I won't be discussing anything not in the trailer, though. Well, maybe one thing, sort of, which isn't explicitly stated, which is that that scary zombie dude is apparently a Reaver (or maybe one of their victims), and that other Reavers are in the film as well.
So, OK. I loaned out my Firefly DVDs to a friend at work, and I've been thinking about episodes I particularly like. "Ariel," for instance. But even though I think the creepy blue-handed guys are cool, their actions bug me a little. Or a lot. Like, what's the point of their messy murder spree, other than to impress the viewer with how messily they murder? But I was willing to swallow it as another example of how organizations are always dumb and corrupt in a Joss Whedon show.
But maybe there was a reason they killed those police officers, beyond general nastiness and secret-keeping? It struck me as odd the emphasis they put on "did you speak with her?"
Consider: we're told that Reaverness is somehow mentally infectious. Well, OK. Lots of real people see incredibly horrible things without becoming ravenous killers themselves, but sure. But we know that some degree of freaky mental powers are real, in the 'verse. What if crazy Reaver syndrome is something you actually can catch?
Like, I'm thinking, since the movie seems to be about River and the Reavers in parallel, that the two plots might have something in common. Perhaps River is a potential vector for some bad psychic illness, and the cops were killed as part of a harsh quarantine program.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
If that were the case then surely Mal and his wacky friends would have gone all bread baskets long before now. Ariel is defiantly my favourite ep and I always assumed that the reason the guards were killed was a precaution against River saying something that might compromise whatever they're up to. As to the messyness, it can (officially) be put down as the actions of the fugitives during their escape.
As for the blue sun operatives themselves, anyone else get a not-quite-human vibe from them?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I didn't say River was a carrier, just that she has the potential to be such, in the scenerio. I'm just spinning out speculation here, but we do know that weird mental juju exists within the story, that the Reaver meme is contagious, and that she and they play some sizable role in the film. There might prove to be some connection between them, is all.
My problem with "kill whoever captures her" as a standard policy: If it was simply a matter of secrecy, why put out a public warrant? And, I mean, how long are the cops going to work for folks who intend to kill them if they're successful at their job?
Of course, again, taking into consideration how groups such as the Watchers' Council or the Initiative treated their employees, it's certainly possible that this particular group was meant to be suicidally incompetent too.
Also, this is a recurring theme in Whedon's stuff that sure bugs me.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Do we know for sure that the Reaver play a big role in the movie? I know one of them shows up on Serenity, which likely means that they encounter a Reaver ship at some point. So I know they're around, but are they going to be a *huge* part of the plot?
The viciousness of the Blue Hand's killing did have a real "sterilization" feel to it. It wasn't good enough to kill them, they had to do something awful to them to make sure nobody got anything from them... or something. Or maybe their method of killing left absolutely no traces and therefore could never be traced back to anyone. Other than the fact that there was probably some record of their arrival.
I had never thought about the Blue Hand's not being human since the show has pretty much said their are no aliens, but I suppose it's possible. Maybe the entire Blue Sun Corporation is an alien infiltration strategy.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
It did say specifically in the show that there were no aliens. Of course, this was when they were at the Barnum-esque side show in one of the unaired episodes.
B.J.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Right. The upside down cow fetus was supposed to be an alien. Shocking because "they've always told you we're alone," or something. So at least the general belief is that there is no non-earth-that-was-based life.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Hmm, I also got that "not-quite-Human" vibe from the Blue Hand Group (as I like to call them), though I never really quantified it as them being possible aliens. The idea of some sort of alien infiltration sounds like an interesting potential storyline -- and would also (perhaps, in some weird way) also explain the Reavers.
Concerning the events of "Ariel", those two were obviously not concerned with just simple knowledge of River and Simon being fugitives. Even the people who captured them weren't necessarily an apparent danger -- until the BHG realized that the policemen had actually spoken to River. (Go figure.) Anyway, I figure that it's probably some sort of concern regarding specific knowledge that River might carry, or that she might (through her crazy ramblings) cause those who captured her to wonder just why the BHG were so interested in a crazy little girl.
At any rate, hopefully Serenity will explain at least most of this. Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Something else to consider about the BHG: if they are just normal humans, how come the funky device thing doesn't affect them? They could be altered in some way or they just have a filter installed in their brains a la sunglasses from MIB.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I got the impression that the device was directional - they had to *point* it at their victims.
B.J.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
The first time they used the device (IIRC), the one guy just opened it and all the cops in the room started bleeding. The one he was pointing at first, but then everyone else too. Or did we just hear the screams from outside the door? You'd think if it only worked on one person at a time, someone else would try to tackle the guy once he realized what was going on.
I will from here on refer to "the device" as The Brain Melter. I think it sounds cool.
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
I like that! The Brain Melting Device has a great sound to it. It also describes what i felt they were trying to convey in the episode w/the folks screaming as the area around their eyes, ears and noses hemorrhage. Pretty horrifying.
quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: Right. The upside down cow fetus was supposed to be an alien. Shocking because "they've always told you we're alone," or something. So at least the general belief is that there is no non-earth-that-was-based life.
Joss Whedon said early on that there won't be any alien life forms in the movie. I want to say he was specifically talking about sentient life forms, but don't recall the exact quote and am too damned lazy to do any reserach on the issue.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
IIRC, their fingernails were also bleeding. Though that could've just been spillover from their face that got on their hands as they... convulsed.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
No, that guy's fingertips were bleeding on their own. The victims were bleeding from every porous membrane. (Which is why I think we ought to nickname it, if nickname it we must, the Ebola Ray.)
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:I had never thought about the Blue Hand's not being human since the show has pretty much said their are no aliens, but I suppose it's possible. Maybe the entire Blue Sun Corporation is an alien infiltration strategy.
Well they could be aliens (ala Dark City) but my thought was that they weren't quite human. As in they've evolved/mutated/engineered themselves to be something else, at least mentally. I suppose you could say it would be similar the the Guild Navigators from Dune, in that they think in strange directions (just without the zero-g adapted fishman bodies.) If this is the case, it may shed some light on what they were doing to River. Perhaps they were "recruiting" her? It just so happens that she was smuggled out (they never did specify who did that) before they were through re-formating her mind, or whatever it was they were doing.
As for the Sonic Bleed'o'Matic weapon the bluehands were using, I got the distict impression that they were being pointed rather deliberatly. As for how all the guards in the room were effected, I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure all the guards were infront of the device, which would mean it has a definate "dangerous end", possibly projecting a cone of...whatever it was that liquidated their insides.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
I don't think the Ebola Ray (I'd prefer that name, myself) was directional. Obviously we have no idea exactly how it works, but based on the sound effect, I'd guess that sound waves seemed to have at least something to do with it. Also, I seem to recall seeing someone working behind the Blue Hand Group at some console against the wall...
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Well then perhaps they were wearing ear plugs. On the other hand it might support the alien theory, if indeed their bodies have a different molecular structure, then I suppose it's plausible that their cells "liquify" at a different frequency.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I really, really don't think they're aliens. As to whether their genome is off the shelf, as it were, or a custom job, well, how are we to say?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Ooooh. I like "The Bleed o'Matic".
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:I really, really don't think they're aliens. As to whether their genome is off the shelf, as it were, or a custom job, well, how are we to say?
Me either. Somehow an "Alien Infiltration Plot" would seam like a cheat on a show like Firefly. Humans are clearly enough of a threat on their own.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
To follow up on this, I'm currently watching "Ariel" on DVD, and I took a moment to pause the playback at a couple of spots to try and check out the layout of the security station. It seems that the Blue Hand Group was standing in a sort of "foyer" area, talking to the head Agent Cop Guy over a sort of counter. Based on the way the Agent and the other security guys were looking, I think it looks like all of the security people were standing in front of the Blue Hand Group. Therefore, it's possible that the Ebola Ray is actually directional.
However, because of the high-pitched whine-type sound the little Magic Wand was emitting, I still personally think it was omnidirectional, because the way it was used -- taking down everyone in the room at once -- implies it's designed as a mass-murder, "clean-up" type device ("cleaning up" in the sense of making sure no trace of River, or information about her, is left behind -- it's probably the messiest "clean-up" device ever conceived!).
Therefore, such a device would be infinitely more useful if it were omnidirectional, so that everyone in range (which is probably immediate earshot, roughly speaking) would be taken down at once. Otherwise, there's a chance that someone unaffected could sneak up behind the wielders and attack them. (And the Blue Hand Group seems like they're not really the sort for physical violence -- er, hand-to-hand combat, that is. But then, neither does River. )
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
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