Yes, I know there were cattle in space. What I don't get is why people always get upset and "I don't like it!" and sneer at *horses* on a futuristic show because they can't wrap their minds around a "space western," but the whole cows in space thing just goes right by them. You never hear anybody sneering at cows in space.

Nilly, I love the whole anachronistic new plus old, rather than new vs. old juxtaposition in that shot, too. That's why I dearly loved The Train Job, and fell in love with Firefly because I saw that ep. first, even though there were some things that I kept tuning in to find out about.

I loved that whole western saloon--with belly dancers! And revolvers--with retrofitting! And window--but a holograph! And strong tough woman fighting toe to toe with bad guys, and not only landing effective punches, but taking them and not wailing because of a broken nail. And the language, "We've got some local color happening. A grand entrance would not go amiss." That mix of country-formal and Chinese and evolved vernacular, "Gimme the sticky."(as an example only--I know it's from another episode) And the backs to the precipice oh no! and then The Ship! Swoop, save, ha! Fell. in. love, right there and then.

Of course I grew up on tv westerns, and am far more familiar with and can imagine myself in, or relate to that milieu than many younger and more urbane tv watchers. I can't fault those without a solid tv western grounding for reference. But still. While I comprehend the lack of instant love, intellectually accept that it exists, I don't grok it. Because--this is what frontier living is like, on practically any frontier. "Make do, do without, use it up or do without." Repurpose, retrofit, scrabble. Such a foreign concept for most of the first world tv audience. So I suppose it's not surprising Firefly didn't catch on, and I know lots of people were actively repelled by the language, by the pieced-together look and feel of it, by the anachronisms.

And I still regret not buying that Pigs in Spaaaaace! lunchbox, lo these many years ago.

No, there were some cattle in space. . . remember?

But they weren't cows when they were in space.

Cows not in space. Cows in hold of ship in space. It's not like they were grazing on vacuum grass.

I always think "people who stampede the stock need shot."

From the shot there's no way to tell if they were stampeding the horses or just swooping down over a bunch of stampeding horses.

I guess I just assumed it was the latter, what with the swooping instead of straight line travel.

As Robert Heinlein pointed out, tractors don't reproduce. On a low-tech planet, you're better off with a draft animal that not only reproduces, but is fueled by an easily acquired and replaceable resource.

It's not like they were grazing on vacuum grass.

Cows - vacuum sealed for freshness.

Seal-a-meal them Hoover heifers.

Is there a ZipLoc bag big enough to hold a cow?

Freeze-dried cow - just add water.

I think that's called "soup", tommyrot.