:
I'll be interested to know if you see it, because I've seen the movie a couple of times with friends and pointed it out, and they've agreed with me. It's really quite obvious if you're looking for it, even though the screen isn't shown for very long.

You're right. I just had a look: it's there and it's spelled wrong. Of course, this is the same file that lists Mal as a CAPTAIN of the Independent Army, when he was but a SERGEANT, so... *shrug*. The Operative's sources obviously aren't as good as he thinks they are.

Well, Mal's name IS spelled right on the next screen, so methinks the Operative's sources need a new spellchecker!

It's worse than you think (as it generally is).

Computer databases, when properly designed, have only one entry for each piece of data. That is, there should be one and only one "First Name" record, which is then used to fill in the appropriate field on any report.

If that name appears correctly spelled in one place and incorrectly spelled in another, that means the database must have (at least) two entries for that data. Either that, or the program somehow dropped a letter when it filled in the first name field on that page.

Either way, we can say the Alliance coders are idiots. Which gives one hope that the big bad Alliance isn't so invulnerable after all

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

SCOUSERATHEART

Thursday, November 10, 2005 2:34 PM

Could Malcom be the operatives search query - and the later info be what the database pulled up?? It still doesn't solve the CAPTAIN /Independent Army issue.....
(seriously grasping at straws....)

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, November 10, 2005 2:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
- Another thing that bothers me, it's not really a mistake, but still... in 'Trash', if they were expecting Saffron(yo-saff-bridge-whatever) to double cross them, including Inara for that very purpose, why didn't Kaylee just rig the trash compactor thingie to land somewhere *other* than the planned spot? That way Saffron couldn't have found it, even if she had disabled Serenity.

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

I love the episode (Trash), and love the final scene with Inara showing up, but on repeated viewing I have begin to wonder: Where did Inara park? It must of been nearby so she could get to the dumpster and get the booty (without getting even a bit dirty, that's our Inara), but not near enough for YoSaffBridg to see the shuttle from the air and know something's up.

I agree with Jacqui, it'd be easier to change the spot. But then we wouldn't get to see Inara mocking YSB, and that is a verra satisfying moment.

I have one more: how did they find Mal before he sunburned his privates? I mean, one lil nekked man out in the desert? Not so easy to see! Do you think he was hiding one of those walkie-talkie things somewhere?

Just call me Nitty.

SMAUG

Thursday, November 10, 2005 2:56 PM

Well.. it is nitpicking.. because anytime you are dealing with a fictisious piece of work.. you can't possibly close every possible plot hole, etc. Plus some plot holes may be unavoidable to make the story more interesting. As long as there arn't too many or too large of ones.. it doesn't distract from the overall story.. and is tight enought to suspend belief... it's fine by me. But interesting to discuss non the less..

This is one that is on my mind because I saw the final episode (objects in space) last night for the first time. I'm a little depressed about it.. because I now have nothing left to watch (but that's another topic ) But anyway.. two things that i thought where kind of "overlooked".

1. Early's ship seemed awful small to be able to be by itself in "deep space" which is where they where. How was he able to follow them that far into deep space in such a tiny ship? I guess we will never know. Since they left him to die.. my guess is that he might have had a larger ship that he temporarily left behind to sneak up on Serenity in this smaller craft. A ship which he might have been able to get back to (if he has some type of propulsion on that suit of his).. or radio to come get him.. or something. I don't think this is the last we would have seen of Early had the series continued But if he did have a larger vessle nearby.. wouldn't Mal have realized this?

2. At the end as River is floating back to Serenity.. we see Early's ship sort of "take off". I can only assume they just sent it on some random heading which I can only assume would be AWAY from the direction Early was floating. But we clearly see in other episodes that Mal will salavage anything valuable off of anything that happen to come accross. Why wouldn't they take a perfectly functioning craft with them and pawn it off somewhere? Early wasn't alliance.. so it's not like the alliance would go missing the craft or anything. Plus.. it's not like Mal would be selling it to any "legit" business man anyway. IF they couldn't tow it or if it was too big to fit in the cargo bay.. someone simply could have piloted it to the nearest planet where they might be able to sell it. Why would Mal let money slip through his fingers like that?

Smaug..

PURPLEYIN

Thursday, November 10, 2005 3:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
[If that name appears correctly spelled in one place and incorrectly spelled in another, that means the database must have (at least) two entries for that data. Either that, or the program somehow dropped a letter when it filled in the first name field on that page.

we know the Alliance 'edit' alot of data, what if there are multiple copies of data, and the feilds get filled in more appropriately if you have a higher clearence. Might freak ppl out to know how much the alliace knows about them, so the alliance pilots and privates and whatnot only get shoddy, mistake ridden data, which the operative skimmed over..

CYBERSNARK

Thursday, November 10, 2005 3:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I have one more: how did they find Mal before he sunburned his privates? I mean, one lil nekked man out in the desert?

That's why we had that chip implanted. . .

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

FOURSKYS

Thursday, November 10, 2005 4:17 PM

Quote:
- And, also, in The Message, Jayne's hat and the straw. Which I didn't even notice until Alan Tudyk pointed it out. Grrr. Now it bothers me.

Yeah, that bugged me a bit at first too, but I don't think it's actually a mistake. When we first see the Jayne hat, it has straw because he just took it out of a box in which it was packed with straw. Then it's clean, right? But when Alan in the commentary mentions that the straw is back in his hat, what was Jayne in the middle of? Looking for "Magical wish granting planks." By that I mean, digging through Tracey's box which was filled with, guess what, Straw. So I think it makes perfect sense that the straw is back, in fact. Now, I could have the timeline off a bit (it's been awhile since I've watched it), but I think Alan made a mistake in the commentary...

ALAND

Thursday, November 10, 2005 4:48 PM

Simon didn't get River out of the academy. He got her into an airshaft. The underground got her out of the academy.

And Simon's account to the crew is not the only line in the pilot that talks about the escape. At the end of the episode, River says to Simon "I didn't think you'd come for me", which suggests to me that Simon was the one who came for her. Also, when she plopped naked out of the cryo box, Simon said to her "we're safe now", which suggests that they were together in peril earlier.

The earliest inconsistancy I've found is in the pilot, where they are in space suits breaking into the derelict's safe. One of the first shots shows Mal from behind, and you can see the safe with the ring of "sticky" already applied, before Mal had actually applied it.

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, November 10, 2005 5:23 PM

physics geeks of the verse unite!!!

Is anyone else bothered about how they move in space in the pilot? Mal pushes off, then starts turning. And again he changes momentum - turns and stops in midair next to Zoe. They coulda done that better.

And how about that Net in OMR? They seemed to be thinking this electric lightening stuff was gonna fry everyone IN the ship. Electric current stays on the OUTSIDE of a metal body - Physics 101 baby.

Maybe they need a physicist on set? Especially one with gentle hands to help Mal move?

uh oh, I got my own nitpickin' momentum going. Beginning of the pilot, excellent special effects: on the Alliance ship, of the wreckage, in the window. The little pieces of the wreckage are reassembled to identify the ship. They could do this but couldn't see the extra whole space ship (Serenity) sitting among the pieces? hmmm.

I have a Master's degree ... in science.

Actually I don't, but does anyone else remember that quote?

GIXXER

Thursday, November 10, 2005 5:43 PM

Bumping bach to the mis-spelling of Malcolm's name, the answer is that the information was posted on an internetty thing, and so you really can expect bizarro spelling.

Go on, try searching Google for "Firfly". You'll get some hits.

Alternatively, you're looking at border town stuff, where spelling might get a bit freeform (viz the spelling of Shakespeare). Of course, it being an official notice and all, the theory falls over.

That's what you get for trying to base arguments on licensed premises...

G

Mission Control: Buckaroo, The White House wants to know is everything ok with the alien space craft from Planet 10 or should we just go ahead and destroy Russia?
Buckaroo Banzai: Tell him yes on one and no on two.
Mission Control: Which one was yes, go ahead and destroy Russia... or number 2?

KHYRON

Thursday, November 10, 2005 5:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I have a Master's degree ... in science.

Actually I don't, but does anyone else remember that quote?

No, but I've got a similar one:

We're from the University ... of ... err ... America!

in Bushwhacked, when Simon and River are hiding on the outside of the ship and the Alliance is looking around, you see about 15 or so Alliance officers in the kitchen, looking under the whatdoyoucallthems ... those things one puts on a table under one's plate (can't think of the word now), and going through other stuff. 15 people to one kitchen seems a bit much, and I'm sure that Simon and River wouldn't hide themselves or any clues under those whatdoyoucallthems. One guy even looks under the same one twice!

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Khyron:
Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I have a Master's degree ... in science.

Actually I don't, but does anyone else remember that quote?

No, but I've got a similar one:

We're from the University ... of ... err ... America!

in Bushwhacked, when Simon and River are hiding on the outside of the ship and the Alliance is looking around, you see about 15 or so Alliance officers in the kitchen, looking under the whatdoyoucallthems ... those things one puts on a table under one's plate (can't think of the word now), and going through other stuff. 15 people to one kitchen seems a bit much, and I'm sure that Simon and River wouldn't hide themselves or any clues under those whatdoyoucallthems. One guy even looks under the same one twice!

"Placemat" - ya I noticed that too. Hey, you can't be sure what kind of malicious anti-establishment material could lie under a placemat. Unless you check. Twice.

I don't know your quote - but I'm enjoying mine so much I'm gonna use it as my signature. Think NPR, in the 80s, probably the 90s too.

Ask Dr. Science ... he knows more than you do.

"I have a Master's degree ... in science!"

CAUSAL

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
Of course, this is the same file that lists Mal as a CAPTAIN of the Independent Army, when he was but a SERGEANT, so... *shrug*.

We are told...well, somewhere, tha Mal winds up command thousands of folk during the Battle of Serenity Valley. A buck sergeant (in our military) would command a squad--maybe 9 or 10 soldiers. So I'm guessing Mal wasn't a buck sergeant (after all, a Sergeant Major is still a sergeant). I'm guessing Mal was a First Sergeant equivalent, which would have made him the senior enlisted man in a company (120 or so soldiers). But when you have a really heated campaign going, officers drop like flies. So enlisted men step up and take over, in what's called a "battle field commission". I'm guessing that following Serenity Valley, Mal was made a Captain by the Independent military brass. Even though the war was essentially over, and Mal never really wore the rank, his file would have reflected such a promotion.

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

THIEFJEHAT

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:39 PM

Quote:

We are told...well, somewhere, tha Mal winds up command thousands of folk during the Battle of Serenity Valley. A buck sergeant (in our military) would command a squad--maybe 9 or 10 soldiers. So I'm guessing Mal wasn't a buck sergeant (after all, a Sergeant Major is still a sergeant). I'm guessing Mal was a First Sergeant equivalent, which would have made him the senior enlisted man in a company (120 or so soldiers).

The following assumes US Army military ranks, The army of the Independence could be different.

I've spent some of my time considering Mal's rank in the Independent Army. We know from Zoe that "He was my platoon Sgt."

That would make Mal a Staff Sgt. most likely. Of course Zoe did not specify exactly WHEN Mal was a platoon Sgt. I have a feeling that prior to the Battle of Serenity Valley he was promoted...most likely to Company 1st Sgt.

So the Mal we see in Du Kang was most likely "Staff Sgt Renoylds" And the Mal we see in the pilot episode was "1st Sgt Reynolds"

Now as to why he was listed as a Captain in the film: I think that our writers just screwed up. Yea it could have been a battlefield promotion..but in that case Lt. Renoylds would have made sense.

I honestly think that the Captain title was a slip up. I see this sort of thing all the time from TV and film writers. There is an episode in season 2 smallville when a miltary officer introduces himself as "Lt. so-n-so" and takes off his cover that had Capt bars on it. It happens all the time.

Do not fear me. Ours is a peaceful race, and we must live in harmony.

SCREWTHEALLIANCE

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:47 PM

Quote:

Of course, this is the same file that lists Mal as a CAPTAIN of the Independent Army, when he was but a SERGEANT, so... *shrug*. The Operative's sources obviously aren't as good as he thinks they are.

I handle this in "The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu" by having one of the surviving officers of the Independent High Command have Mal listed as field-promoted to "Captain" and Zoe to "Lieutenant" on their muster-out forms, in recognition of their service in Sernity Valley. I also have them paid off a muster-out grant based on their rank -- which is what allowed Mal to buy the Firefly in the first place.

ScrewtheAlliance

STILLTHEREWAITING

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:50 PM

Quote:

Simon didn't get River out of the academy. He got her into an airshaft. The underground got her out of the academy.

And Simon's account to the crew is not the only line in the pilot that talks about the escape. At the end of the episode, River says to Simon "I didn't think you'd come for me", which suggests to me that Simon was the one who came for her. Also, when she plopped naked out of the cryo box, Simon said to her "we're safe now", which suggests that they were together in peril earlier.

Interestingly, in the transcripts for the episode, the following exchange takes place after Simon tells his tale.

MAL
How did you know it wasn't a scam?

SIMON
I didn't. Until you opened that box.

I don't recall this being in the episode as shot, however it would be a clear indicator that Simon did not get her out himself.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy.

If I were you, I'd run!
If you were me, you'd be good-looking

ZOOT

Thursday, November 10, 2005 6:54 PM

BTW great title!! The "dyslexics of the world unite!" joke was the first humorous tale ever told me by a teacher - not so funny when you're a 9 year old with a complete inability to make words come out the right way round (scarred for life - well kinda) ...

***************************************

Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

KHYRON

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by StillThereWaiting:
I don't recall this being in the episode as shot, however it would be a clear indicator that Simon did not get her out himself.

No. If Simon left the core planet for Persephone earlier and the resistance group transported River to Persephone later, he still could have had a hand in the escape, it's just that he wasn't around to make sure the group lived up to their part of the deal afterwards.

CAUSAL

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by thiefjehat:
Quote:

We are told...well, somewhere, tha Mal winds up command thousands of folk during the Battle of Serenity Valley. A buck sergeant (in our military) would command a squad--maybe 9 or 10 soldiers. So I'm guessing Mal wasn't a buck sergeant (after all, a Sergeant Major is still a sergeant). I'm guessing Mal was a First Sergeant equivalent, which would have made him the senior enlisted man in a company (120 or so soldiers).

The following assumes US Army military ranks, The army of the Independence could be different.

I've spent some of my time considering Mal's rank in the Independent Army. We know from Zoe that "He was my platoon Sgt."

That would make Mal a Staff Sgt. most likely. Of course Zoe did not specify exactly WHEN Mal was a platoon Sgt. I have a feeling that prior to the Battle of Serenity Valley he was promoted...most likely to Company 1st Sgt.

So the Mal we see in Du Kang was most likely "Staff Sgt Renoylds" And the Mal we see in the pilot episode was "1st Sgt Reynolds"

Now as to why he was listed as a Captain in the film: I think that our writers just screwed up. Yea it could have been a battlefield promotion..but in that case Lt. Renoylds would have made sense.

I honestly think that the Captain title was a slip up. I see this sort of thing all the time from TV and film writers. There is an episode in season 2 smallville when a miltary officer introduces himself as "Lt. so-n-so" and takes off his cover that had Capt bars on it. It happens all the time.

Do not fear me. Ours is a peaceful race, and we must live in harmony.

Well, God; of course it was just a goof. I was offering a theory that would keep the 'verse consistent.

Nit-pickers, indeed.

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

PHOEBE

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:03 PM

Yeah but... sometimes lines that don't make sense are cut. The only lines that matter are the ones that were filmed.

NUISANCE

Thursday, November 10, 2005 8:07 PM

The inconsistency that bothers me is actually discrepancy between a trailer and the movie. You may all recall the "6 rebels on the run" trailer. From what I saw in the movie there was only one time the crew was in a group of six and they weren't running.

The only other way I can try to rationalize this is some of the crew members don't count as rebels. It still doesn't sit right with me, but Wash could always say, "I was piloting the ship by accident."

INSANITYLATER

Thursday, November 10, 2005 9:02 PM

Ok, here's my thoughts on the whole "Captain" thing. In the episode Bushwacked, the Captain of the Alliance ship pulls up Mal's record and he is listed as a Sergeant, and then either he jokes about Mal being a Captain or Mal tells him he's a Captain..I forget which. Anyway.. Mal later in that episode, saves the guy's life. So I figured in addition to letting Mal go he upgraded his Alliance record to Captain as a show of gratitude or respect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Serenity NOW!!! ... Insanity later."

http://members.thai.net/sinthai/room.htm (Not mine but check it out if you like a scare)

ALAND

Thursday, November 10, 2005 10:10 PM

Kaylee is too cute and harmless to be considered a rebel.

As for the captain thing, maybe Mal was captain of the regimental softball team. :-)

CAUSAL

Friday, November 11, 2005 12:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by InsanityLater:
Ok, here's my thoughts on the whole "Captain" thing. In the episode Bushwacked, the Captain of the Alliance ship pulls up Mal's record and he is listed as a Sergeant, and then either he jokes about Mal being a Captain or Mal tells him he's a Captain..I forget which. Anyway.. Mal later in that episode, saves the guy's life. So I figured in addition to letting Mal go he upgraded his Alliance record to Captain as a show of gratitude or respect.

No ruttin' way! If the captain of the Alliance vessel wanted to show gratitude, he'd have let him keep the cargo! I gotta figure that just letting them go was about the furthest he was willing to go. Plus, point of interest, how on earth would that guy have been able to pull that off? Mal wasn't even in the military anymore. As a matter of fact, there wasn't even any Independent military at all anymore. So the captain would have had to pull some kind of scam to get Mal's record change. And how exactly would that benefit Mal?

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

DONCOAT

Friday, November 11, 2005 1:54 AM

More likely, between Bushwhacked and the movie, the Alliance records were updated to reflect the Browncoats' last-minute muster-out promotions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DONCOAT

Friday, November 11, 2005 1:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
- Another thing that bothers me, it's not really a mistake, but still... in 'Trash', if they were expecting Saffron(yo-saff-bridge-whatever) to double cross them, including Inara for that very purpose, why didn't Kaylee just rig the trash compactor thingie to land somewhere *other* than the planned spot? That way Saffron couldn't have found it, even if she had disabled Serenity.

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

I love the episode (Trash), and love the final scene with Inara showing up, but on repeated viewing I have begin to wonder: Where did Inara park? It must of been nearby so she could get to the dumpster and get the booty (without getting even a bit dirty, that's our Inara), but not near enough for YoSaffBridg to see the shuttle from the air and know something's up.

Simple: Inara landed, set her shuttle autopilot to fly well clear, and waited for either Saff or the BDHs to show up.

Quote:
I have one more: how did they find Mal before he sunburned his privates? I mean, one lil nekked man out in the desert? Not so easy to see! Do you think he was hiding one of those walkie-talkie things somewhere?

Simple again. Inara had Saff's shuttle, with its recent flight records. She simply looked up the last waypoint, and met Serenity there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

CAUSAL

Friday, November 11, 2005 2:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
More likely, between Bushwhacked and the movie, the Alliance records were updated to reflect the Browncoats' last-minute muster-out promotions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

Yes, yes, excellent!

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

JAYTEE

Friday, November 11, 2005 2:57 AM

I've loved this show for a long time but after reading these postings of all these inconsistencies I've realized what a horrible show it actually is and now I just don't like it anymore. I'm gonna burn my DVD set and forget the whole thing.........HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah, right. OK, NITPICKS!!! Keep looking for what's wrong in life and THAT'S ALL YOU'LL EVER FIND AND ALL YOU'LL EVER DESERVE. Quit wasting time looking for flaws in the show and start working on the flaws in your defective personalities and then maybe you'll accomplish something worthwhile. I don't care if the yellow Porsche in Commando is smashed up on one side and then perfectly fine in the next frame. Yeah, I notice but I don't really care or let it ruin the whole show. Firefly is GREAT no matter how many little oversights.

Jaytee

MUFFINMANISTHESKIES

Friday, November 11, 2005 3:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by JayTee:
I've loved this show for a long time but after reading these postings of all these inconsistencies I've realized what a horrible show it actually is and now I just don't like it anymore. I'm gonna burn my DVD set and forget the whole thing.........HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah, right. OK, NITPICKS!!! Keep looking for what's wrong in life and THAT'S ALL YOU'LL EVER FIND AND ALL YOU'LL EVER DESERVE. Quit wasting time looking for flaws in the show and start working on the flaws in your defective personalities and then maybe you'll accomplish something worthwhile. I don't care if the yellow Porsche in Commando is smashed up on one side and then perfectly fine in the next frame. Yeah, I notice but I don't really care or let it ruin the whole show. Firefly is GREAT no matter how many little oversights

I had written something the first time i posted this but it went something like this

nitpicking isnt about showing that a show is bad its about talking about things that you see or realize upon repeated viewings, little things that dont detract from the viewing pleasure but are interesting cuz you usually dont realize them right away

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME

ROCKETJOCK

Friday, November 11, 2005 5:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:

I have a Master's degree ... in science.

Actually I don't, but does anyone else remember that quote?

This is a tag line from the Ask Dr. Science radio show heard on NPR and numerous other places. Dr. Science, AKA Dan Coffey of the comedy group The Duck's Breath Mystery Theater has been descibed as "America's foremost authoritarian on the world around us. Or at least the world around him."

"There is a thin line between ignorance and arrogance," he says, "and only I have managed to erase that line."

I had the pleasure of seeing the good doctor live in San Francisco's Great American Music Hall a few years back. He took questions from the audience; my wife wanted to ask him if there was any known way to accelerate sloe gin... but he didn't pick us. Instead, he answered the question, "If things contract when they get cold, then why does water expand when it turns to ice?"

"Water," he explained, "has an eating disorder. But water has recently checked itself into the Betty Ford Clinic, and hopes to feel better about itself very soon."

"Remember, I know more than you do. I have a Masters Degree -- in Science!" -- Dr. Science.

DONCOAT

Friday, November 11, 2005 12:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by JayTee:
Keep looking for what's wrong in life and THAT'S ALL YOU'LL EVER FIND AND ALL YOU'LL EVER DESERVE. Quit wasting time looking for flaws in the show and start working on the flaws in your defective personalities and then maybe you'll accomplish something worthwhile. I don't care if the yellow Porsche in Commando is smashed up on one side and then perfectly fine in the next frame. Yeah, I notice but I don't really care or let it ruin the whole show. Firefly is GREAT no matter how many little oversights.

Easy there, big fella!

I don't think there's a one of us don't love this show and just about everything connected with it. It's only, some of us actually enjoy the picking of nits. If you don't pick 'em, they bite.

'Sides, as you can see from some of the comments above, most of the time these so-called "errors" ain't really mistakes at all. They're just subtle clues about things in the 'verse that were never spelled out, is all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DONCOAT

Friday, November 11, 2005 12:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ScrewtheAlliance:
Quote:

Of course, this is the same file that lists Mal as a CAPTAIN of the Independent Army, when he was but a SERGEANT, so... *shrug*. The Operative's sources obviously aren't as good as he thinks they are.

I handle this in "The Treasure of Lei Fong Wu" by having one of the surviving officers of the Independent High Command have Mal listed as field-promoted to "Captain" and Zoe to "Lieutenant" on their muster-out forms, in recognition of their service in Sernity Valley. I also have them paid off a muster-out grant based on their rank -- which is what allowed Mal to buy the Firefly in the first place.

I think this is a very tidy solution (which looks out of place on Beaumonde, but never mind).

It does raise one question, though. If Mal spent his grant on Serenity, what did Zoe spend hers on? Savings for when she can retire and give up this life of crime?

Or maybe -- she paid for the repairs to Serenity. Which would make her part owner. Now that's a thought...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

PURPLEYIN

Friday, November 11, 2005 2:41 PM

well she is captain when mal isnt aboard..

THESENTINEL

Friday, November 11, 2005 3:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by JayTee:
I've loved this show for a long time but after reading these postings of all these inconsistencies I've realized what a horrible show it actually is and now I just don't like it anymore. I'm gonna burn my DVD set and forget the whole thing.........HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah, right. OK, NITPICKS!!! Keep looking for what's wrong in life and THAT'S ALL YOU'LL EVER FIND AND ALL YOU'LL EVER DESERVE. Quit wasting time looking for flaws in the show and start working on the flaws in your defective personalities and then maybe you'll accomplish something worthwhile. I don't care if the yellow Porsche in Commando is smashed up on one side and then perfectly fine in the next frame. Yeah, I notice but I don't really care or let it ruin the whole show. Firefly is GREAT no matter how many little oversights.

Jaytee

How many times do you think these folks had to watch the show to find these things?! They are obviously fans. I love finding bloopers in my favorite movies.

Adam

VERMIN

Friday, November 11, 2005 5:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by InsanityLater:
Ok, here's my thoughts on the whole "Captain" thing. In the episode Bushwacked, the Captain of the Alliance ship pulls up Mal's record and he is listed as a Sergeant, and then either he jokes about Mal being a Captain or Mal tells him he's a Captain..I forget which.

Here's my theory. I don't remember exactly from the movie, I'd have to look at it again, but I was assuming that "Captain Malcolm Reynolds" referred to the fact that he is the captain of Serenity, and "Sargeant Malcolm Reynolds" referred to his military rank. Thus, he can be both Captain and Sargeant at the same time without any inconsistency.

JAYTEE

Friday, November 11, 2005 7:18 PM

OK, first I should apologize to all for sounding off like that. I'm sorry. I took the whole thread the wrong way and thought people were tearing down the show so like a jerk I went with the knee-jerk reaction of jumping in to defend by beloved Firefly. I should have re-read the posts and considered their content more carefully. After going over the thread again and a few others I can see I was overreacting and shouldn't have posted my venting. Also after reading it I caught an entry about Wash pretending to steer the ship while holding nothing at the end of the Serenity episode. It cracked me up because I'd never noticed it before. First you people hook me on Firefly, then you hook on picking nits! Browncoats are gonna be the death of me...(just kidding).
P.S. Going to the bargain theater again tonight to see the BDM for the 6th time. YAY!!!

Jaytee

IMALEAF

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 9:33 PM

Did anyone notice that in the deleted stuff on the DVD the Operative calls Mal a Sergeant, so the Captain thing on the screen has to be a typo

~~River: Bible's broken. Contradictions, false logics. Doesn't make sense.~~

SAMEERTIA

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 9:44 PM

I never noticed Wash's empty hand until I watched the commentary where it gets pointed out. Now, it makes me nuts.

My biggest issue is the medical stuff. Maybe because half my family are nurses and doctors, but -
a) Wash is giving blood for a transfusion with the tourniquet still it place?
b) You DON'T use direct pulmonary adrenalin injection if the heart is still beating! That's a sure fire way to make it STOP beating. (Mal in "Out of Gas", Simon's suggestion in "Serenity"
c) Uh...shouldn't electronic resuscitation be placed where the impact will go to the heart muscle? (Niska)
d) Simon doing pulmonary massage with Zoe on the table and his arms bent? Come on, send that doc to CPR class!

I just overlook them. I love it anyway! However, watching it with the family this weekend, we laughed ALOT. My sister, the terminal care nurse ran around all weekend saying, "The patient was cynical and non responsive!"

GYPSYLIFE

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 9:54 PM

More curiosity than nit picking...

In the message tracy says that you have to transport organs in a human...but how the heck were they gonna transport his "own workin's" to put them back in????

There's problly an easy answer to this...I just don't know it lol

"See this is another sign of your tragic space dementia, all paranoid and crochety. Breaks the heart." -Mal

SCHOONER

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 9:57 PM

Just a thought. Has anyone put forward the idea that Mal was actually demoted to Sergeant from Captain. Mal's intelligent, a leader, and apparently one of the earlier Browncoats. He also has a slight problem with authority. It seems possible that Mal was a captain at some point, ticked off the wrong higher-ups, and was busted down to Sergeant, where he met Zoe.

I have absolutely no evidence to back this up. Just seems to fit, somehow.

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 10:59 PM

My theory on where Mal got the money to buy Serenity: The Alliance actually paid for some of the land they annexed, in Mal's case this was the family ranch on Shadow. What he was paid is a fraction of what it would really have been worth, but enough for a slightly used spaceship.

History repeats the old conceits

http://topshelftvshow.com
Updated! Improved! Shiny!

SAMEERTIA

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 12:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by gypsylife:
More curiosity than nit picking...

In the message tracy says that you have to transport organs in a human...but how the heck were they gonna transport his "own workin's" to put them back in????

There's problly an easy answer to this...I just don't know it lol

"See this is another sign of your tragic space dementia, all paranoid and crochety. Breaks the heart." -Mal

It's only the Lab Grown organs needed to be transported in a human - not just a carrier, but an incubater (blastimmunes not approved; likely unstable).
We have the capacity today to transport human organs with no problem, and in Firefly we know they have full cryo-capabilities, so we can assume there would be no problem with transporting fully developed human organs.

My guess is that in Firefly the labgrown ones aren't completely developed - like the way Tracy's heartbeat was eratic and fast, like a newborn infants would be.
The real curiousity here is really how close we are to growing human organs in labs from stem-cels. It may not be long until something like "The Message" could actually take place.

CITIZEN

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 1:47 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
Is anyone else bothered about how they move in space in the pilot? Mal pushes off, then starts turning. And again he changes momentum - turns and stops in midair next to Zoe. They coulda done that better.

The Spacesuits include miniture thruster jets. They react to user movements to give minor control over movement and orientation.

Of course if you move violently enough you can use your own inertia to spin in space, despite there being nothing to push against.

Quote:
And how about that Net in OMR? They seemed to be thinking this electric lightening stuff was gonna fry everyone IN the ship. Electric current stays on the OUTSIDE of a metal body - Physics 101 baby.

It was more than electricity. You wouldn't see electricity in a vacuum, so obviously theres also some plasma and a general EM field going on. The plasma would heat up the interior, thereby frying the crew.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
Remember, the ice caps aren't melting, the water is being liberated.

MAL4PREZ

Monday, January 2, 2006 4:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
Is anyone else bothered about how they move in space in the pilot? Mal pushes off, then starts turning. And again he changes momentum - turns and stops in midair next to Zoe. They coulda done that better.

The Spacesuits include miniture thruster jets. They react to user movements to give minor control over movement and orientation.

Of course if you move violently enough you can use your own inertia to spin in space, despite there being nothing to push against.

ya but... I don't see little jets firing and there's no arm circling happening. It looks to me like they're hanging by wires in a studio. I admit, my standards are high because Firefly is so good with how the ships move. But would it have been so hard to cgi in jets, or have Zoe braced against a bulkhead so she could catch Mal after he pushes back from the door?

And please don't flame me for being too picky! That's the point of this, a chance to let my too-picky physics freak flag fly! (trying saying that 3 times

)

Quote:

Quote:
And how about that Net in OMR? They seemed to be thinking this electric lightening stuff was gonna fry everyone IN the ship. Electric current stays on the OUTSIDE of a metal body - Physics 101 baby.

It was more than electricity. You wouldn't see electricity in a vacuum, so obviously theres also some plasma and a general EM field going on. The plasma would heat up the interior, thereby frying the crew.

Good point. I hadn't thought of the lightening not visible in space thing. I thought the crew talked about the gate like it was electricity though. Guess I'll have to watch OMR again! (any excuse will do)

Ask Dr. Science ... he knows more than you do.
"I have a Master's degree ... in science!"

CITIZEN

Monday, January 2, 2006 5:06 PM

Heh, the whole spacesuit thing was me just being stupid

The plasma in OMR seems reasonable though. The electrical and em fields would keep the plasma in place, while the high voltage electricity would keep it nice and toasty.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
Remember, the ice caps aren't melting, the water is being liberated.

EBONEZER

Monday, January 2, 2006 6:27 PM

Quote:
In the message tracy says that you have to transport organs in a human...but how the heck were they gonna transport his "own workin's" to put them back in????

Its also very possible that the people tracy was working for lied, and were just gonna take his fake guts out, leave him dead, and keep the money. After all, Tracy doesn't seem like the brightest apple in the bunch, this scenario probably never occured to him.

Another thing that bothers me about Serenity, is how as Simon is rescuing River and they're in that shaft. The security lazers start at the bottom and light up a step at a time...very slowly. Thats just silly. Its a cliche suspence tactic that I find lame.

-----------------------------------

Four out of five gynecologists recommend calling Ebo a girl.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/yeabig/

DONCOAT

Monday, January 2, 2006 6:27 PM

Besides, why should we assume that Serenity's hull includes enough metal to make an effective Faraday cage?

Composite materials and ceramics can be assumed to be far advanced 500 years from now. Serenity could be made of a kind of super-fiberglass or some material we don't know about yet. After all, it's strong enough to stop all but the highest-energy projectile rounds.

We know one thing for sure: it's not a good enough Faraday cage to prevent massive EMP when it suffers a particle-beam hit to the engine nacelle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DONCOAT

Monday, January 2, 2006 6:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ebonezer:
Another thing that bothers me about Serenity, is how as Simon is rescuing River and they're in that shaft. The security lazers start at the bottom and light up a step at a time...very slowly. Thats just silly.

I was thinking about this last time I watched it. If there's some technical reason not to activate them all at once, why in the 'verse would you not turn them on from the top down, thereby cutting off a possible escape route?

And just what good are those lasers anyway? Are we supposed to think they're powerful enough to fry an escaping human? That seems a bit extreme, considering the possible value of those escapees... especially when all you'd need to do is close a door or grating over the top of the shaft.

Ah me. Why are we always the most critical of those we love the most?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

MIMA

Monday, January 2, 2006 6:46 PM

In serenity, during the battle of the reavers/alliance, the operative takes a bitty escape pod. Miraculously, it (crash?)lands exactly where Serenity fell, which was exactly where they needed to be. The operative then finds a secret duct vent directly into mr. universe's lair, avoiding the reavers.

biggest gaping WTF of the movie, but the heartpounding suspense of the reavers and the emotional shock of wash cover it up.

KHYRON

Monday, January 2, 2006 8:31 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
The plasma in OMR seems reasonable though. The electrical and em fields would keep the plasma in place, while the high voltage electricity would keep it nice and toasty.

It's a nice idea, but I'm not sure that would be practical, though. If a ship were to fly through some plasma hot enough to fry everybody inside, the plasma would have to be really hot indeed, and the chances are that the hull would be severely damaged in the process, which is something those junkers (for the lack of a better word) would want to avoid, since that's part of what they're after in the first place. If they want to kill everybody inside it would maybe be better to just puncture the hull in a spot that can easily be fixed or repaced later, thereby causing depressurisation inside the vessel.

But, as you said, Citizen, there must be some sort of plasma, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see the electricity in the first place. It's just that I don't think it plays such a big role and the killing of the people inside.

Somebody else mentioned that maybe the hull isn't made up of metal, but of some futuristic composites and if these composites are bad conductors of electricity, then the hull wouldn't act as a Faraday cage. This to me makes a bit more sense, because that would probably also make the ship light enough to make landing on and taking off from planets feasible, so in the Firefly-verse it would be a better alternative to metal hulls. Easier travel would be the up-side of having a hull made from composites - the down-side would be that it allows everybody inside to be fried in an electric net (assuming the materials are non-conducting).

--- Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

DONCOAT

Monday, January 2, 2006 9:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Khyron:
Somebody else mentioned that maybe the hull isn't made up of metal...

Story of my life... all my best ideas are credited to "somebody else"...

Speaking of the junkers, there's an interesting point in one of the conversations in the trap control room. One of them claims that the Firefly-class ship isn't worth much as parts, but would still be valuable on the whole.

Strange 'verse, where you make less by "parting out" an old ship than by selling it whole. On Earth-That-Was, that sort of thief always found it more profitable to sell the parts, especially on older models (which were presumably wearing out and in need of repair parts).

Furthermore it's much less risky, as the parts end up scattered all over the place making it hard to trace their origin. But that's not much of an issue out on the raggedy edge, where law enforcement is spotty at best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DONCOAT

Monday, January 2, 2006 9:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mima:
In serenity, during the battle of the reavers/alliance, the operative takes a bitty escape pod. Miraculously, it (crash?)lands exactly where Serenity fell, which was exactly where they needed to be. The operative then finds a secret duct vent directly into mr. universe's lair, avoiding the reavers.

Presumably the escape pod had some maneuverability, and the Operative was able to track Serenity (visually or otherwise) and follow it down. Or not: remember that the Op had already been there and knew where Mal was heading.

As for the access duct, Mr. Universe's lair was originally an Alliance communications outpost (see the novelization for details), so the Operative would have had access to plans and could have studied them before the original assault on Mr. U.

Almost anything can be rationalized!

Did anyone else notice the homage to Star Wars in the escape pod scene, with the Operative upside down and sitting in a couch whose back rest was shaped almost exactly like Darth Vader's helmet?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

KHYRON

Monday, January 2, 2006 9:39 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
Story of my life... all my best ideas are credited to "somebody else"...

Lol, sorry Doncoat. I was too lazy to go back and check who it was. I should have known by the subtle brilliance of the idea that it was you...

--- Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

DONCOAT

Monday, January 2, 2006 9:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Khyron:
Lol, sorry Doncoat. I was too lazy to go back and check who it was. I should have known by the subtle brilliance of the idea that it was you...

Heheh, no problem. As Wash knows, a little wisecrack is the best revenge -- and you did give me a sweet straight line there...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

HUMBUG

Monday, January 2, 2006 11:02 PM

Have you noticed in "The Message"?

They're still on the ship and are listening to Tracey's message, Jayne takes off his woolly orange hat,

and the next time the camera points his way, he still has the hat on,

and the time after that it is off again......

It hust bugs me now i've noticed it!!!!!!

Humbug

"She's damaging my calm!" Jayne, Serenity

JERRYT

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 3:08 PM

Ok here's one I haven't seen yet.

In Serenity (the pilot ep.) when the Reavers are chasing them. Kaylee tells Jayne that they need to disable the hydraulics for the port side engine. But when Wash throws the lever to do the crazy Ivan, and they cut to the exterior view, you see the port engine is the one that reverses. Since the hydraulics were not working for the port engine the starboard should have reversed.

Of course it was Jayne that did the work, so he probably got the wrong side.

JerryT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'll be in my bunk"