Have you ever wondered how the worldwide network of Browncoats achieved the insurrmountable? How, after a little known FOX-TV program that aired only eight out-of-order episodes with little to no network promotion or advertising ended up being one of the biggest things to hit the fanbelt since the STAR TREK franchise?
Those and many more questions were answered this weekend at the San Francisco Wonder CON when Firefly/Serenity star Adam Baldwin (Jayne) hosted the film documentary entitled “Done the Impossible.”
The docu-film features, above all, the fan revolution that rose up out of the ashes of the cancelled show. Hollywood hadn’t seen anything on this level since the late 1960’s when the original STAR TREK series was cancelled by NBC. These fans, calling themselves Browncoats, started hitting FOX and anyone else in Hollywood who would listen, with petitions, rallies, phone-calls, FAX’s, and new Firefly/Browncoat website creations by the scores. One person who did take notice and listen was Firefly creator Joss Whedon. From that grassroots Browncoat revolution the movie Serenity was born.
The film features several of the actors, including Joss Whedon in interviews, in which they give all the credit to their Browncoat fans for making it happen.
Now, the entire documentary with some special features can be had by everyone on DVD at Done The Impossible.com.
So if the Browncoat campaign was unlike anything Hollywood had seen since the Star Trek campaign, what was the Save Farscape campaign? Who did all the things listed, got farscape in every Navy library in the country, etc. etc. And got an end to their show. Not a movie, I guess, but just as long as one.
I actually put the stop-watch to this one knowing that someone would bring up the Farscape campaign. I too was and continue to be an avid Farscape fan. I consider it one of the not only best scifi shows ever made, but one of the TOP 10 TV shows, period, ever made. But, the campaign to save Farscape, as momentus as it was does not in any way compare to that of STAR TREK (TOS) campaign or the Browncoat revolution to save Firefly. The biggest reason? (at least for the purposes of this story) – Farscape’s campaign only netted a TV (mini-series) movie to wrap things up. STAR TREK’s campaign got 10 follow-up movies with #11 in the works and 4 spin-off TV shows and 1 animated TV show. Firefly’s campaign netted fans a big-screen feature film with Whedon considering another to followup. Once the Save Farscape fan campaign gets results like that then, it will be ranked up there with the other two.
So then, the Farscape effort was/is certainly one of worthy mention but not in this particular story. (as I sit dodging hate email bullets from my fellow Farscape fans).
Cannot wait for the DVD of this doc!!
For the record, Farscape was my favorite Scifi show of all time until Firefly came out. I love them both!!
I have to agree with Shane. But for me Farscape took 4 or 5 episodes to grab a hold. Firefly took just 2. Now I own them all on DVD or they own me. I need more.