[Slynky]

Originally posted by raynor:
The captain may have been more believable than Kirk. But he was pretty shallow and one-dimensional compared to Picard. The plots were so-so. I can't point to a single episode that had a good plot. The acting was poor compared to the combined body of Star Trek. Granted, Inara was pretty cute. All in all, in my opinion, the show started from nowhere, went nowhere, and was cancelled--big surprise.

No offense. But you just can't come on to the scene and start picking on Star Trek.

Everyone has opinions, and like *******s, I have mine. I realize I am in the minority. One thing you should understand, though. I am a long time Star Trek fan. Old enough to have watched the original series, not reruns. And then to TNG. DS-9. Voyager (sucked!) and finally to Enterprise.

So, you're not dealing with a person who hates the Star Trek series and spinoffs. (henceforth referred to simply as "ST")

ST was and will forever be an "empire".

Given that, I had an open mind and took a look, a GOOD look, at Firefly.

And I can't remember plots in the ST series that were as deep. Give me an example of any ST series that had something like this:

(1) Who was Book (preacher)? Was he an agent who converted because of what he knew was going on?

(2) River. What REALLY happened to her? How powerful WAS her brain?

(3) Jayne. Hired to the crew. But, always a bit suspect on his motives and loyalty.

(4) Mal, the captain. MUCH more believable than Kirk or Picard. While both Kirk and Picard often found themselves in a position to balance lives of his/their crew, Mal came off MUCH better. If you watched, then you should pay attention to the backflash episode where he struggled to save his ship and crew members. And the pilot (another story). While both Kirk and Picard loved the Enterprise, NO episode of ST ever showed the feelings for a ship as well as Firefly. You see? It was Mal's daring attempt to buy a space vessel and "make a living with it". Serenity.

(5) "Love Connection". Yes, Enterprise has T'Pol and the captain. Kirk had "flings". And #1 had his Marina Sertis (sp?) on TNG. But I don't think any of them were developed as well as Mal and Inara. Not to mention the episode where it became known that Zoe and Mal had prior feelings.

(6) Firefly got out of situations with believable script. Kirk got of of predicaments with some basic logic (which was kewl). But, in ST TNG, Wesley saved the day TOO much. And often, someone (usually Wesley) connected "A" to "B" and saved the day. Give me a break!!!

So, I have rambled on to someone who, in my opinion, is a "diehard" ST fan. And will never accept an alternative. But, for those who gave the Firefly series a chance, you know what I am speaking of.

Finally, yes, I am an ST fan. But I dropped Voyager due to ridiculous scripts. DS-9 became a farce (too much BS with the Farengi). Enterprise was OK, but I found it tiresome. Sometimes, a series "spinoff" just isn't right.

Final tally? My wife is not really a SciFi fan. But, I told her how great TNG was. Someone loaned us the first season to watch. With enthusiasm, I put the DVD's on to watch. Then, I found myself trying to defend the acting and plots. Especially when it concerned the security officer, that blond whose name I have conveniently forgotten. Glad she died. So, it was then that I decided NOT to borrow the 2nd season of TNG to show her. BUT, Firefly held her every attentive moment. Was it because the show had more believable characters? I dunno. One thing I think, though, Firefly attracted more female viewers than ST ever did. Perhaps that was its downfall... it didn't attract the same audience that left dents in the couch every weekend while glued to sports from 1:00 am on Saturday till 7 pm Sunday.