Wrt : East/West, and why I'm hesitant to post. There's this essay I'd like to write, titled "Might have been the winning side, still not convinced it was the wrong one". But I daren't, because it's really politics. More government/less government - or, even more overtly, socialism/libertarianism. And not my politics. I'm vaguely to the left of the NZ political spectrum, which I suspect makes me a rabid socialist by Fox TV standards.
I'm also entirely jossed by the movie - in which the Alliance government is shown to be acting in entirely bad faith. But going on only Firefly canon there's a fair case to be made that the Alliance is acting in good faith - trying to bring the benefits of civilisation to the settlers on the rim.
So in StP, we meet the Alliance as a scary huge military-type organisation - but they unhesitatingly abandon a sure collar to respond to a distress signal* "Let's go help those people".
Or in The Train Job (pilot take 2), the Alliance is sending wildly expensive drugs to a rim population which manifestly can't afford them, while the bad guys - Niska and our heroes - try to steal them for profit.
So, anyway. East - settled, orderly, rule of law, for the greater good, less autonomy the trade for more security, crowded, sheep-farmers. West - independent, freedom, survival of the fittest, every man for himself, the right to bear and use arms, open skies, cattle-ranchers.
Sorry - messy, disorganised thoughts!
*tangential thought - which establishes the moral ambiguity of the series so perfectly. Because faking a distress call is So Not Acceptable, and our "heroes" are doing it for the sixth time.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: P.S.
Date: 2007-04-18 04:22 am (UTC)I'm also entirely jossed by the movie - in which the Alliance government is shown to be acting in entirely bad faith. But going on only Firefly canon there's a fair case to be made that the Alliance is acting in good faith - trying to bring the benefits of civilisation to the settlers on the rim.
So in StP, we meet the Alliance as a scary huge military-type organisation - but they unhesitatingly abandon a sure collar to respond to a distress signal* "Let's go help those people".
Or in The Train Job (pilot take 2), the Alliance is sending wildly expensive drugs to a rim population which manifestly can't afford them, while the bad guys - Niska and our heroes - try to steal them for profit.
So, anyway. East - settled, orderly, rule of law, for the greater good, less autonomy the trade for more security, crowded, sheep-farmers. West - independent, freedom, survival of the fittest, every man for himself, the right to bear and use arms, open skies, cattle-ranchers.
Sorry - messy, disorganised thoughts!
*tangential thought - which establishes the moral ambiguity of the series so perfectly. Because faking a distress call is So Not Acceptable, and our "heroes" are doing it for the sixth time.