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Free Talk Live => The Show => Topic started by: inane on November 11, 2009, 09:14:24 PM

Title: liberty sci fi
Post by: inane on November 11, 2009, 09:14:24 PM
There was a libertarian/sci fi author they had on the show quite some time ago. Anybody remember the name of that author?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: mikehz on November 11, 2009, 09:56:46 PM
I figure it's Terry Goodkind. http://www.terrygoodkind.com/ (http://www.terrygoodkind.com/)
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 12, 2009, 01:12:18 AM
OK...  time out...  (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs102.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

The "sci" in "sci-fi" stands for...  SCIENCE!
If it has magical clouds and talking fairies - it's...   (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs127.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)   (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs127.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)   FANTASY!



(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs065.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Harry Tuttle on November 12, 2009, 01:31:42 AM
OK...  time out...  (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs102.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

The "sci" in "sci-fi" stands for...  SCIENCE!
If it has magical clouds and talking fairies - it's...   (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs127.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)   (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs127.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)   FANTASY!



(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs065.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

+1 for AL
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: anarchir on November 12, 2009, 03:29:33 AM
OK...  time out...  (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs102.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

The "sci" in "sci-fi" stands for...  SCIENCE!
If it has magical clouds and talking fairies - it's...   (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs127.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)   (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs127.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)   FANTASY!



(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-signs065.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

+1 for AL

Agreed. If they arent figuring some scientific problem out...fail.

Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on November 12, 2009, 07:01:25 AM
Yup.  If you're like me and think fantasy is teh ghey, you should definitely read Fallen Angels by Larry Niven.  Great libertarian SCIENCE FICTION.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Harry Tuttle on November 12, 2009, 11:29:21 AM
Yup.  If you're like me and think fantasy is teh ghey, you should definitely read Fallen Angels by Larry Niven.  Great libertarian SCIENCE FICTION.

I don't dislike ALL fantasy. In fact, I really like the Sword of Truth series. My biggest pet peeve about it is all of the damned reference to PROPHECY. I hate prophecy. I hate the idea of prophecy. I hate that prophecy is used so heavily. Of course, they use prophecy in The Matrix, and it absolutely soils Star Wars.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on November 12, 2009, 11:36:32 AM
Yup.  If you're like me and think fantasy is teh ghey, you should definitely read Fallen Angels by Larry Niven.  Great libertarian SCIENCE FICTION.

I don't dislike ALL fantasy. In fact, I really like the Sword of Truth series. My biggest pet peeve about it is all of the damned reference to PROPHECY. I hate prophecy. I hate the idea of prophecy. I hate that prophecy is used so heavily. Of course, they use prophecy in The Matrix, and it absolutely soils Star Wars.
I agree although I've never read Goodkind.  Let me clarify, I like HARD SF.

But to be fair Heinlein wrote Glory Road, a fantasy, that I like very much, but I think he just wrote that one to be able to say he wrote a fantasy.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 12, 2009, 12:20:27 PM
There's only one TV show that gets away with mixing sci-fi with elements of fantasy / mythology (ex. technomages, prophecy, telepathy, etc), and that's Babylon 5 (http://).  It's ridiculous how much I love that show...

[youtube=425,350]Ma6ZsDd0F8k[/youtube]
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Cognitive Dissident on November 12, 2009, 12:26:13 PM
...or it was L Neil Smith...or it was J Neil Shulman...or, IIRC, the Repairman Jack writer.

You can get J Neil's book Alongside Night free online: http://www.alongsidenight.net (http://www.alongsidenight.net).  It's an "important" book to read in the days of the failing dollar.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on November 12, 2009, 04:00:17 PM
...or it was L Neil Smith.

It's not like Smith is hard to find on the 'Net...

http://www.ncc-1776.org/

http://www.lneilsmith.org/

http://www.bigheadpress.com/lneilsmith/

http://www.bigheadpress.com/tpbtgn
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Cognitive Dissident on November 12, 2009, 06:34:50 PM
...or it was L Neil Smith.

It's not like Smith is hard to find on the 'Net...

http://www.ncc-1776.org/

http://www.lneilsmith.org/

http://www.bigheadpress.com/lneilsmith/

http://www.bigheadpress.com/tpbtgn


Yup.  There's at least one more too, but I lost his card before I bookmarked it :-(
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: anarchir on November 12, 2009, 06:49:32 PM
There's only one TV show that gets away with mixing sci-fi with elements of fantasy / mythology (ex. technomages, prophecy, telepathy, etc), and that's Babylon 5 (http://).  It's ridiculous how much I love that show...

[youtube=425,350]Ma6ZsDd0F8k[/youtube]

Do they usually play "(nightwish?)" during an episode?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on November 12, 2009, 06:51:05 PM
There's only one TV show that gets away with mixing sci-fi with elements of fantasy / mythology (ex. technomages, prophecy, telepathy, etc), and that's Babylon 5 (http://).  It's ridiculous how much I love that show...

[youtube=425,350]Ma6ZsDd0F8k[/youtube]

Do they usually play "(nightwish?)" during an episode?
lol No, no they don't.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 12, 2009, 08:15:07 PM
:lol:, no, that was added for the YouTubez.

B5 did have some awesome music by Christopher Franke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Franke), example:

[youtube=425,350]JULMomY0fAg[/youtube]
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Dewars on November 12, 2009, 11:49:02 PM
For excellent libertarian sci fi, don't forget John Twelve Hawks.


http://www.amazon.com/Traveler-Fourth-Realm-Trilogy-Book/dp/030727859X


Quote
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Twelve Hawks's much anticipated novel is powerful, mainstream fiction built on a foundation of cutting-edge technology laced with fantasy and the chilling specter of an all-too-possible social and political reality. The time is roughly the present, and the U.S. is part of the Vast Machine, a society overseen by the Tabula, a secret organization bent on establishing a perfectly controlled populace. Allied against the Tabula are the Travelers and their sword-carrying protectors, the Harlequins. The Travelers, now almost extinct, can project their spirit into other worlds where they receive wisdom to bring back to earth—wisdom that threatens the Tabula's power. Maya, a reluctant Harlequin, finds herself compelled to protect two naïve Travelers, Michael and Gabriel Corrigan. Michael dabbles in shady real estate deals, while Gabriel prefers to live "off the Grid," eschewing any documentation—credit cards, bank accounts—that the Vast Machine could use to track him. Because the Tabula has engineered a way to use the Travelers for its own purposes, Maya must not only keep the brothers alive, but out of the hands of these evil puppet-masters. She succeeds, but she also fails, and therein lies the tale. By the end of this exciting volume, the first in a trilogy, the stage is set for a world-rending clash between good and evil.


Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on November 13, 2009, 09:08:36 AM
Not really libertarian, but the best overlooked work of hard SF in the history of the genre.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PAPosbhcL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/Star-Diaries-Further-Reminiscences-Tichy/dp/0156849054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258121273&sr=8-1)
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Dewars on November 13, 2009, 10:32:04 AM
I'm a big LEM fan.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on November 13, 2009, 12:09:24 PM
I think in The Star Diaries or Memoirs of a Space Traveler (one of the two) he has some chapter introduction text that is supposed to be written by a robot in the far future, which is refuting the claim that these stories were written by some being named "LEM", since historical proof is that LEM stood for Lunar Excursion Module, a device whose electronic brain was so simple it could hardly even be called a robot, much less have written these books...
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 13, 2009, 01:32:47 PM
Stanisław Lem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanisław_Lem) - I know him well from my Soviet childhood, and that's why I have negative connotations toward him...  :x

Communist science fiction is lies.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on November 13, 2009, 01:51:26 PM
Communist science fiction is lies.
Even if the author is an anti-communist?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 13, 2009, 02:00:50 PM
Yeah, yeah, and some of the people working at the concentration camps were also against them, they just "went along with it because they had no choice".  :x

Lem compromised with evil, and he allowed his works to be twisted into communist propaganda.  That's mega-fail!  Everyone was conflicted and anyone can claim to be anti-communist (even the communists, because everyone's idea of communism is irreconcilably different), but it's the actions that count!

In fact, I would hold people like Lem even more responsible for the crimes of fascism / communism than the dumb butchers, because if one dumb butcher goes on strike there are millions of other idiots out there to replace him.  It is people like Lem that make evil possible!
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on November 13, 2009, 03:00:46 PM
Lem [..] allowed his works to be twisted into communist propaganda. 
How exactly would he have stopped that? Gun down the guys running the printing presses?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 13, 2009, 03:06:37 PM
Sakharov.

Pasternak.

Solzhenitsyn.

Or do what Ayn Rand did -- emigrate -- which would have been easier from Poland.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: MacFall on November 22, 2009, 10:27:01 PM
l think it was Michael Z. Williamson.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on November 23, 2009, 02:28:14 AM
Well L. Neil Smith definitely rocks.  He's got a column he writes for JPFO.org http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/lneilsmith.htm

I've read a couple of his books and they are great.


I really dig F. Paul Wilson also. An Enemy of the State rocks even harder.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Cognitive Dissident on November 23, 2009, 03:33:04 AM
L. Neil is a huge gun nut!  He and I spent a half hour talking about handguns at the last FreedomFest.  He lives right up the road near Ft. Collins and he's really personable (invited me up to shoot "any time") but sadly I haven't yet taken the opportunity.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on November 23, 2009, 05:05:57 AM
L. Neil is a huge gun nut!  He and I spent a half hour talking about handguns at the last FreedomFest.  He lives right up the road near Ft. Collins and he's really personable (invited me up to shoot "any time") but sadly I haven't yet taken the opportunity.
You need to take the opportunity and share it with us.  I'm jealous.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Cognitive Dissident on November 23, 2009, 12:05:49 PM
L. Neil is a huge gun nut!  He and I spent a half hour talking about handguns at the last FreedomFest.  He lives right up the road near Ft. Collins and he's really personable (invited me up to shoot "any time") but sadly I haven't yet taken the opportunity.
You need to take the opportunity and share it with us.  I'm jealous.

I know.  I suck.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: spicynujac on November 29, 2009, 10:46:28 PM
I love Babylon5 and watched a good bit of it when it aired back in high school.  Is there any station or site like hulu that airs this fine program or am I gonna have to bittorrent the whole damn series?  I don't know why SciFi doesn't show stuff like this, even if it's in the middle of the night so we can tape it.  It's way better than 90% of the stuff they air (although I am looking forward to Caprica).
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on November 30, 2009, 08:56:54 AM
...or am I gonna have to bittorrent the whole damn series?

That's getting harder to do. Mininova just shut their gates.

The world is ready for more Pirate Parties. Maybe it's time to start advertising the "libertarian" (used as a general term, Ian) opposition to copyright/patent.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on November 30, 2009, 10:29:36 AM
I love Babylon5 and watched a good bit of it when it aired back in high school.
Is there any station or site like hulu that airs this fine program or am I gonna have to bittorrent the whole damn series?

:D

P2P is always the best way: it weakens those who rely on government force, and strengthens those who resist it.  Downloading individual episode torrents (http://thepiratebay.org/tv/26987/) may get you faster download speeds, but there's more clicking involved, and that listing seems to have some gaps so additional searching may be required.  This 48 GB torrent containing all episodes and movies (http://btjunkie.org/torrent/Babylon-5-Babylon-5-all-5-seasons-the-full-length-movies/2908d19075db7a5bf5b0b9b89b30ee39cc132bf64f4a) [2] (http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/3462869/Babylon_5__all_5_seasons__the_full_length_movies_and_the_spinoff) currently has 95 seeders.  It will take a long time to download, obviously, but most half-decent BT clients will let you set priority of the files, so you can set the one you want to start watching first to high, a few subsequent ones to normal, and the rest to low / none.  You can also delete an individual episode after you watch it if you want to free up space, but some BT clients make it easier than others (http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=12349).
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on November 30, 2009, 01:35:49 PM
P2P is always the best way

Thanks for the pointer to btjunkie.

On topic, L. Neil Smith had this to say today:

Quote
   Last week may have seemed slow here at _The Libertarian Enterprise_
and Big Head Press (at least my parts thereof), but that's only because
I was busy elsewhere, my every waking hour filled the necessity of
finishing my project on time for National Novel Writing Month
(NaNoWriMo) 2009.

    And I did.

    _Sweeter Than Wine_, in, many ways, is the story of the vampire next
door. It will become publicly available as soon as I can make it so.

    As a consequence, we tried an experiment, posting the following both
at BigHeadPress.com and in _The Libertarian Enterprise_:

_CERES_, a novel by L. Neil Smith
 Chapter Thirty-Seven: "Convergence"
"Barsoom go boom!"
http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle546-20091129-02.html
or
http://www.bigheadpress.com/lneilsmith/?page_id=348

Also:

_Atlantea the Beautful_ by Rex F. May and L. Neil Smith
"The perfect Aryan woman!"
http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle546-20091129-08.html

And don't forget:

_Phoebus Krumm_ by L. Neil Smith
Illustrated by Scott Bieser and ~3~
" ... soon we'll have air to breathe."
Current page: http://www.bigheadpress.com/pk
Beginning page: http://www.bigheadpress.com/pk?page=1

Enjoy!
--

=====================================================================
"It's not your mother. It's just a big rock." -- L. Neil Smith
http://www.zazzle.com/rexfmay/gifts

The Webley Page: http://www.lneilsmith.org

The Libertarian Enterprise: http://www.ncc-1776.org

LNS at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/lneilsmith.htm

Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick: http://www.phoenixpick.com/

Big Head Press: http://www.bigheadpress.com


____________________________________________________________
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: spicynujac on December 09, 2009, 09:26:18 PM
Thanks a million for the torrent.  With utorrent you can download individual episodes, so I am d/ling a season at a time and watching.  Do the movies all take place after the series ended? (with the exception of the pilot The Gathering)  Where does the sequel fit in?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on December 10, 2009, 02:56:58 AM
There's a crude time-line on the right side in the WP entry under Plot Summary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5#Plot_summary).

Strangely enough, the B5 movies aren't as good as the series itself in my opinion, because they tell stand-alone stories that are supposed to be easily digestible by new viewers.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: spicynujac on December 16, 2009, 02:53:34 AM
I just watched episode 5 (season1) and there is a cool part where each race presents their religion and then commander Sheridan says ok, come see why Earth has the best religious belief of them all, and all the aliens show up and he introduces them 1 by 1 to dozens of humans: "Sheila is an Atheist, John is a Roman Catholic" etc.  Really cool stuff.  I remember really liking Sheridan and the guy who replaces him wasn't bad but I still preferred Sheridan for some reason as a teen..  I guess time will tell but what is the new guy like?  I guess one thing I like about Sheridan is that he won't hesitate to jump in a ship and fly off on a patrol just on a whim, and often risks his life.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: ElGuapo on December 16, 2009, 11:43:12 AM
(http://thesoulmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/wallpaper_firefly_serenity_1024.jpg)
I found firefly to be a quite liberty-oriented series - not the movie though.

I used to watch B5, and just found it to be boring and preachy; but when the Archangel Michael or Gabriel, or whoever it was, came out of the spaceship - I couldn't watch anymore. The idea that all aliens have french accents and the exact same haircut bothered me (I'm just focusing on one group of aliens - but all the groups were very cookie-cutter according to my rememborizing), but the religious stuff turned me the rest of the way off. To be honest; I watched the show back when I was still a brainwashed liberal, prior to becoming an intellectually superior conservative, way before I understood any concept of liberty.

But I was just wondering, did nobody else find the firefly story to be very liberty oriented? It was such an awesome series - I'm still pissed off that they canceled it, and that the movie turned some of the characters into violent, petty criminals.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Harry Tuttle on December 16, 2009, 08:54:59 PM
I found firefly to be a quite liberty-oriented series - not the movie though.

I used to watch B5, and just found it to be boring and preachy; but when the Archangel Michael or Gabriel, or whoever it was, came out of the spaceship - I couldn't watch anymore. The idea that all aliens have french accents and the exact same haircut bothered me (I'm just focusing on one group of aliens - but all the groups were very cookie-cutter according to my rememborizing), but the religious stuff turned me the rest of the way off. To be honest; I watched the show back when I was still a brainwashed liberal, prior to becoming an intellectually superior conservative, way before I understood any concept of liberty.

But I was just wondering, did nobody else find the firefly story to be very liberty oriented? It was such an awesome series - I'm still pissed off that they canceled it, and that the movie turned some of the characters into violent, petty criminals.

Firefly is pretty universally recognized as liberty oriented and widely believed to be the best sci-fi show ever.

I don't think I really know what you mean about the movie changing the characters. They all seemed pretty-much the same to me. They hated the government and just wanted to live their lives free. They overlooked laws where those laws were inconvenient, but had their own code of ethics and would not rob or hurt innocent/honest people. Jane, of course, was a violent thug. But the rest were pretty decent and just did their own thing.

The one thing I really noted about the movie was that it bent toward the conspiracy theory mindset. You know, the kind of fantasy where you just need to get the whole truth out to the masses and then the super-powerful overlords will finally get what is coming to them.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on December 17, 2009, 05:29:03 AM
I used to watch B5, and just found it to be boring and preachy

That's just the first season.  Season Two is about 3x better, Season Three is 10x better, Season Four is 15x better, and Season Five sucked except the last few episodes, because Straczynski was told the show would be cancelled 1 season short so he squeezed the planned storyline into the previous season.  Seasons 3-4 is where all the brilliance is, but you do have to watch it from the beginning to appreciate it.


but when the Archangel Michael or Gabriel, or whoever it was, came out of the spaceship - I couldn't watch anymore.

Powerful forces demanding obedience by brainwashing people to think they were gods...  He could have made the "angel" look like Lincoln to some, but that would be too obvious and turn off the mainstream the audience too much - the show still had to make a buck ya know...  ;)


The idea that all aliens have french accents and the exact same haircut bothered me  [...]

Hey, the show had a shoestring budget, and they still managed to have the best CGI effects of their era.  The whole "dozens of humanoid alien races" idea comes with the genre, like curtains come with the theater - the viewer is expected to suspend one's disbelief just a little bit.  The foreign accents (European for colonist races, Middle Eastern for the colonized, etc) only add yet another layer of depth to the drama, and what the show lacked in make-up budget it more than made up for in excellent acting.


But I was just wondering, did nobody else find the firefly story to be very liberty oriented?

Yeah, Firefly was clearly the #1 unapologetically-libertarian show on television - that's so obvious everyone must have assumed this thread was meant for other libertarian sci-fi, like a "liberty podcast" thread would assume something other than Free Talk Live.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: ElGuapo on December 17, 2009, 08:23:03 AM
Harry;
I was living in South America when the series was on the telly, so I missed it - I moved back to the U.S. the same month that Serenity came out on DVD; a friend had it and I eventually borrowed it, just because there was a spaceship on the cover. I instantly loved the movie, and had no idea that a series preceded it - nobody I knew beyond the friend I borrowed it from had ever even heard of the movie. I learned of the series when the Boxed set became available - the cover art let me know instantly that this was a series based on that awesome movie that I had seen - I didn't know until I began watching the entire series in a single weekend that it was the other way around.

Regarding the changing of the characters from the series to the movie; I feel like they turned Mal into less-principled criminal, more prone to violence - I can't put my finger on exactly why, but the opening bank robbery really didn't feel right to me, stealing a payroll from a company that will not report the payroll's theft - even though those who will go unpaid are contractors working for the government - they're not government. It just felt wrong, and I would have preferred if it were handled differently, but I don't necessarily have any suggestions. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm a contractor, working for the government bothers me about it.

It is the best sci-fi show ever - but I've never met anyone else who had even seen it, and I've never heard it mentioned anywhere, to include in relation to liberty - so I wasn't sure if anyone had ever seen it - maybe it was just unique to my own little 'verse.

Alex;
I'll have to give B5 another shot - my Mother has everything that's come out on DVD thus far, so I'll borrow it and check it out. Generally, I'll watch sci-fi no matter what the message, because it's fun and the stories are usually pretty decent. When it's on, I still watch the most anti-liberty sci-fi show ever; Star Trek - because I like the characters and the plot is usually pretty good - I wasn't a fan of DS9 or Enterprise though.

I really wasn't sure if anyone but myself had ever heard of firefly - I have no liberty-oriented friends, and when I say things liberty-oriented around family, they get all "worried" about me, but my Dad's starting to understand what I'm talking about. Prior to posting on this topic; I couldn't be sure if anyone on the planet, other than my wife and I, had seen firefly.

I've only broken away from my intellectual superior conservative mind-set in the past 6 months or so, so I'm still re-interpreting the world around me, and though I loved Serenity from the very first viewing, it was just a good story-line, with no other significance until earlier this year when I watched it again and saw something more.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on December 17, 2009, 12:10:26 PM
It is the best sci-fi show ever - but I've never met anyone else who had even seen it, and I've never heard it mentioned anywhere, to include in relation to libert
You really should come to NH, just to check shit out.
I love the series intensely, but by now I am tired of all the Firefly-watching parties at peoples' houses...

Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: spicynujac on December 20, 2009, 11:31:16 PM
I enjoyed Firefly, but it didn't have enough subplot going on from episode to episode.  The first episode sets up a lot of questions, and most of the big ones are never addressed through the series.  Now, given it was only 1(?) season and if you compare it to other series like B5 or BSG, many of the big questions aren't answered until later, but still I felt like Firefly, although I loved it, was just a bunch of unrelated individual episodes.  However, I think that's pretty much a trend in tv today with our ever-dumber populace.

I am absolutely loving B5 again, although my fav sci fi series has to be Battlestar Galatica.  What I loved about BSG is that while it wasn't really liberty oriented per se (although it did deal realistically with issues like rebellion and anarchy) it did a great job of playing devlis advocate.  It also did address issues like torture and the Iraqi occupation in season (2?) with the Cylons attempting to control the humans living together in planetary existance.  But I often found myself siding with the commander on individual issues even though normally I am very anti-state / anti-collectivism.  He often stifled dissent or other voices and just did what needed to be done.  I think the main differences between him and modern leaders are (a) He actually was a wise, intelligent guy who usually chose the correct path and (b) there was eminent, real danger that didn't really afford the humans the luxury of freedom.  Sort of like "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" LIFE comes first, so as long as that is threatened liberty is set aside.  But I often questioned myself .. wait why are you supporting this guy when if you replace George W Bush with him what he is doing sounds evil?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Harry Tuttle on December 21, 2009, 02:20:11 PM
I'm gonna disagree with you on the subplot thing. There were a few subplots set up, such as delving into the past of the characters and their motives. The preacher guy was interesting and little pieces of his past would hint at more. The dynamic between Mal and Jayne seemed to always be building up to something - or not. The relationship between Mal and Inara was interesting and comical. I think the subplots were dealt with in small pieces, slowly over time. They also could have done more with the relationships between the ship crew and occasional business partners, as well as troubles with the alliance. If the series had lasted several seasons this would have added depth and made for a better story long-term. The reason it led to a sort of letdown is that it got canceled after one season so there was no time to resolve any of that. The movie sort of goes back and tries to answer a few questions, but only awkwardly because that's all you can do in one film.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on December 21, 2009, 02:37:41 PM
The preacher guy was interesting and little pieces of his past would hint at more.

I think Book was an operative who caught religion. The Operative from the movie "had no name", so it leads to it being reasonable that he picked his name from the Good Book.

Anyway, that was something I was really looking forward to. Oh well.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: spicynujac on December 21, 2009, 08:46:37 PM
Talia Winters is flippin SEXY!
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2016/2624355146_4344d275e7.jpg?v=0)
by the way google image found a nude pic of her but I don't know if its real :P
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: rwwright on December 24, 2009, 02:26:26 PM
Talia Winters is flippin SEXY!

Meh. Lyta Alexander FTW.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on December 24, 2009, 06:15:03 PM
Talia Winters is flippin SEXY!
Meh. Lyta Alexander FTW.

Morena Baccarin
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Morena_Baccarin_2005_flanvention_1.jpg)
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: anarchir on December 24, 2009, 06:42:46 PM
I was going to watch Firefly today (I'm snowed in and alone for christmas at the last minute, fun) but I cannot find all the episodes available online. Any help anyone? Please to torrents, I havent used them before.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on December 24, 2009, 06:50:16 PM
Morena Baccarin is hot, but latent lesbian telepaths win every time!

[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tHmGcTTRQLs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tHmGcTTRQLs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on December 24, 2009, 07:18:39 PM
Morena Baccarin is hot, but latent lesbian telepaths win every time!

Except for one thing, "latent lesbian telepaths" aren't REAL.

Fantasy only goes so far. Which is why I didn't point to a picture of Inara Serra.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: anarchir on December 24, 2009, 11:49:13 PM
Nope, didnt work. Guess I have to go the P2P route huh.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on December 28, 2009, 02:27:19 PM
Baccarin? Reasonably attractive, BUT she doesn't hold a candle to Jewel Staite
MMMMmmMMMmmmm..... Kaylee...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/bigorangemichael/jewel_staite.jpg)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Jewel_Staite,_2005_convention.jpg)
(http://premium1.uploadit.org/andyo666//Jewel-Staite.jpg)
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on December 28, 2009, 03:56:48 PM
Once again, this is a science fiction thread.  It would be scientifically impossible for me to ever get any of those women.  Start a "fantasy" thread instead.  :lol:
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on December 31, 2009, 07:22:18 AM
Once again, this is a science fiction thread.  It would be scientifically impossible for me to ever get any of those women.  Start a "fantasy" thread instead.  :lol:

There is one, called "Excellent Breasts".

I bumped into Marina Sirtis at a con once, is that real enough?
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: sillyperson on December 31, 2009, 09:39:05 AM
It would be scientifically impossible for me to ever get any of those women.
I used to think that way until I met Irena and put my mind to it.
[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-_niy2ZM5Jo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-_niy2ZM5Jo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: spicynujac on January 07, 2010, 12:11:08 AM
I'm really liking Babylon 5, and the awesomeness of commercial free torrents.
A quote from the opening of season 3 episode 11.
Delenn: "I think we are safe for awhile. Your gov't will think twice before engaging the Minbari fleet"
Marcus: "They're not *MY* government. Back on the colony, earth was just a place that sent us books and vids and took 30% of our income.  Should have given it the boot years ago.  Now we can make a fresh start."
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on January 07, 2010, 05:56:42 AM
(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-happy119.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php), yeah...

Unfortunately freedom in space is still a few generations away, we gotta do what we can here on this lousy little rock...

Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: AL the Inconspicuous on January 09, 2010, 11:34:31 AM
There was a YouTube video there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma6ZsDd0F8k) that got lost in a forum upgrade...  Stupid admins...
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on January 09, 2010, 08:06:52 PM
I'm digging Dydeetown World, by F. Paul Wilson.
Title: Re: liberty sci fi
Post by: BobRobertson on January 10, 2010, 02:33:29 PM
I really liked _Ghost_ and _Kildar_ by John Ringo, but Ringo never quite seems to realize that, although his governments other than the US's are portrayed very effectively as just successful gangs, the US government is just like them too.

Seems to be some religious belief on his part that blinds him to that.

His private "military" efforts are so very much more successful than the organized militaries he runs into, there's a hint there.