Bowing to Peer Pressure
Oct. 24th, 2005 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedishampooAfter finally watching every episode of Deep Space 9 (many of which I'd missed when it originally aired), we watched the first Netflix episode of Firefly.
It wasn't bad. It was very Cowboy Bebop with a soupcon of Deadwood. I like Kaylee. And I'm willing to watch the next couple of episodes, just to see if they hook me.
Now Deep Space 9. There really was an awesome series. It was even better when I didn't miss episodes and knew what the heck was going on and who was on what side. Sisko/Avery Brooks is SMOKING HOT, mrowr. And I'd forgotten just how much I thought Kira rocked. She looked so cute and tried so hard to be normal and to get along with the Federation and all, but every time a Cardassian looked at her askance, Pow, Bam, Boom and there you had it, a bleeding and bruised Cardassian on the ground and someone holding a snarling Kira back. And she got to have a romance with Odo, how sweet! Imagine the possibilities! ;)
Star Trek in most of its incarnations has the best female characters of any fandom, I'm willing to say. I'm disappointed in many of the female characters in my mostest favoritest fandom, Star Wars (not all of them, mind). Now I love hot male Jedi, both as characters and as eye candy. But now and then you just want some cool women around for them to fall in love with. No wonder I was seduced by the slash side of the Force. It's all about chemistry and worthy women for me, I suppose.
Neither the SW movies nor the EU fully satisfy my urge to see kick-ass sci-fi women. Really, Padme was a yawner even when she was trying to shoot things. I think I liked her better as pregnant weepygirl, because then at least all the makeup and clothing and hair made sense. Mon Mothma? We saw her for a few second talking about Bothans and that was it. And the females on the Jedi Council-- well, if we'd gotten to see them before they became Clone target-practice, perhaps they'd have become cool as well. But we didn't. As for EU, Mara was a step in the right direction, but Siri and Jaina and Tahiri and Tionne the poetess just put me to sleep. (Not even mentioning any of Luke's various other girlfriends.)
Really, though, I'll admit it's all opinion and development. If I'd gotten a chance to see the Star Wars women cast and in action onscreen, perhaps I'd feel differently about them. Star Trek does have more time to develop its characters-- what, an average of 200 episodes' worth?
Of course I'm sure I'm missing someone. If Star Wars 1-6 had been a TV series, I wonder who the really cool female characters would have been, other than Leia.
Well, I guess it is going to become a series now... it'll be interesting to see who they come up with.
It wasn't bad. It was very Cowboy Bebop with a soupcon of Deadwood. I like Kaylee. And I'm willing to watch the next couple of episodes, just to see if they hook me.
Now Deep Space 9. There really was an awesome series. It was even better when I didn't miss episodes and knew what the heck was going on and who was on what side. Sisko/Avery Brooks is SMOKING HOT, mrowr. And I'd forgotten just how much I thought Kira rocked. She looked so cute and tried so hard to be normal and to get along with the Federation and all, but every time a Cardassian looked at her askance, Pow, Bam, Boom and there you had it, a bleeding and bruised Cardassian on the ground and someone holding a snarling Kira back. And she got to have a romance with Odo, how sweet! Imagine the possibilities! ;)
Star Trek in most of its incarnations has the best female characters of any fandom, I'm willing to say. I'm disappointed in many of the female characters in my mostest favoritest fandom, Star Wars (not all of them, mind). Now I love hot male Jedi, both as characters and as eye candy. But now and then you just want some cool women around for them to fall in love with. No wonder I was seduced by the slash side of the Force. It's all about chemistry and worthy women for me, I suppose.
Neither the SW movies nor the EU fully satisfy my urge to see kick-ass sci-fi women. Really, Padme was a yawner even when she was trying to shoot things. I think I liked her better as pregnant weepygirl, because then at least all the makeup and clothing and hair made sense. Mon Mothma? We saw her for a few second talking about Bothans and that was it. And the females on the Jedi Council-- well, if we'd gotten to see them before they became Clone target-practice, perhaps they'd have become cool as well. But we didn't. As for EU, Mara was a step in the right direction, but Siri and Jaina and Tahiri and Tionne the poetess just put me to sleep. (Not even mentioning any of Luke's various other girlfriends.)
Really, though, I'll admit it's all opinion and development. If I'd gotten a chance to see the Star Wars women cast and in action onscreen, perhaps I'd feel differently about them. Star Trek does have more time to develop its characters-- what, an average of 200 episodes' worth?
Of course I'm sure I'm missing someone. If Star Wars 1-6 had been a TV series, I wonder who the really cool female characters would have been, other than Leia.
Well, I guess it is going to become a series now... it'll be interesting to see who they come up with.
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-25 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 03:58 am (UTC)Firefly
Date: 2005-10-26 01:14 am (UTC)You need to hurry in order to see the film -- it vanishing fast from the theaters. And you will want to see it...
Re: Firefly
Date: 2005-10-27 04:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 12:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-28 04:56 pm (UTC)As much as I hate to do it, gotta agree with you about Lucas and women; Padme in particular shed a whole new different and unpleasant light on the situation. From the very beginning, we see her manipulated by just about everyone, something he would have never degraded Leia with. Imagine Grand Moff Tarkin actually tricking her into revealing where the Rebels are hiding? Didn't think so. And that wouldn't be nearly so bad as being tricked into, albeit in a backhanded way, helping boost Palps into power. I think she's more interesting weepy and preggers too, maybe just because it forces Nat to DO SOMETHING FOR F**KS SAKE! We saw how important he thought both she and Mon were when he chopped both of them considerably (Ms. Mothma completely!) out of RotS. And I quite agree on the female Jedi front as well; I can onyl hope, with the new tv series featuring lesser canon characters between the times of the PT and OT that maybe one of them what didn't get to be Clone fodder becomes a star (neither Barriss nor Luminara, my two faves, got mowed down on screen).
Sometimes I think that Leia in large part kicks as much ass as she does with extensive help from Carrie's take no prisoners performance and Kersh's ESB direction (for which I am eternally grateful to him for changing the Bespin 'You should dress like a girl more often' scene. Ew.).
As for the EU, well, that's just hopeless but that's not Lucas' fault; it's basically been confirmed time and again he has no clue what's going on in the books which is probably just as well 'cause the more continuity mistakes they make, the easier it is to dismiss it. Mara started strongly but became a SHREW (with Luke knuckling under and offering to join the Empire just 'cuase she missed, y'know, being able to kill people for no reason and having so much power) and Jaina, blech. The others are barely worth mentioning (except Shada. Shada rules and is so underused it makes my head fall off!) though I must say, prequel-era EU is definitely where it's at, if one is reading. Shatterpoint: Best EU ever.
And I can't help but feel that a lot of the OT EU female characterization is mostly done to put Leia down (Han had another love of his life, Leia was rebound girl; Jaina constantly puts her mother down; Mara is soo much more powerful and wise than any Jedi, including the males like Yoda or Ben). Just hopeless, I tells ya! :-/
Peace, Ghani
no subject
Date: 2005-10-31 01:44 am (UTC)After seeing it, I wasn't that fond of the Message, myself. You're right, probably the weakest of the bunch. Tho that guy who played Tracy looked awfully familiar. Had he been on Buffy or Angel at some point? Like Star Trek casting, Joss Wheden seems to recycle his actors!
Han had another love of his life, Leia was rebound girl; Jaina constantly puts her mother down; Mara is soo much more powerful and wise than any Jedi, including the males like Yoda or Ben). Just hopeless, I tells ya! :-/
Woo, someone who agrees with me! ;) I guess I couldn't quite decide what about Jaina was driving me nuts, but the putting down of her mom probably added to that. Overall I thought she was a lot of whiny/bitchy. And to be fair to Mara, I think a lot of the writers tended to use Mara wrongly. I think she was good in some books and not so good in others, depending on who was writing her.
And to be fair to Padme fans, I also wonder if part of my problem with Padme is that Natalie Portman looks like a 12-year-old boy. She's so young! Pretty, but so skinny and YOUNG. And even when holding a blaster, it was never steady; no decisive movements. She looked weak. Leia was always someone I could relate to, from childhood on, because though young herself she never looked or acted like a little girl who was out of her element (as you say, thanks to Carrie Fisher!).
I've heard good things from others about Shatterpoint as well. I guess I'll just have to check it out! And after writing Mace I'm more interested in him. :)
no subject
Date: 2005-11-02 08:25 pm (UTC)Yup, he calls 'em his "hat tricks", those actors who have done all three of his shows. Tracy is one; dunno what he was on Angel, but on Buffy, he played the vampire Buff spills her guts to in season 7's Conversations with Dead People. To me, the problem with The Message is that the strength of the show lies with its main characters and focusing so much on a guest character, it didn't do it for me. Nandi in Heart of Gold was more, I dunno, interactive.
Woo, someone who agrees with me! ;) I guess I couldn't quite decide what about Jaina was driving me nuts, but the putting down of her mom probably added to that. Overall I thought she was a lot of whiny/bitchy.
Whooo hooo, someone who agrees with me! LOL! Yeah, she's a frakin' pain in the ass. I remember author Elaine Cunningham saying that she didn't "get her," didn't understand why, when she should be so much like her mother, she turned out to be a brat. Unfortunately, her book did nothing to remedy the situation. As a matter of fact, the NJO kind of killed a lot of good characters who had a lot of potential. I don't much care for the male characters either, the other Solo children.
And to be fair to Mara, I think a lot of the writers tended to use Mara wrongly. I think she was good in some books and not so good in others, depending on who was writing her.
Very true. It also depends on NJO or not. She's unfortunately become quite the authors' Mary Sue (I'm lookin' at you, Tyers!) and, IMO, has broken down the relationships Luke should be having with Leia and Han. It seems that the authors by and large are more comfortable with the "original" characters and focus waaay too heavily on them instead of the OT3.
And to be fair to Padme fans, I also wonder if part of my problem with Padme is that Natalie Portman looks like a 12-year-old boy. She's so young! Pretty, but so skinny and YOUNG. And even when holding a blaster, it was never steady; no decisive movements. She looked weak.
And, alas, the acting doesn't help. Okay, Anakin just confessed his soul to you, that he committed genocide because of an uncomtrolled temper and you look at him like he's done a mildly noxious fart?! C'mon! She's wooden and it's not just the dialogue because Hayden's trying his damned hardest and, for the most part, succeeding!
I know I'm about the only fan out there, but I think Keira would have done so much better, even looking younger as she does, because she has life, she has vitality. The other choice would have been to replace her; I know
Padme does also suffer from Lucas rather throwing her aside. Chopping the scenes about the beginnings of the Rebellion... Not only were those scenes I personally felt were important to the saga as a whole but they made some of Padme's actions a little more understandable and gave her something to do. When she's not the Queen, if you think about it, all she really has to do is make doe-eyes at Ani; not exactly the greatest role to work with but I can see why people love her because what is there is strong despite spotty acting.
Leia was always someone I could relate to, from childhood on, because though young herself she never looked or acted like a little girl who was out of her element (as you say, thanks to Carrie Fisher!).
Most definitely!
I've heard good things from others about Shatterpoint as well. I guess I'll just have to check it out! And after writing Mace I'm more interested in him. :)
It really is pretty fantastic. I like PT EU better on the whole; The Approaching Storm is noteworthy too, and I did like the MedStar duology, and not just cos I pictured Jos as Jamie Bamber... ;-)
Peace, Ghani