Quote:
Originally Posted by nekokami
I don't think Firefly being a "western" is what killed it early. The Wikipedia article says the network execs wanted Mal to be more "jolly."  |
Isn't that sort of like asking Patton to be a conscientious objector?
I guess they wanted him to throw off
James Bond-ish sexist and black humor quips every few seconds. ("Think of it, my dear, as your contribution to support the Browncoat movement...
heh, heh...") Besides, Wash wasn't jolly enough for them? Or maybe they just couldn't relate to a "western" without a John Wayne type strutting around mouthing earthy platitudes and chuckling at the "city-folk."
Either way, TV execs are renowned for reducing everything to labels, and
Firefly was about as far from any familiar labels to them as it could possibly be. After all, westerns are out, so there's nothing to directly compare it to... and sci-fi all looks like
Star Trek to them, flashy and shiny and plastic. I'm sure their eyes just glazed right over...
BTW: I just finished
My Kind of Freedom the other day, and I loved every minute of it! Brust nailed the characters, and captured the essence of
Firefly, the conflict, the history, the tensions, masterfully. If I could talk him into writing more of these, I would. If anyone else decided to write more
Firefly stories, I'd advise them that they will all be held up to
Freedom's standards. I'd strongly recommend it to every
Firefly fan.