Science Channel Buys Rights To Firefly

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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."

29 of 380 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

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 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?
7. 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.
8. 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."
9. Re:This is important? by Psion · 2011-02-20 13:44 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I'll be in mah bunk.
10. 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.
11. 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
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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
17. 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.
18. 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
19. Re:This is important? by AtrN · 2011-02-20 21:20 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  In my universe Cleopatra 2525 was the best.
20. 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.
21. 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
22. 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.
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.
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?
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
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
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.