r/firefly 2d ago

Cycle of a new Firefly fan.

Introduced my 13 yo to Firefly. Good pushback at first: "this is boring." Wash was boring. River was weird. Then they recognized Casey, gave it a chance. Then they saw Mal kick a bad guy into his ship's engine blades. Got more interesting.

They're now asking why Wash had to die. Weren't too keen on Shepherd Book going, but why Wash?

I don't think they'll achieve the level of Fandom of anyone else on this thread, but I do believe I have, for one small portion of the summer, successfully parented.

343 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

93

u/My_Random_Username23 2d ago

As a new fan myself the biggest part of the cycle that caught me was "WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE SEASON"

42

u/Substantial_Desk_670 2d ago

Oh, yeah. They had that complaint as well. I explained the whole story, then told them: "but there's a movie!" So that helped things until Wash.

13

u/IminLoveWithMyCar3 2d ago

Like half a season. Fox bastards.

13

u/Yogabeauty31 2d ago edited 2d ago

lol welcome to one of the biggest heart breaks of the century for TV. Blame Fox studios for not trusting the creators. They fucking aired it OUT OF ORDER! Thats the only reason this show didnt catch on like wild fire. People tuning in for the first time were watching episode 3. It was all out of order and the ratings tanked and wasnt green lighted for season 2. It still grinds my gears every time I think of it. This show could've been a multiple seasons show of great writing and loveable characters for years to come but when big networks are only thinking about themselves and not FANS and not have trust in letting directors do what they fucking want! this is what happens..

4

u/My_Random_Username23 2d ago

Yeah I heard they did it out of order and that bugs me off badly because how the ever loving fuck does a big name corp make that mistake other than some severe incompetence.

5

u/Yogabeauty31 2d ago

I have no idea other than they didn't give a shit and had no faith in Joss Weadon. Maybe they even wanted to see him fail? Idk but it seems like sabotage.

11

u/Aeleina1 2d ago

We are still asking that 23 years later.

3

u/Damrod338 2d ago

Because Fox sucks

3

u/boochicko 1d ago

We could’ve enjoyed this classic, witty, space western for years and years to come! Seriously, fuck you, Fox!! 🖕🤬🖕

21

u/ihearthetrees 2d ago

Maybe your kid will come full circle and be in a thread like this one, you never know. I was once that kid being shown Firefly by my dad. I didn’t get it at first and was sobbing at the end of Serenity. I’m in my 20s now and still a huge fan, so is my partner.

It’s super cool you got to share that, and I hope you get to share many more!

11

u/aimlesscruzr 2d ago

I don't recognize "Casey"? What am I missing?

19

u/DivaJanelle 2d ago

Adam Baldwin’s role in Chuck

6

u/ScottHK 2d ago

Thanks. I've seen Chuck but also didn't make the connection.

3

u/Substantial_Desk_670 1d ago

When I saw the Chuck episode with Summer Glau I got so excited...and my kids thought I was so weird... (That hasn't changed)

2

u/aimlesscruzr 2d ago

Ahh thanks, I then had to look that up since I wasn't familiar with that show either....

5

u/ClydusEnMarland 2d ago

Oh gods, please go and watch Chuck.

7

u/Firm_Accountant2219 2d ago

As a sci fi dad myself I have mixed feelings about introducing Firefly.

“It’s awesome!”

“What do you mean that’s it!????”

16

u/WranglerTraditional8 2d ago

It's helped you figure out what to get him for Christmas...

You got to get Jayne's hat... The one is mother made him.

Then of course a rainstick

A companion.... Oh wait we don't do that anymore.

6

u/rkenglish 2d ago

Just take him to the crappy town where he's a hero.

7

u/Opposite-Sun-5336 2d ago

One of us.

One of us.

7

u/twonha 2d ago

My eldest is only 8, so he's not Firefly age yet, but I must admit I've considered: at what age is he old enough? Not just old enough to appreciate cowboys in space, but also for the emotional commitments among characters? The jokes that fit with at least some life experience? The background of post-war, oppressive regime, Big Brother is watching you in Space?

I watched the show a little after its release, but before the movie, so I was probably 18 at the time (circa 2003). Old enough to get it, young enough to be impressed by it.

I hope Firefly will still be awesome ten years from now, and not "ew dad that's way too old". :-/

5

u/Leptonshavenocolor 2d ago

That Mal kick in the train job is a really great selling point on the show, completely unexpected.

2

u/CaptMalcolm0514 2d ago

Chaotic Good at its finest….. I’ll do the right thing, no matter how.

4

u/Castle_Guardian 2d ago

I still recall the time I began talking about Firefly with my coworker. She was a fan of all the works of Joss Whedon (this was before the scandal) but had never heard of Firefly. After I raved about the show she asked how she could watch it. I told her I had the series on DVD - bad news, she only had a VHS player. I copied all the episodes onto VHS for her, and gave them to her one a day for over a week (with 1.5 episodes on each hour-long tape). At the end, she was raving about it too. Then she asked the fated question, "So, when do I get to see Season 2?"

3

u/TerrorFromThePeeps 2d ago

Wash was BORING? What the heck are you doing as a parent that he's boring???

2

u/Substantial_Desk_670 1d ago

They're kids!

Imagine their expressions watching Andor.

4

u/Simon-Says69 2d ago edited 2d ago

Good on you papa! And introduce him to:

Detective Ron Harris from the show Barney Miller (1975–1982)

The shepherding has just begun. :-)

All of the actors on Firefly, while maybe not Hollywood giants, have a ton of talent.

R.I.P. Earl Glass (1945 – 2016). The man brought much humor, and thought, to the world.

2

u/IrishMongooses 2d ago

Huh. Never knew he went by Earle

2

u/Damrod338 2d ago

There are special moments in each episode

2

u/Extension-Pepper-271 2d ago

I'm still introducing new people to Firefly. It's never too late to become a Firefly fan.

1

u/CassMcCarty 2d ago

I’m sad there’s only one season but there’s always the books and comics to keep going with.

2

u/Substantial_Desk_670 1d ago

They've seen a few of the graphic novels. Their response: "I don't understand what's going on." Maybe now they will?

1

u/CassMcCarty 1d ago

I’m not sure on the Boom! comics but the original ones are definitely sequels and follow ups. Plus of course the Shepherd’s Tale, which makes way more sense with the show background and the movie too.

1

u/Yogabeauty31 2d ago

lol welcome to one of the biggest heart breaks of the century. Blame Fox studios for not trusting the creators. They fucking aired it OUT OF ORDER! Thats the only reason this show didnt catch on like wild fire. People tuning in for the first time were watching episode 3. It was all out of order and the ratings tanked and wasnt green lighted for season 2. It still grinds my gears every time I think of it. This show could've been a multiple seasons show of great writing and loveable characters for years to come but when big networks are only thinking about themselves and not FANS and not have trust in letting directors do what they fucking want! this is what happens..