Firefly (TV series)/YMMV: Difference between revisions

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(Theme Tune Cameo" is for when the characters hear the theme. Replaced that with "Title Theme Drop".)
 
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The following are [[Subjective Tropes]] relating to [[Firefly]].
[[Subjective Tropes]] about [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}|''Firefly'']] include:

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* [[Accidental Aesop]]: From the main page under [[Strawman Political]], the Core Worlds are [[Crystal Spires and Togas|peaceful and prosperous]], but [[Screw the Rules I Make Them|the government can do damn near anything they want]] to their citizens as long as they can [[I Did What I Had to Do|justify it]] -- such as [[Playing With Syringes|cut up little girls' brains]] or {{spoiler|[[Government Drug Enforcement|dose entire planets with mind control drugs]]}}. The Rim Worlds are [[Crapsack World|anarchic and destitute]], but [[Its Up to You|you can always look your accuser in the eye and settle it one way or another]] -- or even [[Training the Peaceful Villagers|round up a posse of fellow victims and exact some frontier justice]]. The [[Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped|argument]] seems to be that ''[[Order Versus Chaos|a healthy civilization needs both]]'' and any attempt to "[[Utopia Justifies the Means|rid the world of sin]]" will do [[Gone Horribly Wrong|nothing but harm]] in [[Gone Horribly Right|the long run]]. Powerful stuff.<br /><br />As for the Aesop being Accidental, see [[What Do You Mean Its Not Political]], below.
* [[Accidental Aesop]]: From the main page under [[Strawman Political]], the Core Worlds are [[Crystal Spires and Togas|peaceful and prosperous]], but [[Screw the Rules, I Make Them|the government can do damn near anything they want]] to their citizens as long as they can [[I Did What I Had to Do|justify it]] -- such as [[Playing with Syringes|cut up little girls' brains]] or {{spoiler|[[Government Drug Enforcement|dose entire planets with mind control drugs]]}}. The Rim Worlds are [[Crapsack World|anarchic and destitute]], but [[It's Up to You|you can always look your accuser in the eye and settle it one way or another]] -- or even [[Training the Peaceful Villagers|round up a posse of fellow victims and exact some frontier justice]]. The [[Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped|argument]] seems to be that ''[[Order Versus Chaos|a healthy civilization needs both]]'' and any attempt to "[[Utopia Justifies the Means|rid the world of sin]]" will do [[Gone Horribly Wrong|nothing but harm]] in [[Gone Horribly Right|the long run]]. Powerful stuff.<br /><br />As for the Aesop being Accidental, see [[What Do You Mean It's Not Political?]], below.
* [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]: Is Jayne a [[Psycho for Hire|barely-restrained murderous idiot,]] or is this a [[Obfuscating Stupidity|facade]] created to ensure he has [[Dismotivation|minimal responsibilities]] and [[Almighty Janitor|maximum opportunities]] to [[Blood Knight|hurt people he dislikes?]] Mal often relies on Jayne to accomplish impressive tasks with no supervision and little foreknowledge -- and he always does, [[Lovable Traitor]] tendencies notwithstanding.
* [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]: Is Jayne a [[Psycho for Hire|barely-restrained murderous idiot,]] or is this a [[Obfuscating Stupidity|facade]] created to ensure he has [[Dismotivation|minimal responsibilities]] and [[Almighty Janitor|maximum opportunities]] to [[Blood Knight|hurt people he dislikes?]] Mal often relies on Jayne to accomplish impressive tasks with no supervision and little foreknowledge -- and he always does, [[Lovable Traitor]] tendencies notwithstanding.
** How exactly River's psychic abilities work is up to interpretation. The two most common theories are that either she's precognitive and can sense things before they happen, or that she possesses exceptional telepathic awareness of her surroundings which, coupled with her extreme intellect, lets her ''predict'' what's going to happen through analysis. Or maybe both at the same time.
** How exactly River's psychic abilities work is up to interpretation. The two most common theories are that either she's precognitive and can sense things before they happen, or that she possesses exceptional telepathic awareness of her surroundings which, coupled with her extreme intellect, lets her ''predict'' what's going to happen through analysis. Or maybe both at the same time.
* [[Awesome Anachronistic Apparel]]: It ''is'' a space western... with T-Shirts, corporate logos, the occasional mongol raider-style hat and space hookers. ''Of course'' everyone looks awesome!
* [[Awesome Anachronistic Apparel]]: It ''is'' a space western... with T-Shirts, corporate logos, the occasional mongol raider-style hat and space hookers. ''Of course'' everyone looks awesome!
* [[Better On DVD]]: Because you can watch the episodes in the right order, and without them being preempted by baseball games.
* [[Better on DVD]]: Because you can watch the episodes in the right order, and without them being preempted by baseball games.
* [[Bittersweet Ending]] / [[Distant Finale]]: The short story "Take the Sky," included in the ''Firefly: Still Flying'' companion book. Set 20 years after ''[[Serenity (Film)|Serenity]]'', whether it leans towards bitter or sweet depends on which character you focus on. Of course, there is always the chance that {{spoiler|it [[All Just a Dream|all takes place in Mal's head]] in a split second before he faces the Operative for the final time}}, but it is ambiguous enough to speculate on. And there might be foreshadowing.
* [[Bittersweet Ending]] / [[Distant Finale]]: The short story "Take the Sky," included in the ''Firefly: Still Flying'' companion book. Set 20 years after ''[[Serenity]]'', whether it leans towards bitter or sweet depends on which character you focus on. Of course, there is always the chance that {{spoiler|it [[All Just a Dream|all takes place in Mal's head]] in a split second before he faces the Operative for the final time}}, but it is ambiguous enough to speculate on. And there might be foreshadowing.
* [[Complete Monster]]
* [[Complete Monster]]: Jubal Early.
** Jubal Early.
** The Reavers might qualify, being [[Always Chaotic Evil]].
** Freakin' ''Niska''! This is a guy who had his wife's nephew tortured to death, and shows him off to the people he hires. Not a nice guy at all, especially in "War Stories" when he gets his hands on our [[Big Damn Heroes]].
** Freakin' ''Niska''! This is a guy who had his wife's nephew tortured to death, and shows him off to the people he hires. Not a nice guy at all, especially in "War Stories" when he gets his hands on our [[Big Damn Heroes]].
* [[Creepy Awesome]]: River.
* [[Creepy Awesome]]: River.
* [[Crowning Music of Awesome]]: ''[http://www.amazon.com/Original-Television-Soundtrack-Edmonson-Composer/dp/B000BLI4PQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1321716400&sr=8-5 Firefly]'' and ''[http://www.amazon.com/Serenity-David-Newman-Composer/dp/B000AYYUGQ/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_b Serenity]'' both have decidedly awesome soundtracks composed by Greg Edmonson and David Newman, respectively. Special mention goes to "Mal Fights Niska / Back Home" from "War Stories", and "Reavers Chase ''Serenity''" from the pilot.
* [[Crowning Music of Awesome]]: ''[http://www.amazon.com/Original-Television-Soundtrack-Edmonson-Composer/dp/B000BLI4PQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1321716400&sr=8-5 Firefly]'' and ''[http://www.amazon.com/Serenity-David-Newman-Composer/dp/B000AYYUGQ/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_b Serenity]'' both have decidedly awesome soundtracks composed by Greg Edmonson and David Newman, respectively. Special mention goes to "Mal Fights Niska / Back Home" from "War Stories", and "Reavers Chase ''Serenity''" from the pilot.
** Not to mention the end credits for ''Serenity'', the tail end of which features an instrumental [[Theme Tune Cameo]] for ''Firefly''.
** Not to mention the end credits for ''Serenity'', the tail end of which features an instrumental [[Title Theme Drop]] for ''Firefly''.
* [[Cult Classic]]
* [[Cult Classic]]
* [[Ear Worm]]: The title theme is the ''first'' example listed under [[Live Action TV]] on that page for a reason. Also frequently mentioned are the Fruity Oaty Bars jingle and the Ballad Of Jayne Cobb.
* [[Ear Worm]]: The title theme is the ''first'' example listed under [[Live Action TV]] on that page for a reason. Also frequently mentioned are the Fruity Oaty Bars jingle and the Ballad Of Jayne Cobb.
* [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]: River, who went from being a secondary character -- who still had quite a bit of focus on in the main series -- to being one of the two leads in [[The Movie]]. She's on the [[TV Tropes Wiki Drinking Game]] for a ''reason.'' It's also telling that her entry on [[Firefly (TV)/Characters|the character page]] is twice as long as the others.
* [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]: River, who went from being a secondary character -- who still had quite a bit of focus on in the main series -- to being one of the two leads in [[The Movie]]. She's on the [[All the Tropes Wiki Drinking Game]] for a ''reason.'' It's also telling that her entry on [[Firefly (TV series)/Characters|the character page]] is twice as long as the others.
* [[Evil Is Cool]]: Averted. Dr. Matthias is a banal and rather boring person. The sort of person who would be running a government brainwashing project in other words.
* [[Evil Is Cool]]: Averted. Dr. Matthias is a banal and rather boring person. The sort of person who would be running a government brainwashing project in other words.
* [[Evil Is Sexy]]: Saffron, but she ''is'' played by [[Christina Hendricks]].
* [[Evil Is Sexy]]: Saffron, but she ''is'' played by [[Christina Hendricks]].
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* [[It Was His Sled]]: Major plot points in the series are often discussed without spoiler warnings, since [[Fan Myopia|it's assumed everyone knows or "should" know them already]].
* [[It Was His Sled]]: Major plot points in the series are often discussed without spoiler warnings, since [[Fan Myopia|it's assumed everyone knows or "should" know them already]].
* [[Large Ham]]: Niska + scenery = [[Chewing the Scenery|nom nom nom...]]
* [[Large Ham]]: Niska + scenery = [[Chewing the Scenery|nom nom nom...]]
* [[Memetic Badass]]: [[Xkcd (Webcomic)|RIVER TAM BEATS UP EVERYONE]]
* [[Memetic Badass]]: [[Xkcd|RIVER TAM BEATS UP EVERYONE]]
* [[Memetic Mutation]]: "I'll be in my bunk.", "Also? [[Psychic Powers|I can kill you with my brain.]]", "[[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!]]", "Mine is an [[Evil Laugh]]!", "This food is problematic", "[[Big Damn Heroes]], sir!" Etc., etc.
* [[Memetic Mutation]]: "I'll be in my bunk.", "Also? [[Psychic Powers|I can kill you with my brain.]]", "[[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!]]", "Mine is an [[Evil Laugh]]!", "This food is problematic", "[[Big Damn Heroes]], sir!" Etc., etc.
** [http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0c2l0k7Kf1r8rauqo1_1280.png Jew-bal Early]
** [http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0c2l0k7Kf1r8rauqo1_1280.png Jew-bal Early]
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*** Alternately, the point where Zoe jumps the gun on his [[Sadistic Choice]] and he responds by giving her "small refund".
*** Alternately, the point where Zoe jumps the gun on his [[Sadistic Choice]] and he responds by giving her "small refund".
** "Heart of Gold". Rance. {{spoiler|Willing to take out the entire brothel just to get to his kid, and is willing to be sexually serviced in public, because he thinks that's what women are for. Rather telling for someone who doesn't even survive the ep}}.
** "Heart of Gold". Rance. {{spoiler|Willing to take out the entire brothel just to get to his kid, and is willing to be sexually serviced in public, because he thinks that's what women are for. Rather telling for someone who doesn't even survive the ep}}.
* [[Nightmare Fuel]]: [[Firefly (TV)/Nightmare Fuel|A surprising amount]].
* [[Nightmare Fuel]]: [[Firefly (TV series)/Nightmare Fuel|A surprising amount]].
* [[Saved By the Fans]]: Resurrected for full length movie by a dedicated fanbase.
* [[Saved by the Fans]]: Resurrected for full length movie by a dedicated fanbase.
** Sadly averted, however, when it came to reviving the series as a whole. An attempt was made to buy the rights, but it failed without support from Joss Whedon or Nathan Fillion.
** Sadly averted, however, when it came to reviving the series as a whole. An attempt was made to buy the rights, but it failed without support from Joss Whedon or Nathan Fillion.
* [[Selfish Evil]]: [[Discussed Trope]]. When Saffron heads the plot to steal the Lassiter in ''Trash'', half the crew basically ask "Why is the selfish, conniving bitch who {{spoiler|tried to kill us}}, who betrays everybody for her own personal gain ''here''?" The other half have expressions that say they're thinking the same thing.
* [[Selfish Evil]]: [[Discussed Trope]]. When Saffron heads the plot to steal the Lassiter in ''Trash'', half the crew basically ask "Why is the selfish, conniving bitch who {{spoiler|tried to kill us}}, who betrays everybody for her own personal gain ''here''?" The other half have expressions that say they're thinking the same thing.
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* [[Retroactive Recognition]]: A young [[Zac Efron]] plays a young Simon Tam in a flashback from "Safe".
* [[Retroactive Recognition]]: A young [[Zac Efron]] plays a young Simon Tam in a flashback from "Safe".
* [[Too Good to Last]]
* [[Too Good to Last]]
* [[What an Idiot]]: The guy who just beat you up and defeated your gang of [[Mooks]] offers to give you back all the money owed to your boss and let you go, no hard feelings. Do you A) gratefully accept the unexpected mercy, or B) threaten to hunt down and murder the man while standing between him and his rotating engine intake?
* [[What an Idiot!]]: The guy who just beat you up and defeated your gang of [[Mooks]] offers to give you back all the money owed to your boss and let you go, no hard feelings. Do you A) gratefully accept the unexpected mercy, or B) threaten to hunt down and murder the man while standing between him and his rotating engine intake?
* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Political]]: People seem to want to read politics into ''Firefly'' everywhere, with critics interpreting it as everything from an anti-Big-Government libertarian parable, to a racist, pro-Confederate perspective on the Wild West. The show is, in fact, fairly apolitical; with the exception of some possible feminist overtones (which are typical of [[Joss Whedon]]'s work), ''Firefly'' does not seem to have one specific political "message" as much as people would like to believe. Whedon even qualifies that, if anti-government messages '''do''' sneak in, that is because the story is essentially Mal's story, and it all comes from his perspective as a bitter ex-soldier who fought against the big bad government.
* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Political?]]: People seem to want to read politics into ''Firefly'' everywhere, with critics interpreting it as everything from an anti-Big-Government libertarian parable, to a racist, pro-Confederate perspective on the Wild West. The show is, in fact, fairly apolitical; with the exception of some possible feminist overtones (which are typical of [[Joss Whedon]]'s work), ''Firefly'' does not seem to have one specific political "message" as much as people would like to believe. Whedon even qualifies that, if anti-government messages '''do''' sneak in, that is because the story is essentially Mal's story, and it all comes from his perspective as a bitter ex-soldier who fought against the big bad government.
** The premise did come from journals of Confederate soldiers in the frontier. Whedon wanted to make a series based on the losers of a [[Civil War]].
** The premise did come from journals of Confederate soldiers in the frontier. Whedon wanted to make a series based on the losers of a [[Civil War]].
* [[The Woobie]]: River.
* [[The Woobie]]: River.
** [[Stoic Woobie]]: Simon has to deal with pretty much everything his sister is going through, and received little to no support from either of his parents when he made his move to get her out of there.
** [[Stoic Woobie]]: Simon has to deal with pretty much everything his sister is going through, and received little to no support from either of his parents when he made his move to get her out of there.


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[[Category:Firefly]]
[[Category:YMMV]]

Latest revision as of 15:14, 4 February 2023


Subjective Tropes about Firefly include:

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