I'm not sure if River needed to be stripped back more, but I think they could have done away with Mr. Universe and expanded Book's part more. Imagine if instead of having Book already be off the ship, at the beginning they dropped him at his mission and, somehow, found some kind of abandoned (possibly Alliance) signal complex, either in space or on the missionary world, which Book "mysteriously" understands the workings of. They could even have included the first visit that happened in the movie, and thus given Book a bit more time/backstory, plus he could also be a window into Mal. His death could have had more meaning (which did ping me as gratuitous/cliched), and we could have done without the plot device that was Mr. U's only reason for being.
I had no issue with Wash's death, though it did make me sad. It totally made it "all bets are off" for me on who was going to make it. Plus, once I learned about the meta reasons for who died, I couldn't unknow them.
I think they could have done away with Mr. Universe
I think they needed Mr. Universe to be Mr. Exposition, plus at the end they needed a way to not stop the signal to all the worlds....
There were meta reasons?
Ron Glass and Alan Tudyk would only agree to do one movie (which is why they were the last to be signed).
I don't think it's back peddling, so much as the River story wasn't the intention, as far as I understand. I did a quick Google on that term and I wasn't wrong: [link]
PS: Ron is signed for 3 movies. Until later this year when the contracts expire.
I think they needed Mr. Universe to be Mr. Exposition, plus at the end they needed a way to not stop the signal to all the worlds....
Right, and I think Book (with his...ahem...past as an operative) and a derelict signal device could have accomplished the same goal without bringing in "character we've never heard of before".
Right, and I think Book (with his...ahem...past as an operative) and a derelict signal device could have accomplished the same goal without bringing in "character we've never heard of before".
Oh, good point.
Except then we'd have no Lovebot....
Ron Glass and Alan Tudyk would only agree to do one movie (which is why they were the last to be signed).
Well, that's sad. And kind of lame.
For me, Mal was the Buffy of Firefly-- sort of the male equivalent of the "unexpected hero", while River was sort of the Drusilla. In Serenity, River was Buffy and Mal was, sort of, Angel-- the "if you can't do any good, then all you can do is good hero"
