Oi S was River going, remember how I was a genius before I went crazy? Still am. And crazy.
For me, worst part of the cancellation was that that was the only time River got to be crazy AND genius.
Why should people be carrying lasers? There's a reason why in universe (they're gimmicky pieces of shit which don't work so well and have limited battery life) but should there even have to be? We've got robots and submarines and spaceships right now, why don't we have laser pistols?
Technological development is all arbitrary, after all. It's just an aesthetic, equally as arbitrary as Star Wars Just roll with it.
This post has been powered by avenging fury and a balanced diet.Nah, I'll catch myself this time.
There are a lot of high tech elements to the universe (like the holographic window in the bar that they're chucked out of/through) but they're implemented very patchily. That's probably because they're on the outer rim of the galaxy, where there's less regulation, and distribution is difficult. Some amount of high technology has filtered out there, like the laser pistols, but it's all very expensive or gimmicky stuff, so it's not in wide distribution.
The inner worlds have a greater proliferation of high tech objects, including floating ambulances, computers, and futuristic lighting schemes! Go purple lights!
This post has been powered by avenging fury and a balanced diet.Lasers are also expensive. Out on the frontier, only the richest people have them.
Fresh-eyed movie blogYou get your tactical nukes when you can show me someone on the rim who can afford tactical nukes.
Fresh-eyed movie blogNitpick: The Firefly 'Verse is five star systems (four orbiting a fifth)
, not a galaxy.
The reason for the inconsistent technology is thus:
The core planets around White Sun were the most habitable and settled first. They received all the benefits of the technology brought with humanity from Earth. Using terraforming and gravity control, planets and moons further out (the "Border" and "Rim") were made habitable, but the settlers were frequently dumped there with very low-tech supplies - horses, cattle, hand tools, etc. Why this was isn't fully addressed: it's implied to have been deliberate or malicious, but it's possible that they chose the low tech option because they were lower class citizens who couldn't afford better but wanted a new start elsewhere. We only have Mal's point of view and vague statements about it, and he's very biased.
So, the border and rim worlds had only low tech manufacturing available for tools and weapons except to the very wealthy who could import better. Guns like those seen in the series are relatively easy to manufacture, even without modern tech, are fairly effective at making people dead, and usually don't have enough of a punch to puncture a hull (very important if you live on a spaceship, particularly one involved in quasilegal or outright illegal operations). Thus the explanation for the guns.
It's worth noting that while the guns look similar, the technology isn't really the same as modern and pre-modern guns. They use caseless ammo and a chemical propulsion system, explaining the noises they make when cocked, and many have a larger capacity or rate of fire than the gun they are modeled on.
edited 16th Dec '11 11:52:25 AM by ccoa
Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.Most hollywood guns have a larger capacity, faster rate of fire, and louder report though.
Fresh-eyed movie blogThere's also the issue that just because something looks like something old doesn't mean it is something old. In fact, there's about half a dozen tropes for the phenomenon.
I personally go with the explanation that Mal's revolver is a revolver because revolvers are easy as shit to load, disassemble, clean, etc, and rarely jam. A good revolver will never let you down.
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-Doylist versus Watsonian, et cetera.
I'm a hardcore Watsonian.
edited 18th Dec '11 8:47:44 PM by Exelixi
Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-

Yes, but really the most interesting part of it was the villain, not the focus on the (ymmv) worst character in the ensemble.
Am I a good man or a bad man?