• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

Maglev trains and Firefly

 
author and jackaroo
Posts: 12200
280
Mac IntelliJ IDE Firefox Browser Oracle C++ Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Watching Firefly's "The Train Job" last night, the train seemed to be really shooting along, and just floating over a single track. Any thoughts on whether Joss Whedon was thinking of Maglev trains when he did that, or is there some other technology that might be upcoming that could explain it?

I have been in a car doing 120km down the freeway between Shanghai and Pudong airport, and had their Maglev train just shoot past overhead like we were standing still. So I could easily believe that it was an inspiration for the show.

Regards, Andrew
 
Wanderer
Posts: 18671
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
It looked like a maglev train to me. More or less. I doubt Joss or co-writer/co-producer Tim Minear were really thinking much about the underlying technology. They just wanted a mix of old Western (US) motifs with some more futuristic elements. But they don't invent a lot of magic tech - if there's something that does the job cheaply and efficiently using real-world technology, that's usually what they use in Firefly. Holographic windows and pool tables notwithstanding.
 
Trailboss
Posts: 23778
IntelliJ IDE Firefox Browser Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Andrew,

Thanks for bringing Firefly over. That has to be one of the best shows I ever saw. And DAMN! That mechanic chick is cute.

(shall we start a ginger vs. marianne debate?)
 
lowercase baba
Posts: 13089
67
Chrome Java Linux
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Paul Wheaton:
shall we start a ginger vs. marianne debate?


Kaylee. Without a doubt.

Paul, you should see the movie, too. It ties up a lot of the loose ends. Kaylee has a great line near the end. Something like "To HELL with that. I wanna LIVE!!!".

It's hysterical in context.

But be warned - Joss Whedon is a S.O.B. at times with the characters.
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 15304
6
Mac OS X IntelliJ IDE Chrome
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Kaylee is cute for sure but it has to be River for me.
 
paul wheaton
Trailboss
Posts: 23778
IntelliJ IDE Firefox Browser Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Saw the movie - I liked it!

River? She's looks like she was recently fished from the bottom of a river! But hey buddy, if that's what floats yer boat!

Andrew, maybe Dane and I should swing by your new place on Sunday eve? We could help make sure that your firefly DVDs work okay.
 
Andrew Monkhouse
author and jackaroo
Posts: 12200
280
Mac IntelliJ IDE Firefox Browser Oracle C++ Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
You're more than welcome to come over and watch the next installment Paul.

I think you were a little too harsh with River, however I also think that Kaylee rocks!

Best regards, Andrew
 
Gregg Bolinger
Ranch Hand
Posts: 15304
6
Mac OS X IntelliJ IDE Chrome
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Andrew Monkhouse:
I think you were a little too harsh with River,



That's ok. He'd never say it to her face. She'd kick his arse.
 
paul wheaton
Trailboss
Posts: 23778
IntelliJ IDE Firefox Browser Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
First we have Kaylee:

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/hh/0821612/HH/0821612/Jewel_Staite.jpg.html?hint=nm0821612


http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0303461/Ss/0303461/5869100_2_13.jpg.html?hint=nm0821612


And then River:

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0303461/5869100_2_5.jpg.html?seq=2

[ March 20, 2007: Message edited by: Paul Wheaton ]
 
Gregg Bolinger
Ranch Hand
Posts: 15304
6
Mac OS X IntelliJ IDE Chrome
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Ok Paul, that is a bit unfair that you pulled out head shots of Kaylee and a movie still of Summer. How about this one?


http://www.summerglau.co.uk/gallery/supanova//index.php?imgDisplay=summersupanovalarge09.jpg
[ March 20, 2007: Message edited by: Gregg Bolinger ]
 
Jim Yingst
Wanderer
Posts: 18671
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Gregg, I would say that the actress Summer Glau is quite attractive, but the character of River is, well, less attractive. Not to mention psychotic and generally scary. I'm a Kaylee man, definitely.

Rating the wimmin of Firefly (on general hotness, of course):

1. Kaylee
2. Inara
3. Yo-Saf-Bridge
4. Zoe
5. River

Not to be negative about the lower rankings. Firefly is blessed with a preponderance of hot wimmin. As a wise man once wrote }}: "I think the lesson we can take out of all this is that, in the future, all women are hot."

Number 3 would probably be higher if she appeared in more episodes. (For Paul and anyone else who doesn't recognize Yo-Saf-Bridge... keep watching) And given Whedon's track record with other shows, she probably would have joined the crew eventually. Damn that Fox network. Anyway...

Rating the characters of Firefly on overall entertainment value:

1. Jayne
2. Wash
3. Everyone else

Rating those same characters in terms of who I'd like on my crew:

1. Kaylee
2. Mal
3. Zoe
4. Wash
5. Simon
6. Book
7. Inara
8. River (after Serenity)
9. Ummm...
10. (Still thinking...)
11. (Do I really have to pick one of the others?)
12. River (before Serenity)
13. Jayne
14. Yo-Saf-Bridge

Anyway, I'm glad to see that Firefly/Serenty is still garnering new fans. Enjoy...
 
fred rosenberger
lowercase baba
Posts: 13089
67
Chrome Java Linux
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Jayne kills me. At first, I thought he was going to be a one-dimensional oaf, but he has surprising depth. and boy howdy is he funny.

Oh, and speaking of Jayne... Jim I think you need to add Vera to your list of characters you want on your crew.

[i can't type this morning]
[ March 21, 2007: Message edited by: Fred Rosenberger ]
 
Sheriff
Posts: 3063
12
Mac IntelliJ IDE Python VI Editor Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Kaylee is cute, but not so much after she lost weight for the movie. Jo-Saf-Bridge is nice looking, but too scary to be attractive.

My vote is for Inara: breathtakingly beautiful, smart, and trained in the art of pleasure. Sure, she's had hundreds of men and some women too, but I don't care!
 
Greg Charles
Sheriff
Posts: 3063
12
Mac IntelliJ IDE Python VI Editor Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Oh, and River is 17 years old you lechers!
 
Gregg Bolinger
Ranch Hand
Posts: 15304
6
Mac OS X IntelliJ IDE Chrome
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Does anyone know if there is a Serenity sequel in the works?
 
Jim Yingst
Wanderer
Posts: 18671
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
[Greg]: Kaylee is cute, but not so much after she lost weight for the movie.

Apparently that's backwards - she had been asked to put on 15-20 pounds for the part in the TV series. When the series ended, she returned to her normal weight. When the movie came along, she was allowed to just keep her regular weight. I think she's cute either way, but to me the TV version is the "real" Kaylee.

[Gregg]: Does anyone know if there is a Serenity sequel in the works?

I'm pretty sure there's nothing currently in the works. It's still theorectically possible if at some point the studio decides it makes financial sense for them. Meanwhile Joss Whedon just started continuing Buffy in comics form, and apparently there are plans to do something similar with Angel. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they do something similar with Serenity within a few years. Not the same without the cast of course, but better than nothing I think.
 
Greg Charles
Sheriff
Posts: 3063
12
Mac IntelliJ IDE Python VI Editor Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Jim Yingst:

Apparently that's backwards



Not exactly backwards, but you're right that I should have said she lost weight before the movie to be totally accurate. Joss made her gain weight for the series, but she figured he wouldn't replace her in the movie just because she was skinny, which was surely true. Note to Jewell: Joss is a frickin' genius. Just trust him and do whatever he says.
 
Consider Paul's rocket mass heater.
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic