Firefly Campaigners Thank Scapers for Last Week's Support:

[RustySlinky]

Update:
These and other responses were posted at fox.com/firefly, in regards to scapers tuning in to last week's episode of "War Stories":
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From: Zathras10:
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Now, this just says "class" in big neon letters. Okay, maybe not neon, 'cause let's face it, neon's not so much on the classiness, but you get my point.
I don't watch Farscape much, but I say "Long Live Farscape!" if this is the kind of fans it has. Have to check out the new eps upcoming. . .
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From their self-appointed "barkeep":
Arlo (ARLOGU03):
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Kegs and cases to the scapers!
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From one of their information spreaders:

Nola999:
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. . . Bless you for for bringing in the Nielsen family! Do you know any more? LOL That's two that have been brought in by fans here. I didn't think our ratings would fall as much as they did. We are hearing from more and more new fans here on this board, but the ratings haven't show it.

I'll be giving Farscape a try in January.
Nola
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From Benthurber20:
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Hear hear.
Thank you scapers...frelling nice of you guys to show up. :)
(Hey, I'm an old 'scaper myself)
Ben
Founder of the Kaylights
Hey, I like brunettes. :)
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From Allyson (ALLYSONGRRL):
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Many good blessings to the sister campaign. Best of luck and positive vibes to the Farscape Fandom.
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[Dominar of Action]

So, I take it their ratings went up? Will they be reciprocating come January? Just curious, as I haven't watched FF because I refuse to become involved with another series and have the rug pulled out from under me. (I did sign the FF petition in a show of solidarity, though.) *WHEN* FS is saved, I will be in a much better mood to risk another series. :D

[cofax]

We've got some good contacts with the Firefly fandom, and we plan to work with them on further cross-fandom projects to support both shows.

And nobody needs to ask me to watch Firefly-- I LOVE it a lot.

[RustySlinky]

Hey, DoA, thanks for the interest:

>Actually ratings for Firefly dived last week, after holding firm, or rising for the prior three episodes. Haven't found an explanation for this yet. Perhaps it had something to do with Sci-Fi's "TAKEN" somehow.

>YES! Firefly viewers WILL definitely be reciprocating come January! And yes, there are rumors of :shutup: at their boards.

>I also agree that emotional attachment to Firefly is very risky, as the show is in big time danger. But that's also a reason why the Firefly supporters are willing to bargain.

It's cool that there's a wide variety of projects that scapers can choose from.

[waltersgirl]

take it as positive signs that a) a network exec publicly acknowledged that preempting Firefly for the World Series was a bad idea...b) that the show was picked up for 2 more episodes...and c) that the show will go on a short hiatus. all signs that the network is interested.

[Eve11]

When is Firefly airing again? I really want to watch it but tend to be in transit or the office during prime time television hours. Even had to tape Scape all last summer. Tell me the airtime and I'll set the VCR -- I really want to see this show!

[Red]

Friday at 8pm aka the Fox time slot o' death :aok:

Hmm, I could probably wrestle with the VCRs and see if I can record you some copies of the show if you like, Eve.

[katyaz]

Waltersgirl, why do you think it's a good sign that Firefly is going into a hiatus? I was actually worried that means that Fox is thinking of pulling the show.

I admit that I was a little slow to warm up to Firefly (as Red can probably attest to, because I commented about it on her blog), but I watched the last episode and I really loved it. I actually thought it was very much like Farscape -- not in the sense that Firefly is in any way a copy of Farscape, but in the sense that both shows are character-driven ensemble shows, where most of the action takes place on board a ship. The real difference between the two shows, I think, lies in the fact that the Firefly characters themselves are very different from Farscape characters.

All through Friday's episode, for example, I kept comparing Mal's reaction to certain things to Crichton's reaction when something similar happened to him. (If you've watched the episode, then you probably know what I'm talking about; if you haven't, then I don't want to spoil it for you.) The reactions are completely different, and yet I thought both were completely in character, which just proved to me just how different those two characters really are. I thought that was really well done -- in most television shows, when I watch the show, I am left with the feeling that there are certain character types (like "hero", and "hero's best friend", and "hero's love interest", and "'funny' womanizing sidekick, there for comic relief" etc.), and that within those character types, the characters are pretty much interchangeable from show to show. I love the fact that both Firefly and Farscape are able to show us complex, interesting individuals that are technically in a very similar situation, and yet react in a completely different way. :aok:

But I'm not really surprised that the ratings were so low, since many people (like me, for example) probably thought that Firefly was already in hiatus. It wasn't on for at least two weeks before then, after all. I, for example, wasn't going to watch Fox on Friday, and it was only through the efforts of Firefly fans who posted about it on the Farscape Dominion BB that I even heard that Firefly was going to be on.

[Red]

Well it's hard to say just what Fox is feeling about Firefly now. They openly admitted they made a mistake in airing Firefly so early in the season where it would be interrupted by baseball. They've just recently ordered two more episodes, bringing the number up to 15, making the next seven a little more likely. And now they're putting it on hiatus for January and when it comes back on during February sweeps, I wouldn't be surprised to find it on a new night. It sounds like somebody is trying to give it a chance. It may not be the best chance but realistically they could have just booted the show and been done with it. But, hey, Fox wanted a Whedon show, they got a Whedon show and hopefully somebody is trying to do right by it.

[Tiriel]

I heard some believable rumors that Firefly will switch to Wednesday next year... I'm afraid I heard these rumors while I was already quite ill, so my memory of the details is rather hazy, but I do remember believing it and thinking that's great, because it allows the fandoms to support each other :)
Sorry for the lack of detail, treat it as yet another rumor :D :D But it would sure be good if it turned out to be true :)

btw: the show last Friday was the first that actually drew me back to the TV after tuning in more or less accidentially (something the first few airings failed to do). So I guess there is hope :) But, like so many others, I'm weary of getting involved while it's already under threat! I will stayed tuned in though for the next showings, unless they're at the same time as FarScape :)

Love and Peace and Mutual Support :)

Tiriel :eek:

[waltersgirl]

take a good show like a gift, or like a film. we don't not watch movies because they only last x number of hours. we go because a film looks intriguing. watch because a show looks intriguing. and enjoy it while it's there. nothing lasts forever, not even the shows that don't get cancelled.

[Truemyth]

I'll reply to AirForce so that the rest of you don't have to.

Firefly is not trying to kill Farscape.

I. Sci-Fi has only just moved Farscape to the same time as Firefly. If anything, Sci-Fi is the one putting the show in direct competition with Firefly. If you should be questioning anyone's thought process, it should be the Sci-Fi execs.

II. If you go back and read the above posts, you'll see that FOX has put Firefly on a temporary hiatus for January (which means that there will not be a direct competition between the shows for the first three episodes of Farscape next year). And there are rumors that Firefly may be moved to a different night. If this is the case, the shows will never be in direct compitition for ratings.

III. Nielson counts video taped shows the same as it counts the show being watched live. There is, therefore, a good possiblity that a both shows can gain an equal ratings boost from one box, even if the Networks choose to keep the two shows on at the exact same time.

IV. As the opening post of this thread proves, the Farscape campaigns support for Firefly has already grabbed new eyeballs for January. New eyeballs for January is the underlying goal of our campaign. The thought process seems very clear to me.

[dalantmm]

Originally posted by Dominar of Action
...I refuse to become involved with another series and have the rug pulled out from under me...

Back in early September, Unrealized Reality had just aired and I was looking for new scifi to fill the void created by Farscape's mid-season "intermission" (It's call The Long Wait, and researchers have discovered some very disturbing facts about this syndrome.:eek: But that's another thread). I eagerly awaited the new Joss Whedon project, Firefly, and began watching back episodes of Odyssey 5, preparing for an alternative SciFi Friday until my beloved Farscape returned.

Fast forward to Black Friday. My heart was broken. I could not believe that I was crying myself to sleep over a television show. How pathetic is that? I have loved many a television series in my life, and I truly am a TV junkie. And I have had many favorite shows cancelled. As angry and disappointed as I had been on those occasions, nothing compared to the grief I experienced that awful Friday night in early September. I know you all understand what I'm saying. I've heard many of you say as much yourselves.

The following day, I found that my attitude towards television had changed. I no longer trusted it. Like a betrayed lover, I wanted nothing to do with any long term series. I had emotionally invested myself completely in Farscape. Emotional investment is proportional to vulnerability, and after being burned so badly by Skiffy, my interest in the new Fall season was non-existent.

I continued to watch OD5 out of sheer determination to spite Skiffy and to support Showtime. And when Firefly premiered, I watched it with a great deal of reservation. A couple of weeks had gone by, but I was still stinging pretty badly. I enjoyed it, but wasn't thrilled. Same with OD5. So after a few episodes of each, I stopped watching. It just wasn't Farscape. Sorry, I've been spoiled. About the same time, I suffered several setbacks in my own personal campaign that I was attempting to conduct from my own little corner of the midwest. I backed off the whole thing for a while. Gave myself a break from the intensity of it all.

Fast forward to late November. I had been lurking the boards for a couple of months, while catching up on Seasons 1 and 2 of Farscape. I had created my private Farscape Friday, viewing 1-4 episodes each week. I think this self-injected Farscape fix helped me to deal with the grief, as silly as that may sound. I came away from it with a new perspective. It's like the end of Season 1, where the crew is getting ready to take off on this certain-to-be-suicide mission. They realize their odds aren't the greatest; nevertheless, they commit to their course of action with resolute determination. If they were not to succeed, it would not be from lack of trying. I see our campaign in a similar situation. All the experts are decrying our efforts as irrelevent. The odds are so not in our favor. But we have a multi-front offensive we're putting into place, doing everything in our considerable power to make the industry stop and take notice. Sort of like D'argo and Crichton in the transport. (A side note: Has anyone else found the Ben/Claudia commentary on "Family Ties" to be eerily ironic? They're discussing how, as they filmed the last episode of Season 1, they weren't certain they would be picked up for another season, so the sentiments of parting friends was very real. Then before the shooting wrapped, they received word that they had been renewed. Ben and Claudia reminisce as they are shooting Season 3, possibly after receiving Skiffy's word of Season 4 and 5. So they're very happy. Listening to them talk about how happy they were to hear about Season 2, knowing that in another year, a reversal of fortune would bring their happiness crashing down is sort of sad and not a little creepy. Anyway.)

I eventually began to post again, and soon found myself involved in new projects. Then RustySlinky posted Joss Whedon's letter, and Red followed up with an eloquent championing of the show. I decided to give the show another shot. Mr. Whedon wrote "I've never felt this way about a show, or about a cast or a working experience. I love my other shows with gushy passion, but the coalescence of factors on this show just changed me. If you knew the people I get to work with... I have dear dear friends in all my casts but this crew as a whole, to a man, without execption, is truly a band of brothers. And sisters. A band of siblings. Except they like each other..." Does this sound familiar to anyone else? We have witnessed the camaraderie of Kemper and Co. firsthand. It shines through every frame of every episode of Farscape. We may not like every episode, but you can't deny that these people are having the time of their lives, while maintaining a passion for quality.

So I watched last Friday's episode of Firefly, and really enjoyed it. I will be tuning in on Fridays or Wednesdays or whenever it airs.

My point is this. I can watch Firefly in the same spirit that I will watch Farscape: (Big Picture moment) One episode at a time. Appreciate what's good, and forgive what's not so good. After all, tomorrow I could get hit by a bus and die. As our friends Down Under would say, "No worries, mate."

Sorry to ramble on, but I wanted to back Red's support of this show. I have registered at the Firefly boards, and intend on establishing a personal presence there. I invite everyone to do the same. We need to support all science fiction, as it is possibly a genre in decline. Lev Grossman explores the issue in the Dec 2 issue of Time, in his "Culture" column entitled "Feeding on Fantasy" "The past quarter-century of American popular culture was ruled by the great mega-franchises of science fiction....But lately, since the turn of the millennium or so, we've been dreaming very different dreams....Popular culture is the most sensitive barometer we have for gauging shifts in the national mood, and it's registering a big one right now. Our fascination with science fiction reflected a deep collective faith that technology would lead us to a cyberutopia of robot butlers serving virtual mai tais. With 'The Two Towers', the new installment of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, about to storm the box office, we are seeing what might be called the enchanting of America. A darker, more pessimistic attitude toward technology and the future has taken hold, and the evidence is our new preoccupation with fantasy, a nostalgic sentimental, magical vision of a medieval age. The future just isn't what it used to be--and the past seems to be gaining on us." (I had posted this in an earlier thread, but thought it somewhat pertinent here.)

Looking back, I realize that waltersgirl said most of this in five sentences. She's good at that. So please forgive my rambling. Sometimes I just don't know when to shut up.:shutup:

[waltersgirl]

:lol:lol:lol

dalantm {{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}

when fingers touch keyboard, the brain gets to be in charge, and what one starts to write doesn't always equate to what ends up on the computer screen. a phenomenon that i am disturbingly familiar with while writing fic. stupid brain.

[dalantmm]

:love: Thanks, WG. And, FYI, you're one of the main reasons I stuck around, lurking.;) Your kindness (and your thrift with words) is much appreciated.:D

[waltersgirl]

:love: back at ya.

[DangerWillRobinson]

Hey you too, no hand holding allowed in the forums:D :P

[waltersgirl]

darn, caught again. :D

[Dominar of Action]

I am happy for everyone who has been able to move on and find other things to enjoy on TV, and I have no doubt that Firefly is a fine show. But personally, I'm just not interested in becoming involved again, even if I could after being spoiled by FS.

I haven't watched much TV since I was in college, so it's not that big of a thing for me to turn my back on it now. I discovered Farscape only by watching as a favor to a friend, and see what it got me? :P I'm just not interested in going down that road again. Series that do not have developed story and character arcs bore me, and series that do have those things are either dragged out long beyond their natural shelf life (X-Files anyone?) or cut off at the knees. I personally can't be satisfied with only half a story, and since it looks like Hollywood is incapable of providing a complete story in a series format, I'm done. I think I'll renew my library card.

YMMV. :)

[dalantmm]

Dominar - I really do understand. Like I said, I am a TV junkie. If were more like you (and believe me, I wish I had a life beyond TV), I probably would feel the same way. I would probably wait until a show found its "legs". And then, if it was something I was interested in, I might give it a shot, with the option of catching up on back episodes if it merited continued viewing. Wait a minute.... That's sort of what happened. It's just that, with no life, I caved earlier than someone who has a life probably would.

In any case, we'll keep you updated. It sounds like Red will be this board's Firefly cheerleader for a while, so it's doubtful the subject will be completely dropped.;) And three cheers for the library. I have a copy of "The Two Towers" on audio tape reserved for me (I really need to pick that up).

[dalantmm]

I just saw this on Skiffy's board. The Firefly fans have bought a newspaper ad. What a great idea! Here's the link:

http://sgcwebdesign.com/fireflysupport/

It's really pretty sharp. And we should be very proud, as imitation is the highest form of flattery.

[Nato]

Firefly's not quite as near and dear to my TV-viewer heart as Farscape, but it entertains me mightily, and I'm happy to support it.

If -- dare I say it-- Farscape doesn't come back for a fifth season, then more episodes of Firefly would certainly be a comfort.

-- Nato

[tyallie]

This topic is forcing me out lurkerdom!

I don't suppose anyone here has heard the rumor circulating the Buffyverse that SciFi is looking to pick up Firefly? I'm no Buffy fan so I can only report what a pal mentioned to me in passing conversation a couple of weeks back. Could be BS, I hope so. Any Buffy/Firefly fans know anything about this?

I don't think it would be a good situation for either set of fans if true.

[cofax]

Tyallie, I know many of the folks in the Firefly campaign, including people who work closely with ME. Nobody has said ANYTHING about such a rumor.

I find it unlikely in the extreme; the same things that make Kemper and company great are the same kinds of things that make Joss Whedon great. I think SciFi isn't that interested in risk-taking emotionally-complicated long-form storytelling.

But that's just my gut response.

[RustySlinky]

No solid SciFi-Firefly rumors on either fox.com/firefly or fireflyfans.net boards. I'll holler if something comes up.

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Earlier in May of this year there was buzz, supposedly from thefutoncritic.com of a Firefly repurposing deal with Sci-Fi.

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Fan movements actively prodding Sci-Fi Channel:
Roswell, Galactica, Birds of Prey faction

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Campaigns attempted on the USA Network:
Witchblade

[Mickie]

FF isn't a watered down anything. It's it's own show. The similarities begin and end with 'human on a spaceship' and good solid writing.

A 'There can be only one' attitude only hurts scifi fandom as a whole.

[cofax]

For the record, Joss Whedon has never even seen Farscape, although he met, and liked, Ben Browder.

Let's not try to create a conflict where there isn't one, please?

[GrandAdmiralThrawn]

Please dont take it the wrong way. I was just trying to say that skiffy would try to do something like that to try and take the heat off. I've watched it a few times and it is a good show. I'm actually suprised its not doing better considering the Friday night offerings on network tv.

[RustySlinky]

Yesterday I posted a direct link from the main Firefly board to this thread . . . Thanks!

[Red]

I understand not wanting to invest yourself in another story when it only seems that it could end badly - or prematurely at any rate. But, damn it, I love a good story. I hate that networks have made me afraid of story. Frell them (i'd swear in chinese too but I haven't got the hang of that yet). I'll love what I love and hope that in that love the story will find its life. It's a dangerous thing to love a story these days ... but I can't quite manage to turn my back to the potential of a new one, the ever present hope that I'll find a great tale and the never ending curiosity to see where it leads.

Firefly isn't Farscape - but it was never meant to be. And it's really not the poorer for not being Farscape. It's all its own. I wish it long life. Just as I wish and fight for long life for Farscape.