The Flux Capacitor 5.03.08: Week 32 - Brynner, Browncoats and BraveStarr

Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 05.03.2008

The past, present and future of science fiction - this week we look at space westerns! Plus, all the latest from the world of SF.

Welcome to "The Flux Capacitor", the column that examines the past, present and future of the science fiction genre. I'm your host, Owain J. Brimfield, and each week I'll be taking a look at films, TV shows and a whole lot more that exemplify a particular theme within SF. We'll see how the sci-fi of yesteryear influenced what we see on our screens today, and take a look ahead to see what may be in store in the months and years to come. Later on I'll also discuss some of the latest SF news and see how it impacts on the genre. For now though, let's get the DeLorean on the road - this week's theme is:

SPACE WESTERNS

Ah, the Western. A humble movie genre, as quintessentially American as apple pie, baseball, or not knowing the correct pronunciation of 'aluminium' [oh, but I jest, you scourges of the IUPAC you]. I'll confess upfront to not being entirely conversant with the western genre in the realm of movieland, as there's always been something about it that screams "acquired taste". Sure, there are the classics like Unforgiven, the Leone films and the like, but as a whole westerns tend to be a bit too... well, American. Of course that's not a criticism, just an observation from a humble Englisher. However, there's no denying the impact that westerns have had in the film world, so why should it be any surprise that science fiction, that great opportunist of a genre, would seek to cross-breed with it? Hell, even Gene Roddenberry conceived of Star Trek as Wagon Train in space. Some have labeled the idea of a sci-fi/space western as inherently lazy, seeking only to re-work established ideas and storyworlds at the expense of creating something fresh, but I think that's unfair - you can rarely accuse good sci-fi writers and filmmakers of being lazy. Well, at least not intellectually, as I'm sure most of them are just as physically unmotivated as the rest of us geeks. Seriously, show me a buff geek and I'll show you a gnome riding a unicorn.

Perhaps the first serious example of a space western in sci-fi cinema is Michael Crichton's 1973 semi-classic Westworld. You know, for all the shite that Crichton has produced over the years (Looker, Runaway, The Terminal Man, although I suppose Runaway does at least get some points for Gene Simmons' awesome bad guy) it does sometimes bear remembering that the guy has also provided us with some seriously good material (viz. The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park and this). Westworld patently isn't a western in the traditional sense, nor does it make the same attempt to incorporate typical western themes (the dual threads of honor and sacrifice versus the harshness and inequality of the Old West) into the mix. It does, however, make the masterstroke of casting Yul Brynner, an actor who for certain segments of movie fans is inextricably linked to the western genre through The Magnificent Seven, in the role of a cowboy android. The Gunslinger, programmed to conduct old-school duels with paying guests to a high-tech theme park named Delos, breaks from its programming and begins stalking the movie's protagonist Martin throughout Westworld. The character is essentially representative of the western genre being turned on its head by its intertwining with science fiction. Seeing Brynner in his cowboy getup instantly evokes the classic feel of 1950s and 60s American old-west-style filmmaking - and that is promptly eradicated as soon as the Gunslinger's face is removed to reveal the inner workings of a killer android. Westworld was the first real indicator that space westerns had the potential to bring something entirely new to the plate.

Of course, as I'm sure all of you will know, the most prominent example of a space western in modern sci-fi is... Cowboy Bebop. Nah, I'm just joshing with you kids, it is of course Firefly. Not that Bebop wasn't enjoyable during its late-90s run, but let's be honest, the fanboys would kill me if I didn't talk about the crew of the Serenity and their various escapades. Much has been written about Joss Whedon's cultest-of-the-cult show, and much of that by better writers than me (there's also been a lot written by people who couldn't tell their Outer Limits from their Twilight Zone, but we'll leave the uninformed to stew in their own ignorance), so I'm not going to delve to deeply into the show's mythos. Suffice to say that yes, everyone wishes the show would be re-commissioned, or at the very least take the form of a Serenity 2, and that if you're an uncultured ignoramus like my friend Mantonia, you couldn't be further from the truth if you describe the show as "typical sci-fi, all effects and no characterization".

Whereas works like Westworld prided themselves on turning the idea of a western on its head by incorporating themes into a sci-fi setting, Firefly took the exact opposite tack, presenting a universe where frontier planets took on all the aspects and appearances of a post-Civil War US. While the center of Firefly's storyworld, the core worlds of the star system governed by the alliance, are for the most part indistinguishable from typical SF settings (with the exception, at least, of the roguish traders who inhabit them), the majority of Firefly's episodes see the crew take on missions in the outerlying rim worlds, planets that had only been terraformed to the bare minimum required for habitation, and as such resemble closely the dry, dusty deserts of the old west. Frankly, if there's any narrative device that's simultaneously more easily implemented and more successful at setting out a pioneer environment for sci-fi characters to inhabit, the world has yet to see it. It gives Firefly a hook that's instantly idiosyncratic and still manages to feel "real". A large part of the show's appeal (you know, apart from all the other awesomeness it exhibits) derives from the intriguing contrast between the characters and their environs, and the sci-fi elements that then leak into that model, and it's about as close to perfecting the space western sub-genre as it could possibly be.

So if Firefly had the whole space western thing nailed and down pat, where can it go from here? The western as a genre in itself, although one would think it would struggle in the modern world, does manage to change with the times and put out contemporary classics like The Proposition and The Assassination of Jesse James, so why can't the space western manage to do the same thing? It's going to have to take something special to topple Firefly from the top of the heap as the pre-eminent sci-fi westerner of our times... but I think I know what can be done, and if you recognize that little screen capture just up there, then I think you know too. And if I think I know what you think, then I think you're right.

Yes, it's time to delve into the locker of 1980s sci-fi cartoons, which always relinquishes a remarkable amount of quality shows when you really get in there and poke around, and we're of course thinking of BraveStarr. Although the show is perhaps not as fondly remembered as some of its contemporaries, due in part to some rather low-budget production values from Filmation (the studio behind Masters of the Universe, She-Ra and Ghostbusters), it's got a vast amount of potential in today's market. Following the exploits of Marshall BraveStarr and his trusty sidekick Thirty/Thirty as they seek to protect the planet of New Texas from the evil machinations of Tex Hex and his cronies, all the ingredients are there for a modern-day retooling. The show was surprisingly ahead of its time, with BraveStarr himself being a Native American in charge of a redneck town, and episodes tackling stories such as heroin abuse (I seem to recall a kid actually died from that in one episode, which is usually one of the cardinal sins in any form of media). The supporting cast of characters is fantastic too, with a kick-ass cybernetic horse acting as BraveStarr's compadre, and the Incredible Hulk's twin brother serving behind the local bar. The show has the potential to take the space western in a new, and entirely more fantastical direction. Admittedly, there was already a feature-length animated effort produced by Filmation themselves in (I think) 1989, but that seemed to fall flat on its face after the cancellation of the TV show. So why not bring it back, get Vin Diesel or Rudy Youngblood (you know, the guy from Apocalypto) in the title role, and unleash it on an unsuspecting public? The choice, dear film studio, is yours.


The Infosphere

A quiet week this one, with all eyes turned to the beginning of the summer movie season…

With Iron Man opening, director Jon Favreau is already thinking ahead to the future of the franchise: "I've got another two movies in my head and I'm ready to go and I know the cast feels the same way... If everybody comes out to see the movie and it's successful, then I'm sure Marvel's going to want to do another."

Of course it'll be successful, especially if early reviews are anything to go by. There's no reason this shouldn't be the instigator of an Iron Man trilogy and an eventual Avengers project, providing they can retain directors of Favreau's nous.

Producer Joel Silver recently spoke with IGN and said that both Wonder Woman and Logan's Run are stuck in development hell and won't happen anytime soon. He was especially pessimistic about Wonder Woman, but he did say that Logan's Run will definitely happen.

I think Wonder Woman is probably going to go the way of Justice League and be one of those projects that is constantly talked-up without ever actually happening. Logan's Run on the other hand should see the light of day if only because of Bryan Singer's involvement, but at least Silver is being candid for a change.

Jonah Hill is in talks to provide comic relief in Transformers 2. Hill would play Shia LaBoeuf's character's college roommate in the film.

As far as I'm concerned Hill is little more than a flavor of the month, but hey, it's not like he's going to make the film any more mediocre than the last Transformers effort.

Natasha Henstridge, James Cromwell and David James Elliott will star in Impact, a two-part SF disaster TV movie, about a dwarf star striking the moon and wreaking havoc on Earth. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

Disaster movie + sci-fi = awesome. Of course the concept has been done to death in the TV-movie format, but that doesn't mean this won't draw some decent ratings, and I'm always game for a good doomsday scenario.

As the TV networks prepare for scaled-back upfront presentations to advertisers in New York next month, Variety speculated on which SF&F series will make the fall schedule, including Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and J.J. Abrams' Fringe on Fox. Dollhouse, starring Whedon's former Buffy cast member Eliza Dushku, already has an episodic order, as does Fringe, which has a series commitment, the trade paper reported. Fox is also reportedly fond of the SF spoof comedy Boldly Going Nowhere, but a pilot won't be shot until long after the upfront. At ABC, David E. Kelley's reboot of the U.K. time-travel drama Life on Mars is a contender for a 2008-09 slot. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

I'm disappointed they won't just be showing the original British Life on Mars as it was a top quality series, but I suppose it is quintessentially English and would need to be retooled for a US flavor. Whedon and Abrams have already established themselves as two of the top names to watch, so anything they come out with will undoubtedly be high-profile even if it doesn't live up to the standards of their earlier work.


Oh, and although not strictly sci-fi, Guillermo Del Toro has been confirmed for two Hobbit movies, which is the right choice and will undoubtedly have a lot of people beginning to gird their loins in anticipation of the first movie.


And finally…

As always, reader feedback and suggestions are welcome, I respond to everything so just drop me a line or leave a comment. You can also check out my column "The Wonder Years" over at 411 Games. Next week in "The Flux Capacitor" - time to rock your body. Until then - keep watching the skies.