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Jane Espenson is the only person to have written for both Firefly and Battlestar Galactica, the two best TV space operas of the past decade. She wrote Firefly's "Shindig" and at least three episodes so far for BSG. Back when Battlestar first launched, many people felt it was trying to copy the grittier look and handheld camera action of Firefly, so we decided to ask Espenson what she thought. Find out what she thinks the differences between the shows are — and how Cylons share memories — in our spoiler-free interview.
What was it like being the only Firefly writer to come over to BSG? Did you get a sense that BSG was trying to imitate some of Firefly's more revolutionary elements, like the grittier, less heroic tone?
I don't think Firefly influenced BSG. BSG was being developed shortly after Firefly was, and I'm under the impression that Ron would've been too busy coming up with Battlestar to be watching Firefly.
What do you think the differences between the two shows are?
Certainly the shows *feel* entirely different to me. Firefly was more episodic, while BSG is one long novel. Firefly laughed openly, while BSG's humor is so black it can be hard to see against a dark background. Both shows reflect the souls of their creators and not each other. I know I never think about Firefly when we're working on Battlestar. Does evolution think about a deer while it's making a llama? (No. It doesn't. They're equal, similar, and also different.)
How are the writing rooms on the two shows similar, or different?
I never worked in a writers' room at Firefly. Maybe there was one, but I worked on the story for Shindig one-on-one with Joss. BSG, though, is all about a very lively room that is guided by Ron, although not always in person. The writers at Battlestar, to a man, are amazing. They're smart, funny, and incredibly devoted to making a challenging and intelligent show.
You came onto BSG with its third season. Is it challenging to take on established characters who've been around for a while, and try to come up with something new to do with them?
That's at the heart of a TV writer's job. Even on a new show, the creator will have established the characters in the pilot and the writers have to build on what's already there. In fact, my favorite part of the job is matching a pre-existing voice. And "finding something new to do with them" can be easy when you're dealing with a world as dense in past conflict and grounded disagreements and desperate alliances as Battlestar is... throw a new situation at these characters and you'll have something new and electric to write about.
Is it true that Ron Moore wrote a Cylon Bible, which tells about their culture and what life on a Basestar is like?
There is, indeed, something like a Cylon bible — a document that describes their culture and their ships. There is also a similar document about life on Galactica. I was given these when I was hired and I can vouch that they're fascinating!
Can you share anything non-spoilery from either of these? Like, how do the different Sharons share so many memories? When we first meet the Athena version of Sharon, she knows a lot of stuff that the Boomer version knows somehow, despite one of them being on Caprica and the other being on Galactica.
Not all Eights know everything the other Eights know. But during a download, memories are stored and can be accessed by a curious Cylon who knows how. Different models may differ on how widely memories are shared between different incarnations of the same model.
Comments
I'll definitely agree that Friefly and BSG are two of the best space operas, but you gotta give Farscape some love, man. I mean Firefly was only 13 episodes. Yes they were extremely strong, but they weren't perfect. BSG is without a doubt the strongest and most consistent of the three, but these three shows represented a change in the sort of storytelling one could do in sci-fi tv, you can't discuss one without the other two, or two without the other one.
As a Browncoat I give Farscape much love. I've been planning to re-watch all of it.
I always thought that the reason you had similar "hand held camera" scenes in both shows was that they used the same special effects company.
(I'm sure many know about the scene in the first episode when you see Serenity outside Roslyn's doctor's office)
Next to Farscape, all other SciFi shows are weak!
...with the exception of BSG. I'd add Firefly, but Serenity retroactively turned it to crap.
I want to get my hands on the Cylon Bible. Maybe after the show ends they'll release it, or it will "somehow" get leaked to the internets?
Man...I love Firefly and they're showing both of these shows on Universal HD...w00t!
This was a great interview though. I love her description about the shows reflecting the souls of their creators.
The insight about the Cylons transferring of memories is something I've always wondered about to.
@Belial: I am dying (and striving) to get my hands on a copy. I'm sure one way or the other it'll see the light of day eventually.
I agree Farscape was better than Firefly, but then again Firefly never got the chance Farscape did (and even then we all know how that turned out).
I'd sure like to see that Cylon Bible, maybe when the series has finished.
@loserface: Thank you, what is this "two best" bullshit? Only if Farscape was a figment of my imagination is Firefly not a distant number three.
"They're smart, funny, and incredibly devoted to making a challenging and intelligent show."
I guess they were napping when they wrote that episode where they couldn't find water, then...
-Kle.
The "handheld" camcorder shots are a look/feel thing that BSG and Firefly have in common. But there are other elements of their world building that are parallel. The thing that comes to mind first is use of lanuguage - swearing is slipped by the censors on both shows by using different languages. For BSG's "frack" we have Firefly's "gor'ram" (sort of a piraty "god-damn"). Firefly also lets loose a slew of chinese swears which is a similar mechanism.
@El_Bandito: Agreed. I mean, I like Firefly a lot, but it never held a candle to my love of Farscape. Maybe if it had seasons that were 22 episodes long and ran for 4 years, had a similar pool of incredibly gifted actors and directors and writers and had the Henson Shop doing their effects, perhaps Firefly would be able to compete have the fullness and level of depth that Farscape had.
However, BSG is a close second to my love of Farscape. I ~might~ even allow someone in close proximity to say that BSG is better than Farscape without chopping their head off...
BSG also borrows some of Firefly's soundtrack. There's some obvious instances in "The Train Job" and "War Stories" of music shared between the two series.
@beelzebuddha: @El_Bandito: @Macloserboy (Who Is Finally On Facebook For You Bitches): Farscape is THE show that pushed me towards my career. Everything that I am is in some way defined by what I saw the night that show premiered. I've started rewatching the series as of Saturday (got my Starburst Editions out) and there is something pure and ultimately undefinable about that series that makes it nothing like anything else we'll ever see. And like Beelzebuddha, while I do love BSG--and will admit that it is overall the stronger and more consistent show--it's a close second to Farscape, because no matter what they do in BSG nothing will have the emotional impact of the D'Argo's death.
Very good interview, thanks!
I've always found it curious (and, I have to admit, just a tad annoying) how, in the view of the majority of the SF audience, Firefly replaced Farscape as the show that brought edginess and believable characters to SF TV, and how the Save Firefly campaign replaced the Save Farscape campaign as the most amazing fan campaign since the Save Star Trek campaign, all in a matter of months. I mean, I like Firefly a lot, but it really didn't break any new ground that hadn't already been broken by Farscape...
Still - it's not worth getting worked up about this, really. We won't ever be able to change public perception of this, so let's just be happy with being fans of the cool, half-forgotten, underground-y thing instead of (or, as the case may be, in addition to) the also cool, but by now kind of almost-mainstream-y thing. ;-)
Those that were actually there at the time know that without the scapers, the Firefly fandom would have got nothing and would have done nothing. We got huge amounts of assistance from scapers who had been there and done that. There are not many of us still around from 2002, but we do remember and are grateful.
@loserface:
I second what LF said all the way back at the top. That is all.
@Belabras: Ditto
@loserface: Your career is as an alien???
Yes, Farscape was by far an incredible show, up there with The Prisoner. I will always adore my triumvirate of Firefly, Farscape, and The Prisoner. And Carnivale, which never got a chance to get to a goddamned third season, fucking rotten HBO bastards. "The story was told by the last episode of season 2." Yeah right, ass.
Comment on Jane Espenson Talks About Writing for Firefly and Battlestar -- and Gives a Little Secret Cylon Backstory Meh. Farscape, despite it's longer running time ultimately has(d) less possible appeal than Firefly did. It's obvious that many of you disagree, but for me, Firefly is possibly the best space style sci-fi series with the potential to be even better yet. I agree though with the comment about Serenity degrading the series, I didn't enjoy the movie near as much as I did the series, however others certainly did.
@Macloserboy (Who Is Finally On Facebook For You Bitches): I will give up my morning bacon if you have seen an episode of Firefly.
Comment on Jane Espenson Talks About Writing for Firefly and Battlestar -- and Gives a Little Secret Cylon Backstory I love how people including this interviewer assume that Firefly's effects were started by Firefly and then taken for BSG. The reason I love it is because it's WRONG! Space: Above and Beyond had those effects long before Firefly. Oh and to the first poster Firefly is NOT A SPACE OPERA!
@loserface: Yeah, I don't think any television character death hit me like D'Argo's. I just finished re-watching Farscape Season 1 on DVD (and commentary)... wow, such an amazing show. So what career did Farscape push you to, loserface?
@Hmpf: Thank you! I had a LOT of resentment towards Firefly when it first came out. I perceived it as a Farscape wanna-be show and was trying to steal Farscape's thunder -- similar elements of running from the law, a tight and small crew, a ship everyone felt bonded through...
That said, I broke down and rented the Firefly DVDs from Netflix and found myself, despite the similarities to Farscape, found myself really liking the show. It's no Farscape, but it's a really great show...
@darcymcgee: Yes.
@beelzebuddha: Film/TV writing and production.
According to this SciFi.com news item, Jane's supposition that Ron Moore was too busy developing BSG to watch Firefly is wrong. For those who don't feel like clicking over to the link, the upshot is that Loni Peristere, the head of the special effects studio Zoic, was approached by Ron Moore and Gary Hutzel, the FX supervisor for BSG and asked to use the same "handheld" effects for their show as he had done for Firefly.
Outside of the visuals, though... I think Battlestar owes a lot more to Space: Above and Beyond and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (a show Ronald Moore wrote for from 1994-1999) than Firefly or Farscape. Personally, I am not interested in ranking BSG against Firefly or Farscape; I love them all in their different ways. In fact, it gave me a weird feeling when I heard that Joss Whedon was interested in writing an episode of BSG's 4th season. I don't know if I am disappointed or glad that he'll probably be too caught up in his new show Dollhouse to manage it.
@loserface: Dude! What's THAT gig pay, 'cause I'm looking for a change from this I.T. stuff I've been doing for a while!
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