http://io9.com/371157/fireflybattlestar-writer-jane-espenson-explains-the-differences-between-the-two
Pics of Inara and #6, and Jane at the link
Jane Espenson Talks About Writing for Firefly and Battlestar -- and
Gives a Little Secret Cylon
Backstory
Jane Espenson is the only person to have written for both Firefly and
Battlestar Galactica, the
two best TV space operas of the past decade. She wrote Firefly's "Shindig"
and at least three
episodes so far for BSG. Back when Battlestar first launched, many people
felt it was trying to
copy the grittier look and handheld camera action of Firefly, so we
decided to ask Espenson what
she thought. Find out what she thinks the differences between the shows
are - and how Cylons
share memories - in our spoiler-free interview.
Q: What was it like being the only Firefly writer to come over to BSG?
Did you get a sense that
BSG was trying to imitate some of Firefly's more revolutionary elements,
like the grittier, less
heroic tone?
JE: I don't think Firefly influenced BSG. BSG was being developed
shortly after Firefly was,
and I'm under the impression that Ron (Moore) would've been too busy
coming up with Battlestar to
be watching Firefly.
Q: What do you think the differences between the two shows are?
JE: Certainly the shows *feel* entirely different to me. Firefly was
more episodic, while BSG
is one long novel. Firefly laughed openly, while BSG's humor is so black
it can be hard to see
against a dark background. Both shows reflect the souls of their creators
and not each other. I
know I never think about Firefly when we're working on Battlestar. Does
evolution think about a
deer while it's making a llama? (No. It doesn't. They're equal, similar,
and also different.)
Q: How are the writing rooms on the two shows similar, or different?
JE: I never worked in a writers' room at Firefly. Maybe there was
one, but I worked on the
story for "Shindig" one-on-one with Joss. BSG, though, is all about a very
lively room that is
guided by Ron, although not always in person. The writers at Battlestar,
to a man, are amazing.
They're smart, funny, and incredibly devoted to making a challenging and
intelligent
show.
Q: You came onto BSG with its third season. Is it challenging to take
on established
characters who've been around for a while, and try to come up with
something new to do with them?
JE: That's at the heart of a TV writer's job. Even on a new show, the
creator will have
established the characters in the pilot and the writers have to build on
what's already there. In
fact, my favorite part of the job is matching a pre-existing voice. And
"finding something new to
do with them" can be easy when you're dealing with a world as dense in
past conflict and grounded
disagreements and desperate alliances as Battlestar is... throw a new
situation at these characters
and you'll have something new and electric to write about.
Q: Is it true that Ron Moore wrote a Cylon Bible, which tells about
their culture and what
life on a Basestar is like?
JE: There is, indeed, something like a Cylon bible - a document that
describes their culture
and their ships. There is also a similar document about life on Galactica.
I was given these when I
was hired and I can vouch that they're fascinating!
Q: Can you share anything non-spoilery from either of these? Like,
how do the different
Sharons share so many memories? When we first meet the Athena version of
Sharon, she knows a lot of
stuff that the Boomer version knows somehow, despite one of them being on
Caprica and the other
being on Galactica.
JE: Not all Eights know everything the other Eights know. But during
a download, memories are
stored and can be accessed by a curious Cylon who knows how. Different
models may differ on how
widely memories are shared between different incarnations of the same
model.
--
David
http://geocities.com/daviderl31/buffy.htm
http://geocities.com/daviderl31/firefly.htm
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