In a way, I'd rather have a series of only 14 episodes that has nothing but absolute bangers than a show that lasts seven seasons but has tons of duds and filler episodes. I've lost count, but I've probably watched the entirety of Firefly and Serenity at least 8 or 9 times, it's perfect. I only wish that they could've made just ONE more movie or miniseries where they could've definitively tied up all the loose ends.
@@LockeDemosthenes2 I kind of agree with you about 14 episodes vs. multiple seasons. I've seen too many shows that start going downhill and survive long past their expiration date. In fact, I would go so far as to say the fact that it's so short is why I'm such a fan. The first time I watched it I enjoyed it but it wasn't one of my favorites. Later I saw the DVD's on sale for a good price, so I bought them. Each time I rewatched it I liked it even more, and now I consider myself a Browncoat. I'm a completionist, so I wouldn't have bought it if it was just the first season or if the entire series cost too much. On the other hand, I have to admit I'm in the minority about the movie. For the most part it was great, but a certain scene involving my second favorite character (yes, that character, and yes, that scene) ruined it for me.
The theory is that the English speaking and the Chinese speaking are the two cultures that survived from Earth-that-Was. Chinese is mostly lower class. The Chinese can be guessed from context- Wash is telling Zoe to "be careful." It's often used for cursing, to get around crnsorship, and some of them are quite imaginitive- there are websites that translate them.
This show will make you fall in love and then break your heart. It is an absolute crime it didn't have more time on air, though I am happy for what we got. Buckle up. This is a wild ride.
Most of the time the Chinese is swearing, to basically get around TV censorship, they chose Chinese being one of Earth's remaining languages left in the Universe.
It is a remaining language because the Alliance is Sino-Anglo. Anglosphere is Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Sinosphere is China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
Definitely watch the movie straight after the last episode. You'll be desperate to see more of Firefly and it's all we've got. Plus it will answer a few open questions. Truly, a great show with an amazing collection of characters.
This show is another one of the many reasons I'm so glad I'm following along with your content journey! Since I never even would have heard of it otherwise. Took a chance on it, and absolutely loved every part of this amazing series. The world, the lore, and this amazing family of characters. I finished up the final episode on my own a few days ago, and now just super excited to sit back and watch you experience everything! Also, since it all happened so fast in just a few days - Congrats Kali on 33, 34, and now 35k!! Super happy for you with all the continued growth!
Yessss! I'm really happy this was so heavily recommended because i'd be the same way and never would have even known or thought to check it out myself 🫨✨ I have to say I really liked it at first and knew it would be my kinda show but now after episode 6 I am absolutely in love with the world, lore, writing and characters! And i'm glad you've loved it as much as I have! It's craaaazy how much the channel grew over the past few weeks! ✨😱 Thank you!!
Here we go, another browncoat in training! Let's see, Jayne's annoying? Check. Mal's serious about his crew? Check. Tension between Mal and Inara? Check. Kaylee's loveable? Check. Concerned about the ordeal River's been through? Check. I think you're getting the idea, you'll do fine in the exam at the end. 🤠 Seriously though, I'm glad you're already liking these characters, because that's really what the show's about. I think they're really well written, and the cast do an incredible job of making them seem real. They'll steal your heart, make you feel like one of the crew, and in the end you'll be a Browncoat, just like the rest of us!
@@kaliwali Yup. Several years after being cancelled during it's first season, it gets made into a major motion picture. That just doesn't happen. We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.
@kaliwali Just adding that the film (Serenity) is so good it stands on its own. I *hadn’t seen* the TV series at all, and one of my sons introduced me to the movie on cable…I loved it all by itself. I then went out and bought the series DVD set for all the backstory!
its always fun seeing how much people love the pilot and how good of an introduction to everyone it is..... and then Fox thought it was boring so they didnt air it till after they already decided to cancel the show. GG
Im so stoked to watch your reaction videos to Firefly. This is one of my favorite series shows . Nine very different character personalities on the crew of Serenity, viewers can relate to one or more of the personalities in themselves .
One of the things the network did was air the episodes out of order. This episode was shown near the end. The Train Job, which you probably watched already, ended up being the pilot. The intro scene is meant to show how Mal lost everything and why he is they way he is. There is a deleted scene of Zoe explaining it pretty well too.
Regarding 14 year old geniuses.... I was a student at Caltech, and a couple of my fellow students were very young. One of my friends in my entering class and student house was a 15 year old chinese girl from Brazil. The next year, also in my student house, was a 14-year old girl from Argentina. It's uncommon, but it happens. Fortunately, EVERYONE in the house was very protective of them. Unfortunately, my young friend did tell me that our physics lab T.A. did try to take advantage of her. One problem that the two very young students had was a lack of maturity. But otherwise, they were definitely insanely smart.
I went to college with someone like that, a 16-year old who already had so many AP credits that he entered college as a 16-year old sophomore. Some people are biological outliers.
Kali I've watched several reactor channels go thru Firefly. You're the first to understand the purpose of the opening scene and how it establishes some of Captain Reynolds character. I can tell you 2 things for absolute certain. One you will absolutely fall in love with this show. And two, you will Hate that it was canceled so early.
you are 10000% correct on both those end points! i'm on episode 6 already and it's been such a fun ride! I am going to panic the closer I get to the end 😮💨😅
A "crazy ivan" is something you do in a submarine in order to find out if you're being followed. So, what they're doing in the show is ... only similar in that rapid 180. In the air, I would have thought an "immelmann turn" would have fit better there.
The reason it exists is because anything a sonar could pick up from behind is drowned out by the sound of its own engine. Immelmann turn is vertical. I would also pick it if I didn't have to then try to show how this affects the crew in the ship.
Remember that a lot of the outer planets are full of settlers trying to survive. Food, water, and medicine are the things that are precious, not gold, silver, or jewels. High tech cars and tractors are good to have if you're a settler, but horses, chickens, and livestock are better. They don't break down and, if things get tough, you can eat livestock. You can't eat a hovercraft. On the civilized inner planets it's a different story.
According to an interview Summer Glau was kidding around during the first installment. She had the nude scene in the container and the crew was a bit nervous for her. She broke the ice by asking if the box made her look fat. Good reaction.
This was shown on broadcast TV. These characters definitely need to curse to fit the archetypes, but they weren't allowed to. "Gorram", "ruttin'", and the Chinese were ways to get around that.
@@renaudnadeau And it's not important. The Firefly Companion books included the translations (which apparently everyone would need because their pronunciation was not good), Mostly insults, that don't really add anything if known.
@@adp806 You are just a downer huh? It's literally part of the worldbuilding, but sure let's just talk about the bad pronunciation instead of enjoying the charm of how clever it was.
@@renaudnadeau Downer? What are you talking about? I simply mentioned that they weren't skilled in the language. I've seen native speakers watch it have little clue what was being said. It's not a big deal at all. Just a bit of trivia, about my very favourite show. It's actually not that odd. Numerous times a culture has adopted a second language, for the "higher class" usually, with many only learning various phrases (with often poor pronunciation) rather than the whole language. It's kind of a neat feature of the show to levels many don't, and don't need to, realize.
@@adp806 Let me try again since I had just woken up the first time I read your comment. I want to make sure I am understanding your comment since I clearly didn't the first time reading it. You are saying understanding the second language used isn't important, if we want to know the translations they are in the companion book but knowing what they mean doesn't really add anything? I agree when it comes to their occasional use of full phrases that knowing the exact words doesn't really matter, but even then you are given enough context clues that you can reasonably assume what is being conveyed between the characters. The one word expletives used, you should want to understand what they, since they are often used for humor and specifically to replace known swear words. Also was documented to have been done to get around broadcast censorship in this case.
This show starts off with a bang and, amazingly, gets even better with each episode. I'm so glad to have discovered your channel as you start your Firefly journey. Looks like I also have a bunch of your other reactions to catch up on. Thank you! 🤗
One of the best shows of all time. Extremely well written (Joss Whedon at his absolute best). The cast has great chemistry. Supposedly everyone on set was like family and loved the work they did on it and it really shines through. If you haven't yet, look up Chinese translations. They used it for swearing mostly to evade the network censors (same with stuff like "gorram"), and some of the lines are hilarious like "monkeys hurling feces at each other."
Hey Kaliwali, I just wanted to say thank you for having started both this phenomenal series and LotR! These videos will help me through this horrible time for me (my father was placed on palliative care on Monday). So thank you for giving me great videos to laugh and cry along with you. Keep being awesome, you’re a really warm and caring person and I am very fortunate to have found you months ago from the Mass Effect play through 🤗
So great you got the correct first episode. Because of network meddling, broadcasting them in the wrong order there's sometimes confusion about which is the first. It's a whole thing.
Loved Liara's Theme music at the end. And the Piano cover of some Mass Effect music at the beginning. I'm looking forward to watching you as you discover the "Brown Coat" 'verse.
They showed the “crybaby” thing. It seems to be a small transmitter made from, I guess, a condensed milk can, or something similar. It transmitted the fake distress signal. Wash probably just told Zoe something like “be careful” (given her answer “we will”). I don't know, I don't speak Chinese. Jewel Staite (who playes Kaylee) doesn't like strawberries.
Between marvel, lord of the rings and now firefly, you are systematically watching all of my favorite things! And your personality and cuteness makes it so entertaining.
My favorite TV series ever. So glad to see you beginning your Firefly journey. I watched this when it originally aired in 2002. And I saw the movie twice when it came out in theaters. I am 100% a Browncoat. I have books about the making of the series, two books of essays written about the series, an ever-growing stack of novels and graphic novels continuing the story, collectible trading cards, the Firefly board game, the official Firefly coloring book and an autographed picture of Nathan Fillion as Mal someone gave me for Christmas several years ago. That same person gave me an autographed picture of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel for one of my birthdays. I also have loads of Firefly stickers. Mal is definitely my favorite character, followed by Kaylee. How can you not love Kaylee? She is so wonderful and amazing. But I do love all of the characters so very much. And Serenity is just as much of a character in the show. I cannot wait until you get to my favorite episode. And that look on Mal's face at the beginning of the episode when the Browncoats lose the war says so much.
This show is so good. It’s a bummer it only had one season but it doesn’t disappoint. I also love that you had Liara’s Theme song playing in the background at the end of the video.
Anyone who watches _Firefly_ gets a follow from me. As you begin this journey, consider that this is Zoe and Mal's tale. It is the story of the warbuddies and what happened to them after the war. Also, pay close attention to Gina Torres' (Zoe) non-verbal acting. She provides a master class in how to both be in the background and also speak volumes as to the intensity of the moment. If she's smiling everything is fine. But if she move her hand closer to her gun or moves to get a clear shot at whomever Mal is dealing with then watch out. She is really very talented.
I arrived by way of Detroit: Become Human. She's a good follow, very kind and also a quick study, which makes it fun to see what things she doesn't pick up on and needs to have explained. I get the impression that she hasn't been involved in very many bank heists or kidnappings, but I don't hold that against her.
@@JuggyFWB And I can see why you would say that. The first season was planned to be River's arc. I don't want to get into spoilers but if you've seen the movie then you understand why that is the case. Future seasons had been planned with each one featuring one of the main characters. We'd have gotten Shepard's story (which was told in the graphic novel _A Shepard's Tale.)_ In another season we'd have found out the full story of Inara and why she's left the Central Planets. Wash and Zoe would have had a season feature their stories. And of course, a redemption arc was planned for Jayne. But when I say the "series" is Mal and Zoe's tale it is because that is how Joss Whedon structured the story. They are the war-buddies who are now working together to survive. They have that bond which was forged in the crucible of war. Zoe was the first person Mal recruited. Mal is the hopeful one while Zoe is a pragmatist. In _War Stories,_ Whedon makes their relationship very clear. Shepard can leave. The others can go too. But Zoe is not going anywhere. Mal is her Captain the same way he was her sergeant during the war. And in a real sense, Mal only maintains authority with the crew because Zoe defers to him and makes it clear to all that, _Mal is the Captain._ Someone else pointed out to me that Zoe almost never calls Mal by his name. It is almost always, "the Captain," when speaking to the rest of the crew. Wash even makes a joke about in the pilot episode. The one time I remember her using Mal's name with Inara, I'm fairly sure that was foreshadowing that she was lying in an effort to mislead someone who was eavesdropping. That was in the episode _Trash_ so you probably know who I mean. But, I'm just saying from a structural standpoint, Whedon started with the "war-buddies" and then built the rest of the cast around them. It's unfortunate that we did not get those future seasons. It would have been interesting to see that friendship strained under the pressures of survival and other relationships. That's why I think _War Stories_ is one of the best Mal and Zoe episodes even though they share almost no screen time. Look for my comments and we can talk more as Kali makes her way though the episodes.
@@robertanderson6929Interesting points. Although, for me, Out of Gas is an even better light into the length and depth of their relationship. Can’t really explain why without spoilers for newbies, so I won’t.
For years The Wife & I watched this every Christmas. Just a great show to have around. I have a 24x36 of the movie poster with a 1/6 River I painted in the pose from the poster (you’ll know it when you see the poster in question). Great stuff. Enjoy the ride.
Yay! Time to join another soon to be Browncoat on their journey. I look forward to reading the same comments from the same people from a dozen other channels, and writing my own in kind. It's an odd ritual, jumping from channel to channel, rewatching lil bits o firefly with new first time watchers. But I do love it.
Indeed. It is much like ‘Cor blimey is an evolution of “god, blind me.” This is one of the best things about Firefly, showing how a language can change over time.
I'm sure you've realized this, but no one called the Reavers. The cop tried to call the Alliance but couldn't get a signal and Wash called Jayne to tell Mal and Zoe that the Reavers are coming. The Reavers probably just kept tabs on them and swung back around...'cause they got hungry?
The early 2000s brought us both Firefly and the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, which I consider to be the two best science fiction tv series ever made.
You are in for a wonderful time navigating through Firefly (and don't forget the series follow up movie Serenity). The next episode, The Train Job, is one of my favorites.
🥹 I am SO! happy that you are watching this show … I’m sensing that It’s Vibe, is Your Vibe. - can’t wait to see you fall in love with this crew, show … world, of Serenity. 🧘 PS - most of your questions will be ‘Gottn’ too.
Gibs Tomato Sauce: Note this recipe amounts may vary, depending on how much volume of tomatoes you are cooking down. T signifies Tablespoon, where lowercase t signifies teaspoon. To save valuable space. This is meant as more of a guideline, feel free to adjust how you see fit with experimentation. Start by dicing an onion, half a head worth of garlic, chopping 3T each of Rosemary/Thyme/Oregano and pick 2-3 Cups of basil leaves. Take your tomatoes, cut X shaped scores in the bottom of each one (The opposite side the stem was on). Place them in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds (In batches of 4-5), remove from boiling water and shock them in a cold water bath. This will loosen the skins, and allow you to easily peel it away from the X shaped scores you created earlier. Score/Scald/Shock and Peel all of them, set aside in a large pot or mixing bowl. In the pot you intend to cook the sauce in, start your aromatics (Onion and garlic) on medium heat in 4T of oil of your choice (I prefer canola). Sweat for 4-5 minutes, then add all of your chopped herbs EXCEPT the basil. Sweat for another few minutes, until fragrant. Add 4T (Or a good pour) of Red Wine (Cooking Wine is acceptable as well), turn up the heat and cook off the alcohol. After a few minutes, add your tomatoes in. Turn the heat back down to medium, mix the contents of the pot well, making sure to mix in your aromatics to the tomatoes. Begin to cook this mixture uncovered at a steady medium - medium low temp. Taking care to mix and scrape the bottom of the pot every 10-15 minutes. (A flat wooden spoon is ideal. Something that can get into the corners of the pot.) If you are starting to feel stuff sticking to the bottom of the pot, turn the heat down a little. This mixture will take hours to cook down. There is a TON of moisture in tomatoes. Once the liquid level in the pot has reduced by at least a half, you can use an immersion blender to puree the mixture (Or alternatively ladle into a blender in batches to puree it). Beware that once you puree it, anything above low temps will cause it to bubble and splash much easier. Where you take it as far as consistency is up to you, just keep cooking it until it has reached the thickness you want. Once you have achieved that, add in your basil leaves/salt and pepper to taste. If it needs more herb flavor, I suggest adding more oregano/rosemary/basil in increments until you have achieved the flavor you want. The sauce freezes very well (I store most of it like this each year). Can be used for pizza, or as a tomato sauce for pasta. You can also blend some olive oil/veg stock into it to create a fast tomato soup to go with grilled cheeses. Enjoy, and be sure to let me know how you like it if you wind up giving it a go Kali!
"Serenity": The Battle of Serenity Valley; a salvage job, passengers, and to the Outer Rim. As for reboots, Nuflecks could have redone "Firefly" with a minimum of fuss instead of of "trying to re-invent the wheel" with their "made for modern audiences" version of "live action 'Cowboy Bebop." But then, a "video streaming service" that put out "Cuties" clearly has executives whose "IQs have dropped sharply" in charge.
Quote from All About Eve “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride” but you will love it. The only down side is how sad you will be when it is over. You will be cursing Fox execs like the rest of us. I subscribed after seeing your reaction to It’s A Wonderfull Life. Firefly just secured to deal.
I'll tell you now: you'll get to a point where the theme song will start choking you up every time you hear it. it's criminal the way this show as handled.
Goram an old timey way of saying god dam, and it gets around the sensors. A lot of the chinese is cursing for the same reason, though some other phrases are used. The alliance was formed from the surviving nations on earth, the two biggest being the US and China, which is the in universe explination for the chinese
This is one of the most unique sci-fi shows, I curse to this day the idiots who shut down the show .... god I love Firefly ... I'm a leaf on the wind ❤
Welcome to the show with the best ensemble cast EVER! Given your SciFy gaming background you will love this show. I might have to break out Mass Effect 3 and give it another try (I seem to always try a new game...then get sucked back into the Horizon verse). Fun factoid: A "crazy Ivan" was made popular in the book/movie The Hunt For Red October and refers to when a Soviet ballistic missile submarine would suddenly make a complete 360 degree turn to flush any US sub following too closely behind (in the what are called the baffles...and area where the Soviet sub would not hear the US sub). Looking forward to the next.
Great reaction, add another to the long list of new watchers lol, honestly I love watching people experience it for the first time. And I like how your understanding the characters especially Mal and how the war really affected him. Can’t wait for the next!
Probably already mentioned in the comments but just in case when humanity left Earth due to overpopulation the only two government superpowers that survived were the Chinese government and the American government. They decided to unite and became The Alliance, and with that merger came a merger of the American and Chinese culture, so the two primary languages are English and Chinese. So, you'll hear the characters speaking Mandarin Chinese from time to time. Usually when they curse to get around TV censorship.
Idea for a poll: You can choose to live as a crew member on a space ship in one of two futures. Which do you choose? Serenity? Normandy? I honestly don't know which I'd choose.
Firefly was a show that was set-up to fail: the episodes were aired out of order, if they aired at all, the time they aired at was ever-changing, either because of sports or other reasons. It aired well before streaming so that even the show found its audience, its audience had problems finding the show. Also, the actor who plays Jayne, Adam Baldwin, voices Kal'Reegar, Tali's commander in her recruitment mission in ME2. He's the soldier firing rockets at the Geth Colossus.
Fantastic series, you won’t be disappointed. BTW, the “crybaby“ thing is a device that mimics a ship signal, usually a distress signal, in order to mask their escape.
In Hollywood history, Westerns were once huge but science fiction killed the genre, beginning with "Star Wars" which intentionally copied Western tropes (the burning of Luke's family farm, stormtroopers riding animals in the desert, the shootout in the cantina, the dusty streets of Mos Eisly, Han Solo wearing a low-slung holster) and moved them into space. This movie was written as a meta-homage to that history.
I was thinking of joining your Patreon, but will be holding off now. At least Firefly is only 14 episodes. Some excellent series to consider are Chernobyl (5 episodes), True Detective S1 (8 episodes), and The Pacific (10 episodes).
Oh man, you are going to love this series. There are a few videos you can find on TH-cam that take place prior to the series called the River Tam sessions that you may want to watch as well.
A few things to note, everyone speaks english and manderin because, well basically, the biggest superpowers were the first ones that made the exodus to leave earth. Hence why you see people speaking both languages lol. You will love this show i have no doubt.
Welcome to our noble ranks, new Browncoat! A few rules: 1.) Never suggest Mal has anything to do with the Alliance. 2.) Never insult Serenity in front of Kaylee. 3.) Mal is in charge, but Zoe is the scary one. 4.) Always be shiny!
Something worth pointing out. 1. Mal had faith - during the war (opening) he kisses his neck cross and claims God would not let them die. 2. The Independents (Browncoats) lost the war against the Alliance. 3. Mal lost faith - his negative reaction to giving thanks for food. NOTE: No problem with Shepherd Book, only with faith.
There's a reason Firefly is frequently listed as one of the best TV shows of all time. The writing is IMPECCABLE -- so much character work done in just one pilot episode. We have a good understanding of every character, and Mal, Jayne, Inara, Book and Simon even get ARCS. There are movies that don't manage this. Yes, the characters are speaking Mandarin (badly). The premise is that Americans and Chinese people settled this corner of the 'verse: that's why you see Mal eating with chopsticks and a tin cup at one point. Joss Whedon DID originally plan to have Asians in the starring cast, but in the end he went with the best actors he could find. As a Chinese fan of the series, I think he made the right choice, because the performances are just that good. If you remade it today, with Chinese actors in much greater prominence, it would be much easier -- I wanna see Simu Liu's take on Simon -- but back in 2002, they made the best of what they had... and what they made is magic.
But I think that's an unfortunate mistake. You shouldn't utilize a real language that belongs to real people in a fictional production without having said people involved, and I'm not Chinese. Farscape, which lasted four seasons, used a fictional language to hide profanity.
1 movie and 14 episodes of bliss, for a lifetime of painful withdrawal.
Welcome to the Browncoats. You're in for something special.
Couldn't have said it better myself
In a way, I'd rather have a series of only 14 episodes that has nothing but absolute bangers than a show that lasts seven seasons but has tons of duds and filler episodes.
I've lost count, but I've probably watched the entirety of Firefly and Serenity at least 8 or 9 times, it's perfect. I only wish that they could've made just ONE more movie or miniseries where they could've definitively tied up all the loose ends.
@@LockeDemosthenes2 I kind of agree with you about 14 episodes vs. multiple seasons. I've seen too many shows that start going downhill and survive long past their expiration date.
In fact, I would go so far as to say the fact that it's so short is why I'm such a fan. The first time I watched it I enjoyed it but it wasn't one of my favorites. Later I saw the DVD's on sale for a good price, so I bought them. Each time I rewatched it I liked it even more, and now I consider myself a Browncoat. I'm a completionist, so I wouldn't have bought it if it was just the first season or if the entire series cost too much.
On the other hand, I have to admit I'm in the minority about the movie. For the most part it was great, but a certain scene involving my second favorite character (yes, that character, and yes, that scene) ruined it for me.
The theory is that the English speaking and the Chinese speaking are the two cultures that survived from Earth-that-Was. Chinese is mostly lower class. The Chinese can be guessed from context- Wash is telling Zoe to "be careful." It's often used for cursing, to get around crnsorship, and some of them are quite imaginitive- there are websites that translate them.
💯💯💯💯
"and if we're very very lucky, they'll do it in THAT order..."
Masterclass in letting the audience's imagination do the work...
agreed and in treating the audience like halfway intelligent beings.
This show will make you fall in love and then break your heart. It is an absolute crime it didn't have more time on air, though I am happy for what we got. Buckle up. This is a wild ride.
Most of the time the Chinese is swearing, to basically get around TV censorship, they chose Chinese being one of Earth's remaining languages left in the Universe.
It is a remaining language because the Alliance is Sino-Anglo. Anglosphere is Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Sinosphere is China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
What's this? The MCU, The Lord of the Rings, and now Firefly? You are picking some real winners, Kali!
It's all thanks to community/patreon recommendations! You all have been amazing at suggestions! ✨
Next, Rocky.
@@incogneato790 More like Battlestar Galactica in this fashion.
@@kaliwali I know this is unrelated but if you want a really good game to play, I think you would enjoy the story of Days Gone.
Gotta disagree. MCU and LOTR are not winners in my book.
Thanks for watching Firefly! There is nothing we Browncoats love more than sharing the love of this show.❤️
Kaliwali: "So he's a bounty hunter!"
Every Firefly fan: "No... that ain't it at all."
You have to remind her of this later on hahaha. Oh and that name is great!
"Am I a lion?"
@@CarlosRamirez-wb7zu I have a mighty roar.
Damn you beat me to it.
He's likely an object in space.
Wow, watching Firefly for the first time! You’ll love it!
I absolutely loooove it so far! I'm up to episode 5 on Patreon and it just keeps getting better and better 😱✨
@@kaliwali oh, episode 6 is... special .... :D
@ I hope you will watch the movie right after!
Definitely watch the movie straight after the last episode. You'll be desperate to see more of Firefly and it's all we've got. Plus it will answer a few open questions. Truly, a great show with an amazing collection of characters.
This show is another one of the many reasons I'm so glad I'm following along with your content journey! Since I never even would have heard of it otherwise. Took a chance on it, and absolutely loved every part of this amazing series. The world, the lore, and this amazing family of characters. I finished up the final episode on my own a few days ago, and now just super excited to sit back and watch you experience everything!
Also, since it all happened so fast in just a few days - Congrats Kali on 33, 34, and now 35k!! Super happy for you with all the continued growth!
Yessss! I'm really happy this was so heavily recommended because i'd be the same way and never would have even known or thought to check it out myself 🫨✨
I have to say I really liked it at first and knew it would be my kinda show but now after episode 6 I am absolutely in love with the world, lore, writing and characters! And i'm glad you've loved it as much as I have!
It's craaaazy how much the channel grew over the past few weeks! ✨😱 Thank you!!
Here we go, another browncoat in training! Let's see, Jayne's annoying? Check. Mal's serious about his crew? Check. Tension between Mal and Inara? Check. Kaylee's loveable? Check. Concerned about the ordeal River's been through? Check. I think you're getting the idea, you'll do fine in the exam at the end. 🤠
Seriously though, I'm glad you're already liking these characters, because that's really what the show's about. I think they're really well written, and the cast do an incredible job of making them seem real. They'll steal your heart, make you feel like one of the crew, and in the end you'll be a Browncoat, just like the rest of us!
Inara does like her job, she was reacting to being insulted by her client and then by mal
Yes! You will love this series! Make sure you watch Serenity after, it is the movie that they made after the series was cancelled.
Yes! I'll for sure be watching Serenity after this. Is it the same cast??
. Yes 👍 Same cast , no way would these actors break up such a perfect acting chemistry 💘 🎥
@@kaliwali Yup. Several years after being cancelled during it's first season, it gets made into a major motion picture. That just doesn't happen.
We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.
Yep! Same gorram great cast. The movie was partly due to the support of the massive hardcore fan base.
@kaliwali Just adding that the film (Serenity) is so good it stands on its own. I *hadn’t seen* the TV series at all, and one of my sons introduced me to the movie on cable…I loved it all by itself. I then went out and bought the series DVD set for all the backstory!
its always fun seeing how much people love the pilot and how good of an introduction to everyone it is..... and then Fox thought it was boring so they didnt air it till after they already decided to cancel the show. GG
Im so stoked to watch your reaction videos to Firefly. This is one of my favorite series shows .
Nine very different character personalities on the crew of Serenity, viewers can relate to one or more of the personalities in themselves .
One of the things the network did was air the episodes out of order. This episode was shown near the end. The Train Job, which you probably watched already, ended up being the pilot.
The intro scene is meant to show how Mal lost everything and why he is they way he is. There is a deleted scene of Zoe explaining it pretty well too.
That explains a lot. I always wondered why this show didn't get more viewers with such a great first episode.
Regarding 14 year old geniuses.... I was a student at Caltech, and a couple of my fellow students were very young. One of my friends in my entering class and student house was a 15 year old chinese girl from Brazil. The next year, also in my student house, was a 14-year old girl from Argentina. It's uncommon, but it happens.
Fortunately, EVERYONE in the house was very protective of them. Unfortunately, my young friend did tell me that our physics lab T.A. did try to take advantage of her.
One problem that the two very young students had was a lack of maturity. But otherwise, they were definitely insanely smart.
I went to college with someone like that, a 16-year old who already had so many AP credits that he entered college as a 16-year old sophomore. Some people are biological outliers.
firefly and lord of the rings ! you picked some bangers . suscribed ,liked , and commented.
Kali I've watched several reactor channels go thru Firefly. You're the first to understand the purpose of the opening scene and how it establishes some of Captain Reynolds character.
I can tell you 2 things for absolute certain. One you will absolutely fall in love with this show. And two, you will Hate that it was canceled so early.
you are 10000% correct on both those end points!
i'm on episode 6 already and it's been such a fun ride! I am going to panic the closer I get to the end 😮💨😅
@@kaliwali Episode 6? It gets better!
You're gonna love this.
Firefly?? Oh, I’m in!
I swear by my pretty floral bonnet…. You are trying hard to win over the nerds…
and i love it.
Welcome to the long defeat, browncoat
i'm already up to episode 6 on patreon and this made laugh so hard 🤣🤣🤣😭😭 i've been loving this 'verse!
Will always comment for Firefly--at least until everyone has seen it. Great choice! Will definitely be here for the series.
A "crazy ivan" is something you do in a submarine in order to find out if you're being followed.
So, what they're doing in the show is ... only similar in that rapid 180.
In the air, I would have thought an "immelmann turn" would have fit better there.
oooo that's actually really cool! I thought it was more made-up lingo lol. thanks!
@@kaliwali It's a callback to The Hunt For Red October when a US sub is chasing a Russian sub.
@@Ladco77 term goes back to real life coldwar tactics from the 1970's
The reason it exists is because anything a sonar could pick up from behind is drowned out by the sound of its own engine.
Immelmann turn is vertical. I would also pick it if I didn't have to then try to show how this affects the crew in the ship.
Last month I tried to do a "Crazy Ivan" on my bicycle.
I think they're going to discharge me from this hospital next week.
Can't wait!
Firefly?! You're about to go on a wonderful adventure. I'll come along for that. 🙂
Remember that a lot of the outer planets are full of settlers trying to survive. Food, water, and medicine are the things that are precious, not gold, silver, or jewels. High tech cars and tractors are good to have if you're a settler, but horses, chickens, and livestock are better. They don't break down and, if things get tough, you can eat livestock. You can't eat a hovercraft. On the civilized inner planets it's a different story.
This is going to be so much fun! One of my favorite reactors watching one of the best shows ever! Kali I guarantee that you will love this show!!
According to an interview Summer Glau was kidding around during the first installment. She had the nude scene in the container and the crew was a bit nervous for her. She broke the ice by asking if the box made her look fat. Good reaction.
Ah, let the floodgates of joy, delight and pain be cast open!
Everyone say hello to the newest Browncoat! Shiny!
This was shown on broadcast TV. These characters definitely need to curse to fit the archetypes, but they weren't allowed to. "Gorram", "ruttin'", and the Chinese were ways to get around that.
Which also explains why the words were not translated in closed captions. That was an intentional choice.
@@renaudnadeau And it's not important.
The Firefly Companion books included the translations (which apparently everyone would need because their pronunciation was not good), Mostly insults, that don't really add anything if known.
@@adp806 You are just a downer huh? It's literally part of the worldbuilding, but sure let's just talk about the bad pronunciation instead of enjoying the charm of how clever it was.
@@renaudnadeau Downer? What are you talking about? I simply mentioned that they weren't skilled in the language. I've seen native speakers watch it have little clue what was being said. It's not a big deal at all. Just a bit of trivia, about my very favourite show.
It's actually not that odd. Numerous times a culture has adopted a second language, for the "higher class" usually, with many only learning various phrases (with often poor pronunciation) rather than the whole language. It's kind of a neat feature of the show to levels many don't, and don't need to, realize.
@@adp806 Let me try again since I had just woken up the first time I read your comment.
I want to make sure I am understanding your comment since I clearly didn't the first time reading it. You are saying understanding the second language used isn't important, if we want to know the translations they are in the companion book but knowing what they mean doesn't really add anything?
I agree when it comes to their occasional use of full phrases that knowing the exact words doesn't really matter, but even then you are given enough context clues that you can reasonably assume what is being conveyed between the characters. The one word expletives used, you should want to understand what they, since they are often used for humor and specifically to replace known swear words. Also was documented to have been done to get around broadcast censorship in this case.
Haven't seen ya in a while. Great to see ya jumping into this masterpiece of a series. I'm gonna love this reaction.
Cheers!
This show starts off with a bang and, amazingly, gets even better with each episode. I'm so glad to have discovered your channel as you start your Firefly journey. Looks like I also have a bunch of your other reactions to catch up on. Thank you! 🤗
One of the best shows of all time. Extremely well written (Joss Whedon at his absolute best). The cast has great chemistry. Supposedly everyone on set was like family and loved the work they did on it and it really shines through. If you haven't yet, look up Chinese translations. They used it for swearing mostly to evade the network censors (same with stuff like "gorram"), and some of the lines are hilarious like "monkeys hurling feces at each other."
Hey Kaliwali, I just wanted to say thank you for having started both this phenomenal series and LotR! These videos will help me through this horrible time for me (my father was placed on palliative care on Monday). So thank you for giving me great videos to laugh and cry along with you.
Keep being awesome, you’re a really warm and caring person and I am very fortunate to have found you months ago from the Mass Effect play through 🤗
So great you got the correct first episode. Because of network meddling, broadcasting them in the wrong order there's sometimes confusion about which is the first. It's a whole thing.
Always nice to welcome another person into the Firefly world. It only gets better from here!
Loved Liara's Theme music at the end. And the Piano cover of some Mass Effect music at the beginning. I'm looking forward to watching you as you discover the "Brown Coat" 'verse.
Awesome, you’ve just inspired me to rewatch Firefly as it’s been many years. I hope you love this series as much!
Yesss! I've loveeeed this show so far even though i'm only almost halfway through it now 🩷 Enjoy your rewatch!!
Thank you for sharing your reaction to my favorite TV show!
My absolute favorite sci fi show. Nathan Filon is a treasure
They showed the “crybaby” thing. It seems to be a small transmitter made from, I guess, a condensed milk can, or something similar. It transmitted the fake distress signal.
Wash probably just told Zoe something like “be careful” (given her answer “we will”). I don't know, I don't speak Chinese.
Jewel Staite (who playes Kaylee) doesn't like strawberries.
Between marvel, lord of the rings and now firefly, you are systematically watching all of my favorite things! And your personality and cuteness makes it so entertaining.
My favorite TV series ever. So glad to see you beginning your Firefly journey. I watched this when it originally aired in 2002. And I saw the movie twice when it came out in theaters. I am 100% a Browncoat. I have books about the making of the series, two books of essays written about the series, an ever-growing stack of novels and graphic novels continuing the story, collectible trading cards, the Firefly board game, the official Firefly coloring book and an autographed picture of Nathan Fillion as Mal someone gave me for Christmas several years ago. That same person gave me an autographed picture of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel for one of my birthdays. I also have loads of Firefly stickers. Mal is definitely my favorite character, followed by Kaylee. How can you not love Kaylee? She is so wonderful and amazing. But I do love all of the characters so very much. And Serenity is just as much of a character in the show. I cannot wait until you get to my favorite episode. And that look on Mal's face at the beginning of the episode when the Browncoats lose the war says so much.
I love watching someone experience this show for the first time. Enjoy!
I loved this show when it originated aired. I'm going to binge watch it again now, haha. Thanks for reminding me about "firefly"! ❤
Oh you're gonna Love Firefly!
This show is so good. It’s a bummer it only had one season but it doesn’t disappoint. I also love that you had Liara’s Theme song playing in the background at the end of the video.
So excited to see you've started your Firefly journey! Another Browncoat in the making! 🙂
Great react… love this series; looking forward to the rest!
Anyone who watches _Firefly_ gets a follow from me. As you begin this journey, consider that this is Zoe and Mal's tale. It is the story of the warbuddies and what happened to them after the war. Also, pay close attention to Gina Torres' (Zoe) non-verbal acting. She provides a master class in how to both be in the background and also speak volumes as to the intensity of the moment. If she's smiling everything is fine. But if she move her hand closer to her gun or moves to get a clear shot at whomever Mal is dealing with then watch out. She is really very talented.
I arrived by way of Detroit: Become Human. She's a good follow, very kind and also a quick study, which makes it fun to see what things she doesn't pick up on and needs to have explained. I get the impression that she hasn't been involved in very many bank heists or kidnappings, but I don't hold that against her.
I would disagree about this being Zoe and Mal's tale. I think this was always River's tale, but told from Mal's perspective.
@@JuggyFWB And I can see why you would say that. The first season was planned to be River's arc. I don't want to get into spoilers but if you've seen the movie then you understand why that is the case. Future seasons had been planned with each one featuring one of the main characters. We'd have gotten Shepard's story (which was told in the graphic novel _A Shepard's Tale.)_ In another season we'd have found out the full story of Inara and why she's left the Central Planets. Wash and Zoe would have had a season feature their stories. And of course, a redemption arc was planned for Jayne.
But when I say the "series" is Mal and Zoe's tale it is because that is how Joss Whedon structured the story. They are the war-buddies who are now working together to survive. They have that bond which was forged in the crucible of war. Zoe was the first person Mal recruited. Mal is the hopeful one while Zoe is a pragmatist. In _War Stories,_ Whedon makes their relationship very clear.
Shepard can leave. The others can go too. But Zoe is not going anywhere. Mal is her Captain the same way he was her sergeant during the war. And in a real sense, Mal only maintains authority with the crew because Zoe defers to him and makes it clear to all that, _Mal is the Captain._
Someone else pointed out to me that Zoe almost never calls Mal by his name. It is almost always, "the Captain," when speaking to the rest of the crew. Wash even makes a joke about in the pilot episode. The one time I remember her using Mal's name with Inara, I'm fairly sure that was foreshadowing that she was lying in an effort to mislead someone who was eavesdropping. That was in the episode _Trash_ so you probably know who I mean.
But, I'm just saying from a structural standpoint, Whedon started with the "war-buddies" and then built the rest of the cast around them. It's unfortunate that we did not get those future seasons. It would have been interesting to see that friendship strained under the pressures of survival and other relationships. That's why I think _War Stories_ is one of the best Mal and Zoe episodes even though they share almost no screen time.
Look for my comments and we can talk more as Kali makes her way though the episodes.
@@robertanderson6929Interesting points. Although, for me, Out of Gas is an even better light into the length and depth of their relationship. Can’t really explain why without spoilers for newbies, so I won’t.
For years The Wife & I watched this every Christmas. Just a great show to have around.
I have a 24x36 of the movie poster with a 1/6 River I painted in the pose from the poster (you’ll know it when you see the poster in question).
Great stuff. Enjoy the ride.
Welcome to your first steps on a very special journey. I'm so looking forward to re-treading the path with you.
Yay! Time to join another soon to be Browncoat on their journey.
I look forward to reading the same comments from the same people from a dozen other channels, and writing my own in kind. It's an odd ritual, jumping from channel to channel, rewatching lil bits o firefly with new first time watchers. But I do love it.
"Gorram" id just an evolution of "Goddamned"
Indeed. It is much like ‘Cor blimey is an evolution of “god, blind me.” This is one of the best things about Firefly, showing how a language can change over time.
It is a real curse from the 1800s, which goes well woth the cowboy aesthetic
Welcome to the Verse Kali. I hope you enjoy your stay.
I'm sure you've realized this, but no one called the Reavers. The cop tried to call the Alliance but couldn't get a signal and Wash called Jayne to tell Mal and Zoe that the Reavers are coming. The Reavers probably just kept tabs on them and swung back around...'cause they got hungry?
The early 2000s brought us both Firefly and the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, which I consider to be the two best science fiction tv series ever made.
So say we all.
You are in for a wonderful time navigating through Firefly (and don't forget the series follow up movie Serenity). The next episode, The Train Job, is one of my favorites.
I am soooooo looking forward to your Firefly journey.
🥹 I am SO! happy that you are watching this show … I’m sensing that It’s Vibe, is Your Vibe.
- can’t wait to see you fall in love with this crew, show … world, of Serenity. 🧘
PS - most of your questions will be ‘Gottn’ too.
really enjoyed your reaction ☺ looking forward to this journey with you 👍
Gibs Tomato Sauce:
Note this recipe amounts may vary, depending on how much volume of tomatoes you are cooking down. T signifies Tablespoon, where lowercase t signifies teaspoon. To save valuable space. This is meant as more of a guideline, feel free to adjust how you see fit with experimentation.
Start by dicing an onion, half a head worth of garlic, chopping 3T each of Rosemary/Thyme/Oregano and pick 2-3 Cups of basil leaves.
Take your tomatoes, cut X shaped scores in the bottom of each one (The opposite side the stem was on). Place them in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds (In batches of 4-5), remove from boiling water and shock them in a cold water bath. This will loosen the skins, and allow you to easily peel it away from the X shaped scores you created earlier. Score/Scald/Shock and Peel all of them, set aside in a large pot or mixing bowl.
In the pot you intend to cook the sauce in, start your aromatics (Onion and garlic) on medium heat in 4T of oil of your choice (I prefer canola). Sweat for 4-5 minutes, then add all of your chopped herbs EXCEPT the basil. Sweat for another few minutes, until fragrant. Add 4T (Or a good pour) of Red Wine (Cooking Wine is acceptable as well), turn up the heat and cook off the alcohol. After a few minutes, add your tomatoes in.
Turn the heat back down to medium, mix the contents of the pot well, making sure to mix in your aromatics to the tomatoes. Begin to cook this mixture uncovered at a steady medium - medium low temp. Taking care to mix and scrape the bottom of the pot every 10-15 minutes. (A flat wooden spoon is ideal. Something that can get into the corners of the pot.) If you are starting to feel stuff sticking to the bottom of the pot, turn the heat down a little.
This mixture will take hours to cook down. There is a TON of moisture in tomatoes. Once the liquid level in the pot has reduced by at least a half, you can use an immersion blender to puree the mixture (Or alternatively ladle into a blender in batches to puree it). Beware that once you puree it, anything above low temps will cause it to bubble and splash much easier. Where you take it as far as consistency is up to you, just keep cooking it until it has reached the thickness you want. Once you have achieved that, add in your basil leaves/salt and pepper to taste. If it needs more herb flavor, I suggest adding more oregano/rosemary/basil in increments until you have achieved the flavor you want.
The sauce freezes very well (I store most of it like this each year). Can be used for pizza, or as a tomato sauce for pasta. You can also blend some olive oil/veg stock into it to create a fast tomato soup to go with grilled cheeses.
Enjoy, and be sure to let me know how you like it if you wind up giving it a go Kali!
yesssss thank you for this! awesome share & can't wait to try it out!
Glad to see you embarking on the greatest 14 episode series ever. You'll have a blast.
A rare case - a total classic, with only half a season, but a huge fan base! You won't be disappointed! 👍
Absolutely love this series. It was a crime that it was cancelled
Place your bets! How long before Miss Kali sings the theme song? Future Browncoat in the making
* take my love, take my land *🤣✨
"Serenity": The Battle of Serenity Valley; a salvage job, passengers, and to the Outer Rim.
As for reboots, Nuflecks could have redone "Firefly" with a minimum of fuss instead of of "trying to re-invent the wheel" with their "made for modern audiences" version of "live action 'Cowboy Bebop." But then, a "video streaming service" that put out "Cuties" clearly has executives whose "IQs have dropped sharply" in charge.
Quote from All About Eve “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride” but you will love it. The only down side is how sad you will be when it is over. You will be cursing Fox execs like the rest of us. I subscribed after seeing your reaction to It’s A Wonderfull Life. Firefly just secured to deal.
I'll tell you now: you'll get to a point where the theme song will start choking you up every time you hear it.
it's criminal the way this show as handled.
My favorite reactor watching my favorite show? yesssss!
😭☺️☺️☺️
A new Browncoat in the making, and I'm all in for it.
There are sites that have the translations of the Chinese, it’s pretty amusing
🤣🤣😱
Does someone want to mention the correct episode viewing order? They aired out of order - and I don't know if it's corrected everywhere.
Goram an old timey way of saying god dam, and it gets around the sensors. A lot of the chinese is cursing for the same reason, though some other phrases are used. The alliance was formed from the surviving nations on earth, the two biggest being the US and China, which is the in universe explination for the chinese
This is one of the most unique sci-fi shows, I curse to this day the idiots who shut down the show .... god I love Firefly ... I'm a leaf on the wind ❤
Welcome to the show with the best ensemble cast EVER! Given your SciFy gaming background you will love this show. I might have to break out Mass Effect 3 and give it another try (I seem to always try a new game...then get sucked back into the Horizon verse). Fun factoid: A "crazy Ivan" was made popular in the book/movie The Hunt For Red October and refers to when a Soviet ballistic missile submarine would suddenly make a complete 360 degree turn to flush any US sub following too closely behind (in the what are called the baffles...and area where the Soviet sub would not hear the US sub). Looking forward to the next.
Great show. What an ensemble cast!
This was the unfinished magnum opus of Joss Whedon. When Fox cancelled the show, they broke apart a family...
Great reaction, add another to the long list of new watchers lol, honestly I love watching people experience it for the first time. And I like how your understanding the characters especially Mal and how the war really affected him. Can’t wait for the next!
Omg!!! I can't wait! Welcome to the Browncoats!
Let's gooooooooooo!!
Welcome to our ranks, Browncoat!
✌️😁
Probably already mentioned in the comments but just in case when humanity left Earth due to overpopulation the only two government superpowers that survived were the Chinese government and the American government. They decided to unite and became The Alliance, and with that merger came a merger of the American and Chinese culture, so the two primary languages are English and Chinese. So, you'll hear the characters speaking Mandarin Chinese from time to time. Usually when they curse to get around TV censorship.
Idea for a poll:
You can choose to live as a crew member on a space ship in one of two futures. Which do you choose?
Serenity?
Normandy?
I honestly don't know which I'd choose.
Firefly was a show that was set-up to fail: the episodes were aired out of order, if they aired at all, the time they aired at was ever-changing, either because of sports or other reasons. It aired well before streaming so that even the show found its audience, its audience had problems finding the show.
Also, the actor who plays Jayne, Adam Baldwin, voices Kal'Reegar, Tali's commander in her recruitment mission in ME2. He's the soldier firing rockets at the Geth Colossus.
After Firefly we gotta do Battlestar Galactica please!
The crybaby is that oil drum looking thing they released. It’s meant to mimic a distress call from a nearby starship.
Fantastic series, you won’t be disappointed. BTW, the “crybaby“ thing is a device that mimics a ship signal, usually a distress signal, in order to mask their escape.
In Hollywood history, Westerns were once huge but science fiction killed the genre, beginning with "Star Wars" which intentionally copied Western tropes (the burning of Luke's family farm, stormtroopers riding animals in the desert, the shootout in the cantina, the dusty streets of Mos Eisly, Han Solo wearing a low-slung holster) and moved them into space. This movie was written as a meta-homage to that history.
I was thinking of joining your Patreon, but will be holding off now. At least Firefly is only 14 episodes. Some excellent series to consider are Chernobyl (5 episodes), True Detective S1 (8 episodes), and The Pacific (10 episodes).
OMG yes!!! This is one of my favorite shows of all time!! Enjoy!
Yes! Welcome, Browncoat!
YAY! New Firefly reactions. Hi! Loved this, can't wait to see more, thank you!!
Oh man, you are going to love this series. There are a few videos you can find on TH-cam that take place prior to the series called the River Tam sessions that you may want to watch as well.
Welcome to the Brown coats.
Glad you are liking it. One of my favorite shows for about 20 years now.
A few things to note, everyone speaks english and manderin because, well basically, the biggest superpowers were the first ones that made the exodus to leave earth. Hence why you see people speaking both languages lol. You will love this show i have no doubt.
Also, it lets them get foul language past the network censors. 🙂
@@DarrellPursiful Senji75 was giving the Firefly Universe reason... calm down
@@pleutron Was my smiley face not calm enough? 🙂
Welcome to our noble ranks, new Browncoat! A few rules:
1.) Never suggest Mal has anything to do with the Alliance.
2.) Never insult Serenity in front of Kaylee.
3.) Mal is in charge, but Zoe is the scary one.
4.) Always be shiny!
Raise one up for our newest brown coat!
Something worth pointing out.
1. Mal had faith - during the war (opening) he kisses his neck cross and claims God would not let them die.
2. The Independents (Browncoats) lost the war against the Alliance.
3. Mal lost faith - his negative reaction to giving thanks for food. NOTE: No problem with Shepherd Book, only with faith.
There's a reason Firefly is frequently listed as one of the best TV shows of all time. The writing is IMPECCABLE -- so much character work done in just one pilot episode. We have a good understanding of every character, and Mal, Jayne, Inara, Book and Simon even get ARCS. There are movies that don't manage this.
Yes, the characters are speaking Mandarin (badly). The premise is that Americans and Chinese people settled this corner of the 'verse: that's why you see Mal eating with chopsticks and a tin cup at one point. Joss Whedon DID originally plan to have Asians in the starring cast, but in the end he went with the best actors he could find. As a Chinese fan of the series, I think he made the right choice, because the performances are just that good. If you remade it today, with Chinese actors in much greater prominence, it would be much easier -- I wanna see Simu Liu's take on Simon -- but back in 2002, they made the best of what they had... and what they made is magic.
But I think that's an unfortunate mistake. You shouldn't utilize a real language that belongs to real people in a fictional production without having said people involved, and I'm not Chinese. Farscape, which lasted four seasons, used a fictional language to hide profanity.