Science Channel Buys Rights To Firefly

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Science Channel Buys Rights To Firefly

Posted by samzenpus on Sunday February 20, 2011 @12:51PM from the welcome-back dept.

citking writes "The Science Channel has purchased the rights to Firefly and plans to air all episodes in order and in high definition. In addition, physicist Dr. Michio Kaku will appear to explain the theoretical science behind the show's sci-fi concepts. There's a brief interview in the article as well with Nathan Fillion, who chimes in with his thoughts on Firefly and playing Mal."

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This is important? by redemtionboy · 2011-02-20 12:55 · Score: 3, Insightful

Since when is it news that a second rate basic cable channel gets the rights to air a show? Call be when they buy the rights to make new episodes.
1. Re:This is important? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-02-20 13:04 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Since when is it news that a second rate basic cable channel gets the rights to air a show? Call be when they buy the rights to make new episodes.
  since Firefly is the best show of ALL TIME!!
2. Re:This is important? by Scutter · 2011-02-20 13:07 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen after the movie wrapped up the story line and killed off major characters.
  I'm prepared to pretend the movie never happened if it mean more episodes. Who's with me?!
  
  --
  
  "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
3. Re:This is important? by Leuf · 2011-02-20 13:16 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  There were characters other than Kaylee?
4. Re:This is important? by Asmor · 2011-02-20 13:23 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Since when is it news that a second rate basic cable channel gets the rights to air a show? Call be when they buy the rights to make new episodes.
  since Firefly is
  [snip]
  I'mma let you finish... but I just wanna say... Stargate is the best show of all time!
5. Re:This is important? by bill_mcgonigle · 2011-02-20 13:24 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Call be when they buy the rights to make new episodes.
  Well, that's Plan B.
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
6. Re:This is important? by flimflammer · 2011-02-20 13:25 · Score: 2
  
  I have to question what you consider a "first rate" channel. The Science Channel is one of the only channels with anything even remotely interesting on television.
7. Re:This is important? by jamesh · 2011-02-20 13:27 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen after the movie wrapped up the story line and killed off major characters.
  I'm prepared to pretend the movie never happened if it mean more episodes. Who's with me?!
  What movie?
8. Re:This is important? by Necroman · 2011-02-20 13:30 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Wrapped up? Joss Whedon loves to kill off main characters. He probably would have killed off at least 1 of those people if he had a second season.
  
  --
  Its not what it is, its something else.
9. Re:This is important? by westlake · 2011-02-20 13:40 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Since when is it news that a second rate basic cable channel gets the rights to air a show?
  The Science Channel is a Discovery network.
  Market penetration, 100 million households for Discovery Channel, 50-70 million households for each of its second-tier networks. Discovery Networks U.S.
  Discovery tends to stay on target. True crime on I.D. Animals on Animal Planet. No pro wrestling to pump up the male demographic. I'm looking at you, SyFy.
  You could do much worse if you were looking for a new home for "Firefly."
10. Re:This is important? by Psion · 2011-02-20 13:44 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I'll be in mah bunk.
11. Re:This is important? by Schadrach · 2011-02-20 13:56 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Or more reasonably, that any new episodes would fit between the two, since it's implied that a lot of time passed between the series and the movie.
12. Re:This is important? by brokeninside · 2011-02-20 13:58 · Score: 2
  
  I think the scene with his grieving widow in front of a tombstone with his name on it suggest that Wash did actually die.
13. Re:This is important? by H0p313ss · 2011-02-20 13:58 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen after the movie wrapped up the story line and killed off major characters.
  I'm prepared to pretend the movie never happened if it mean more episodes. Who's with me?!
  As much as I loved the series I'm awfully tempted to say let sleeping dogs lie. That one season's worth is a work of art
  
  --
  XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
14. Re:This is important? by u17 · 2011-02-20 14:00 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I'mma let you finish... but I just wanna say... Stargate is the best show of all time!
  Oh, come on, mods, do you think it responsible to mod up flamebait comments like this as insightful?
  Besides, I thought everyone knew that Babylon 5 is the best show of all time.
15. Re:This is important? by X3J11 · 2011-02-20 14:05 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Oh, come on, mods, do you think it responsible to mod up flamebait comments like this as insightful?
  Besides, I thought everyone knew that Babylon 5 is the best show of all time.
  I'm sorry, but you are both mistaken. Farscape was far superior to both.
16. Re:This is important? by retchdog · 2011-02-20 14:08 · Score: 2
  
  You mean "a major character," that being Shepherd Book.
  But seriously, it'd be a bit challenging to keep things going. River is now a fully-capable uber-assassin and psychic, which would make continuing petty heists kind of unbelievable after a while; not to mention that she could almost replace the entire crew, from Jayne to Kaylee, single-handed. Either she and Simon would leave (which is kind of unsatisfying) or the crew would go full-out revolutionary (which could very easily come off cheesy).
  Still, the worst bar would be that the original cast had an incredibly strong chemistry. It's very unlikely to repeat that, esp. in a lower-budget cable show.
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
17. Re:This is important? by flimflammer · 2011-02-20 14:09 · Score: 2
  
  Do you actually think channel numbers are ranked by order of importance? Channel 1 is the best or even one of the best channels? Or even that channels have the same numbers across networks/the country? (It's not even near 305 where I live)
18. Re:This is important? by citizenr · 2011-02-20 14:18 · Score: 2
  
  When they have enough importance that they're not channel 305, and when advertisers
  Its called Education. WTF, doesnt US fund educational TV channels like the rest of civilized world?
  
  --
  Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
19. Re:This is important? by UnknowingFool · 2011-02-20 14:20 · Score: 2
  
  I liked the movie. It was well done; it explained the backstory to non-fans in a seamless way and the plot was well written. It actually extended the series by revealing the true origin of the Reavers. Do I wish that some of the characters were not killed? Yes. If for some miracle that Firefly is ever resurrected, they can create new characters.
  
  --
  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
20. Re:This is important? by ooshna · 2011-02-20 14:22 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Besides, I thought everyone knew that Babylon 5 is the best show of all time.
  I'm sorry, but you are both mistaken. Farscape was far superior to both.
  You are all wrong it was Lexx that was the best.
21. Re:This is important? by trappa · 2011-02-20 14:25 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I'm not sure what universe you're in, but in this universe Sliders was the best.
22. Re:This is important? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-02-20 14:36 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Get a grip. Nothing has ever come close to Mork and Mindy.
23. Re:This is important? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2011-02-20 14:41 · Score: 2
  
  or soldier on with out them.
  I mean, death and loss are a part of story telling. Particularly when it's supposed to be a Western but in Space.
  
  --
  Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
24. Re:This is important? by Arancaytar · 2011-02-20 14:51 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, dammit. Seeing SGU canceled was like watching Firefly die all over again. :(
25. Re:This is important? by hedwards · 2011-02-20 15:07 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  The one where they killed off all the main characters, don't you keep up with things?
26. Re:This is important? by MoonBuggy · 2011-02-20 15:25 · Score: 2
  
  I'm pretty sure that's not the case - the actual timeline of Serenity occurs after the end of the series, but the recording that the operative watches is of Simon breaking her out of the 'school' before they end up on Persephone for the first time (i.e. before the start of the series); its an explanation of how they came to be on the ship in the first place. River was never recaptured by the Alliance after that initial breakout.
27. Re:This is important? by Seumas · 2011-02-20 15:25 · Score: 2
  
  Shiny!
28. Re:This is important? by MrLint · 2011-02-20 16:02 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I describe Farscape as "Epic" in the proper sense. Its really quite as fantastic as the old Greek epics. Death, betrayal, strange places and monsters. Heroic deeds, sacrifice coming home, leaving again, love, loss. It really had everything.
29. Re:This is important? by Cwix · 2011-02-20 16:55 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Well... we do... but the Republicans are trying to put a stop to that too. I mean, who needs educational tv... if it isn't something an advertiser would pay for, it must be no good right?
  Ap article:
  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQFmfwcJVeKhlulkYWG1QYGRvxpQ?docId=1ef92d9015bf434daf73dd26f89c322a
  
  --
  You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
30. Re:This is important? by retchdog · 2011-02-20 17:30 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  No, I didn't forget about Space Xander.
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
31. Re:This is important? by hack++slash · 2011-02-20 19:30 · Score: 3
  
  The only reason to watch that show was the blue girl.
  
  --
  To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
32. Re:This is important? by hack++slash · 2011-02-20 19:32 · Score: 2
  
  And Babylon 5 is the best show of all time.
  You are Sheldon Cooper and I claim my five "*knock* *knock* *knock* Penny"'s.
  
  --
  To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
33. Re:This is important? by SETIGuy · 2011-02-20 19:43 · Score: 2
  
  Quark beats every show, ever. At least according to the Betty twins.
  
  --
  Support SETI@home
34. Re:This is important? by slashdot_commentator · 2011-02-20 20:57 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I always look at Farscape as the '90's version of American cultural propaganda.
  The archetype of American cultural propaganda was Star Trek (The Original Series). It portrayed a world (galaxy) of the future, free from the fear of atomic weapons wiping out humanity. Where the Earth was united, racial differences irrelevant, the guy in charge was a handsome white guy, reminiscent of JFK, leading an interracial crew, who zipped through the universe, boffing females of every species, kicking the asses of their (evil) enemies with superior weaponry, spreading democracy (the federation) throughout the galaxy, solving every problem with technology and "The American Way". People throughout the Earth ate it up, hook, line and sinker.
  But that storyline became tired and incongruous in a post-Soviet world. Hence, American cultural propaganda program 2.0, Farscape. Instead of pushing American military imperialism, it was American economic imperialism. Moya's crew now consisted of interspecie free-agents, a group of (H1-B) aliens led by a handsome white guy, reminiscent of JFK. Since its post-AIDS, great white leader now sticks to a monogamous relationship. Instead of a grand Federation uniting the galaxy fighting evil empires, its now the big Peacekeeper gov't that's the bad guy, while the plucky entrepreneurial startup who are the good guys. And now all these alien factions are struggling to seize control of Critchton's technology (wormholes), while the crew, at various times, scheme to backstab each other when its to their advantage and struggle to take control of the ship (startup).
  
  --
  There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, General Electric, and Exxon
35. Re:This is important? by AtrN · 2011-02-20 21:20 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  In my universe Cleopatra 2525 was the best.
36. Re:This is important? by johny42 · 2011-02-20 22:15 · Score: 2
  
  Book had a deep complex and interesting past that was never explored...
  Actually, it was pretty well explored in the latest of Whedon's comic books.
37. Re:This is important? by Canazza · 2011-02-20 23:31 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  you do know it was an Australian show right...
  
  --
  It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
38. Re:This is important? by AmiMoJo · 2011-02-21 00:16 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Okay...
  B5: Terrible acting/dialogue but the whole story was planned from the beginning and ended up being pretty epic with some good character development.
  SG: Suffered from perpetual fear of cancellation and budget issues but still had some really good moments. The way new earth gained access to new technologies and understanding was cool. Starring in it seemed to cause pregnancy in females for some reason.
  Firefly: Wow, a well written and acted sci-fi show, a rare thing indeed. Naturally killed off before it could make everything else look bad and thus attaining legendary status because of what it might have been.
  DW: Chronically underfunded and victim of dodgy BBC special effects but long lived due mainly to all other British sci-fi being even worse. Moffat's stories are usually excellent.
  BSG: So depressing you want to kill yourself but compelling at the same time. Somehow managed to include religion in a way that didn't boil it down to good/evil. Exactly the right length too, a rare thing in TV.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
39. Re:This is important? by JackieBrown · 2011-02-21 01:14 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I always look at Farscape as the '90's version of American cultural propaganda
  Your assumption that this Australian show was an American show demonstrates how well you have succumbed to the notion that all things are American :)
  This show was very pro-UN control (versus American control,) very much against the idea of a group making themselves the police of the galaxy that nobody asked for or wanted, renamed NASA to ISA (or something like that,) and towards the end was pro-peace to the point that I was expecting them to break out in song. HEck, they even had an episode that showed how the US was letting 9/11 destroy world unity over the space program.
  That said, this is my second favorite shows of all time only trumped by Babylon 5. And it surpasses Babylon 5 in terms of consistent awesomeness.
NOOOOOO, KAKU!! by Anonymous Coward · 2011-02-20 12:56 · Score: 2, Funny

Leave Firefly alone, you attention whore!
I can't watch half of the Science channel programs because I'm sit of seeing him spew bullshit on camera.
and plans to air all episodes IN ORDER by v1 · 2011-02-20 13:07 · Score: 4, Informative

what a novel idea!
the whole first attempt at airing this was a textbook trainwreck, and the result was blamed on the show's merit.

--
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
1. Re:and plans to air all episodes IN ORDER by hedwards · 2011-02-20 15:15 · Score: 2
  
  It debut on Fox, right? I'm surprised that anybody is willing to trust them with their show ideas, given the number of them they've killed prematurely with their incompetence. They killed Family Guy what, like 3 times so far? And failing to give Futurama a consistent slot, I mean what the fuck? Is it really so strange to give viewers the chance to get used to watching a show at the same time long enough to get hooked?
...the science? by straponego · 2011-02-20 13:33 · Score: 2

Okay, yay Firefly and all that. But the science? I'll be very interested to hear how interplanetary travel, which takes a matter of days, almost invariably results in passing within a couple hundred feet of another ship headed the opposite direction at a few feet per second relative velocity. ...very small solar system? With a couple hundred planets?
1. Re:...the science? by retchdog · 2011-02-20 19:20 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  it's "explained" in the show. it is a smallish solar system, and yeah, most of the offworld sites are moons. also, since they're mostly a trading vessel, they'll be mostly following standard trade routes for fuel economy.
  it's not very plausible, but it does make the show mostly consistent at least.
  
  --
  "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
they should buy the rights to SGA, SG1 and SGU and by Joe+The+Dragon · 2011-02-20 14:03 · Score: 3, Insightful

they should buy the rights to SGA, SG1 and SGU and make SGA S6 and SGU S3!
Re:Science Channel? by Penguinisto · 2011-02-20 14:07 · Score: 4, Insightful

To be fair, engineering *is* a science...

--
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
Re:Mod that ^^ Mofo up, please! by westlake · 2011-02-20 15:15 · Score: 2

Seriously, I couldn't agree more. Science Channel did wander a bit off the reservation with the whole 'Punkin Chunkin' thing, but otherwise they tend to stay pretty much within the realm of science-related bits.
In the late 1970s, TVOntario seems to have pioneered the idea of taking a series like The Prisoner or Dr. Who and framing it with first-class commentary by a journalist like Warner Troyer or the science fiction writer Judith Merril.
If I remember rightly, supplementary materials were available for The Prisoner as part of a distance learning course for college credit.
The first time I can remember a commercially broadcast TV series being given that kind of academic credibility and significance.
As long as Kaku sticks to physics... by amstrad · 2011-02-20 16:13 · Score: 3, Informative

...we'll be alright. Once he strays into other areas of science he becomes a blathering idiot.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/02/why_do_physicists_think_they_a.php
killing off and the undead by davidwr · 2011-02-20 16:20 · Score: 2

Well, we can jump the shark and discover that the harpoon that killed Wash was covered with reaver-vampire blood and a few days after the Serenity crew leaves him behind he rises again, with a lust to regain his piloting role on a Serenity filled with a vampire crew.

--
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Not federally, if the proposed budget passes. by oneiros27 · 2011-02-20 16:22 · Score: 2

Or at least, it won't be funding public television and their programming (Sesame Street, etc). ... but that's only what I know based on stuff that was reported on public television; I haven't read the budget myself, so it's possible that there's other for-profit TV channels that'd get some sort of funding for education stuff, like cable in the classroom or similar.
Anyway, the PBS press release from yesterday regarding their funding:
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2011/pbs-statement-elimination-funding-public-broadcasting/

--
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Re:How many times? by fermion · 2011-02-20 18:13 · Score: 2

Not all 14 episodes are the same. Some shows, with 24 episodes a year, have fillers, recaps, and general bad episodes. Ou of he 14 episodes, there is only 1 or 2 that are genuinely bad.
The Simpsons is probably going going to pass 500 episodes, but I don' know if there are 10 I would wach repeatedly. Fawlty Towers is 12 episodes, each perfect, each one I have watched serveral times. Yes, Minister 22 episodes, not all perfect, but quite wonderful.

--
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Re:This is important by hack++slash · 2011-02-20 19:28 · Score: 2

Red Dwarf.

"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast."

--
To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
Re:they should buy the rights to SGA, SG1 and SGU by unitron · 2011-02-20 20:01 · Score: 2

Oh , okay, she was only taught by idiots.

--
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
Re:This is important by Canazza · 2011-02-20 23:02 · Score: 3, Interesting

Hyperdrive was 10x better

--
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
Re:Why? by mrxak · 2011-02-21 01:04 · Score: 2

Because ultimately, nobody wants to watch 168 hours of television on a particular topic every week, and the people who like one kind of thing like other predictable sorts of things. Now, if you can afford to keep 168 hours of television programming going every week, with some of it making no money at all due to demographic dilution, so be it. But if you're running a business that wants to make money, you need more variety in your programming.
Certainly I disagree with SyFy doing professional wrestling and all the other atrocities they're committing these days, but at least it makes business sense. Ultimately, the best thing we can hope for is having a lot of other channels trying to do sci fi on their line-ups to take advantage of SyFy's weaknesses. One channel being the place for sci fi was never going to work out. A lot of people would agree with me, I think, when I say that the 90s were great for sci fi, and back then there was sci fi on all sorts of channels. Shows had to compete head-to-head for the same demographics in the same sort of time slots, and everybody won. With just one sci fi channel, you end up with other networks ignoring the whole sci fi viewership, and that one sci fi channel competing with itself. It's far easier to pare back to just a small number of shows in that case, so the demographics don't get spread over too many shows.

--
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
Uh, for a one month subscription to... by johnny0099 · 2011-02-21 04:15 · Score: 2

...Netflix you can already do this. Both the episodes and the movie are in HD.

--
Get your dogma outta my yard!