Doctroid's Page of Scientific Mysteries

Jayne hat.

(by artcat81)

http://www.universalhd.com/Firefly/Firefly_sm.mov

http://www.ridiculopathy.com/news_detail.php?id=1790

A week or two ago my wife goes shopping, comes back with a bag of stuff from Harbor Freight Tools: a canteen, a white canvas bag with pockets, some other stuff.

A few days ago we're watching the "Jaynestown" episode of Firefly. There's her canteen, right behind Mal in the mudder bar.

Last night we're watching the "War Stories" episode of Firefly. (Yes, we're going through the whole series again, what there is of it.) Zoe's entering Niska's space station to ransom Mal and Wash, carrying the cash in a bag... a white bag, canvas, with pockets. Rewind, slow motion: yep, it's my wife's bag.

I'm gonna go back to Harbor Freight and buy me a Mule.

I stopped going to cons about 20 years ago. Still, I both feel for and am envious of the "Firefly" fans who shelled out for a convention this weekend, only to have the organizers cancel it, uncancel it, and cancel it again only hours before it was to begin. Many of the fans didn't hear about the cancellation until they got to the hotel.

... and then the local fans put together a party anyway, and Adam Baldwin (Jayne), Nathan Fillion (Mal), Alan Tudyk (Wash), Mark Sheppard (Badger), Christine Hendricks (Saffron/Yolanda/Bridget), Jonathan Woodward (Tracey), and Brett Matthews (writer) showed up for it. Tudyk had cancelled for the convention due to a conflict with filming, but he made it to the party anyway.

It's not often you get called a Big Damn Hero for showing up at a party, but that's what these guys are in the eyes of the fans. More here.

Also, in honor of the occasion, someone posted this, which is a part of this series, which, if you're a "Firefly" fan, you will enjoy. Clever and well done.

I generally save up some of my best jaundiced derision for people who do what I'm about to do.

I don't care. I'm doing it anyway.

If you saw and enjoyed Serenity, I'd like to ask you to do this: Tell Universal Studios. Just drop them a brief note to thank them for it. Here's the contact URL:

http://www.universalstudios.com/homepage/html/contact_us/contact_form.cgi?email_id=9

Preferably do this tomorrow -- Saturday, September 30. But before or after is OK too.

If you haven't seen Serenity, there's still time to go to your local video store, rent it, and watch it, before writing to Universal tomorrow. I'm just sayin'.

Speaking of "Firefly", I tried using that line, "Were I not married, I would take you in a manly fashion" the other day.

It didn't go over all that well.

Maybe I should've used it on someone other than my wife.

We were watching Dark Star tonight, and it occurred to me that if Joss Whedon is looking for something to do, he could do worse than to remake Dark Star with better sets, effects, and acting.

Then I realized he wouldn't even have to spend any time auditioning a cast. He's got one already. I think Morena Baccarin would have to settle for just being the Mission Control person in the message at the beginning, and Sean Maher would be the voices of Bombs 19 and 20. The rest of the cast then works out pretty obviously:

• Nathan Fillion .... Doolittle
• Gina Torres .... Talby
• Alan Tudyk .... Pinback
• Adam Baldwin .... Boiler
• Jewel Staite .... Computer
• Ron Glass .... Powell
• Summer Glau .... The alien

(Update: According to IMDB, Ron Cobb worked on both Dark Star (Special Effects) and "Firefly" (Art Department), while Bill Taylor worked on both Dark Star (Miscellaneous Crew, Visual Effects) and Serenity (Special Effects, Visual Effects).)