It really annoys me that they try to force me into creating an account. I guess I shouldn't complain about it, but I would be buying this if they would just let me order it.

embers | November 16, 01:45 CET

"Engineered by Firefly" would make a great metal plaque or belt buckle.

Zoic_Fan | November 16, 07:32 CET

and how much is the cheapest option to post a sticker to the UK?....$30!!!!!!!!! Madness!

cdm22 | November 16, 14:28 CET

I've seen QMx items end up in my local comic book store here in the UK, so you might want to enquire at yours. It would be cheaper.

Simon | November 16, 14:38 CET

What no Alliance love ? I'm holding out for

"Honk if you love totalitarianism !" and "How's my pseudo-fascistic dictatorship ?"

Saje | November 16, 14:56 CET

Saje, I never thought that the Alliance was supposed to be fascist/totalitarian/dictatorship , I believed it was supposed to be much like Star Trek's Federation (where everyone has to be clean and honest and perfect, no room for those who want to live on the edge). They think they are the good guys and those who want to opt out are 'wrong'.

embers | November 16, 16:25 CET

Although one wouldn't expect the Federation to inflict the PAX on its own population. Section 31 maybe. But, yeah, it was never supposed to be the Empire. It was supposed to just be another facet of us.

[ edited by The One True b!X on 2010-11-16 16:51 ]

The One True b!X | November 16, 16:51 CET

Sure but "Honk if you love just another facet of humanity !" would make a crap bumper sticker ;).

I agree with you both though, the reason the Alliance are a cautionary tale rather than a pantomime villain is that the road to Miranda was paved with good intentions. To me there's a sense in which it really is just a difference of degree between e.g. compulsory primary education and the PAX. Both are intended to make folk better, s'all about lines and where you draw 'em.

(the Federation's form of control was, if anything, more insidious in that - leaving Section 31 aside - it's social fascism of the first water. Barclay wasn't allowed his neuroses for instance, he had to be cured. Anybody ever see any goths or punks or their 24th century equivalents on the show ? Or even just genuine eccentrics presented in a favourable light ? Me neither. Conformity was clearly emphasised in the Federation but unlike in Serenifly, everyone thought that was just fine)

Saje | November 16, 17:24 CET

Yeah, but technically Reg Barclay's neuroses were detrimental to his ability to work as a member of a ship's engineering crew. He had an addiction to the Holodeck, stemming from certain psychological issues preventing him from interacting with his fellow crew and society in general properly.

Personally, I agree that the various series did seem to show people acting odd in less than perfect lights, but I dunno if the Federation would squash the eccentric...

BlueEyedBrigadier | November 16, 18:05 CET

And yet we don't see any eccentric people (that I can remember) who're also fully functioning, productive members of society. The closest they come is with depictions of the very old (like McCoy in the pilot or to some extent Scotty in 'Relics') who seem to have earned the right to be different/ornery by virtue of still not being dead. As I say, they don't actively squash anything but the whole environment seems set up so that, much like e.g. picking your nose in public for us, being unusual is discouraged.

And fair enough about the holodeck (what struck me most about that is that it's probably how most - 21st century - people would use a holodeck i.e. for guilt-free sexual/revenge fantasies ;) but what about transporters ? McCoy can rant about them being the same as suicide and it's a foible, Barclay has a fear of them and it's a psychiatric disorder.

(just to be clear BTW, I love Next Gen and DS9 and thought Enterprise and even Voyager - my least favourite Trek series - had moments)

Saje | November 16, 18:19 CET

Shouldn't it be "Engineered by Kaylee" rather than "Firefly"? Unless the class of ship is actually sentient after all.

As for Saje's bumper sticker suggestions, my first assumption would be that it was referring to current real-world political issues.

As for the discussion, I think the Alliance was meant to be at least theoretically well-intentioned. Inara had been an Alliance supporter during the war, and she doesn't seem like a crypto-fascist. Simon and River would probably still be Alliance supporters if River hadn't been sent to special school. Unless you've got reason to dig into how the Alliance does its dirty work, they seem like regular government, supported by big business. They're not wiping out whole classes of people or demanding loyalty oaths. Former Browncoats are allowed to go about their business after the war. The Alliance does horrible things, but it's not overtly fascist.

Shapenew | November 16, 18:31 CET

Shouldn't it be "Engineered by Kaylee" rather than "Firefly"? Unless the class of ship is actually sentient after all.

Not if the premise is that the class was produced by Firefly Coach Works, Ltd., which is what it says.

The One True b!X | November 16, 18:41 CET

We hardly ever saw civilians in Star Trek so a comparison is not easy. I'd like to think the civilian life in the Star Trek universe might be very interesting and fun, much more than being an officer.

will.bueche | November 16, 18:57 CET

Kamala, the Metamorph, was FAR from "ordinary". I'd go so far as to say she was extraordinary.

Willowy | November 16, 22:24 CET

True but then she also wasn't from the Federation and anyway, that's a different sort of unusual Willowy i.e. she wasn't strange in any way (beyond her physiology), didn't have emotional or character based quirks or eccentricities.

Saje | November 17, 08:33 CET