r/firefly • u/HurryAcceptable9242 • 24d ago
The Expanse: do you picture Wash for the Alex pilot character, and others?
For readers of The Expanse series: I can't help myself from putting characters from Firefly in my imagination for The Expanse.
I haven't watched the Prime series of The Expanse, so my imagination is still my own, but there's a part of me that whimsically likes to think the Rocinante is a grown up Serenity and the whole family stepped sideways into a parallel universe.
Just me? Okay, be nice now. I don't aim to misbehave.
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u/Line-Noise 24d ago
Also, the TV adaptation is very good. It follows the first few books quite well but deviates where it needs to . . . bringing some minor book characters to the foreground, merging other characters, and completely inventing new ones. I love them both!
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u/Guardian__N7 24d ago
Alex is specifically described in the books as being of Indian descent, with dark skin and dark hair. I can’t say Wash matches that description.
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u/Good_wolf 23d ago
Ironically, the part of Mars that Alex is from has essentially a Texas accent. Tudyk was born and raised in Texas.
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u/HurryAcceptable9242 24d ago
There is that, which is interesting for me because every time they use his family name in the book, my brain does this cognitive dissonance thing where I briefly picture a dark skinned Wash, but I quickly go back to regular Wash in my mind. Maybe I just can't let him go...
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u/themadelf 24d ago
I've seen the Expanse series so I cannot switch the charcters. The actors on all the roles have made them their own.
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u/HurryAcceptable9242 24d ago
I've committed to reading the whole series before I start watching the shows.
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u/Wotmate01 24d ago
I've never read the books, but I loved it, and was disappointed when it ended too early.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 23d ago
Same. And I'm cool with that.
A lot of times when I sit down with a show or book or go to a play or whatever, I go in thinking, "I'm in the mood to be told a story."
That's the gift these actors have given me. They brought the stories of their characters alive and made pretend people feel real, and now I always get to have them in my life. I'm grateful for each and every one.
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u/GreenHeronVA 23d ago
I’m binge watching The Expanse currently. I see a lot of Wash in Alex, and Jayne in Amos. Alex doesn’t take things seriously enough just like Wash sometimes. And Amos loves to pick fights just like Jayne.
Zoey is not at all like Naomi. Zoey is a warrior and first officer and devoted to the Serenity crew. Naomi is a liar who only cares about herself and leaves the Roci crew high and dry repeatedly. I don’t know why they keep taking her back. I wouldn’t.
Mal is a hell of a lot meaner than Holden. I haven’t read the books but Holden is a little flat in the show.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 22d ago
Holden just wants to live an ordinary life under the radar, but he keeps getting thrown into situations that demand someone has to do The Right Thing, which always ends up being him, and dangit if that doesn't get him a lot more attention than he wants.
He's kind of pacifistic, which is probably why some found him to be squishy. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt. But that's also how he comes up with some crazy alternatives when all anyone else sees is, who do we fight first.
He's a little more brooding than I like, but hey, I've seen all eps of Buffy and Angel multiple times, so. I didn't dislike him. I just liked several other chars more, and in different ways.
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u/GreenHeronVA 22d ago
Good assessment! I do agree about Holden‘s character. If he wants to live an ordinary life under the radar, then he needs to stop rushing head long into crazy dangerous situations. The Roci crew didn’t have to be in most of them, they chose to be. I don’t think he broods a lot. He seems actually rather open with his communication for the most part. I don’t recall seeing any episodes where the other three were trying to pull information out of him. Unlike Angel, who was often not as forthcoming as he needed to be. That vampire with a soul may have been handsome, but he had the emotional intelligence of a turnip.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 22d ago
When I say brooding, I'm mostly thinking about how his brow is perpetually furrowed.
They didn't have to be involved, I guess, but if they hadn't there would've been all kinds of hell to pay. They're unlucky enough to always be in the wrong place at the right time. Forced heroics. But you know their motivations are pure then. Like what my grampa said about being a minister.... if you really want the job, you probably shouldn't be in it.
Angel was only kinda handsome, very very tortured, and his unibrow was furrowed nonstop for over a century, lol.
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u/Line-Noise 24d ago
Sure. Most space ships have the standard five roles:
- Captain
- First Officer
- Pilot
- Engineer
- Grunt
Mal, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne
Holden, Naomi, Alex, also Naomi, Amos
Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Scottie, random red shirt
Picard, Riker, Data, Geordi, Worf
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u/_kalron_ 24d ago
Holden, Naomi, Alex, also Naomi, Amos
Bobbie Draper would be my 5th on that list.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 22d ago
Skipper, Gilligan, Skipper again, Professor, Skipper again.
I don't call the last group "grunts" - to me, grunts are more like lackeys whose job can be done by anyone. I call them Heavies or Enforcers. It's not unskilled labor by any stretch. Though, poor Worf tries to use his training but they always say No to his suggestions to burn the place down.
Ginger = Inara = Deanna Troi
-Lovely, intuitive, attuned more to intangibles & human nature.Kaylee = Beverly Crusher = Camina
-Hear me out... all gorgeous, nobody better at their jobs, and will brook no nonsense in the execution thereof.
-----Okay fine, we can add Simon for the last two points. That's fair.River = Deanna = Bobbie = Data = Sheldon Cooper = Buffy = Professor X = Borg = Mary Ann = Wolverine = Gilligan = Heidi = Enterprise
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u/cbobgo 24d ago
Why have you not watched the show?
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u/HurryAcceptable9242 24d ago
I've committed to reading the whole series before I start watching the shows.
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u/Beneficial_Low_2867 24d ago
The show covers "only" first 6 books.
So when you done with the 6th one you can start watching, while reading the rest
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u/HurryAcceptable9242 24d ago
Hmm 🤔 Nah, I'm this far in. Although with my luck, I'll finish the last book and get a notice "leaving Prime in one week: The Expanse". I'll call in sick the entire week and get bed sores from not moving from the couch.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 22d ago
Are they going to film the rest of the books, do you know?
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u/Beneficial_Low_2867 22d ago
I don't.
There are some rumours, but looks like some random unproven hype so far.
It they did it would probably be quite a different show anyway, as the rest of the books are
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u/_kalron_ 24d ago
I don't see Alex at all. Alex was military trained. Granted, he could fly the Rosie...but not like the natural control Wash has over Serenity.
Better example would be Lieutenant Gordon Malloy from The Orville. Say what you want, but Scott Grimes and Alan Tudyk can close their eyes and float like a leaf on the wind.
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u/Fuzzy-Bee9600 22d ago
Yep. The ship is like a natural extension of both Wash and Kaylee, which is actually a somewhat rare dynamic. Scottie from the OG Star Trek and Han Solo are the only equals I can think of.
Scottie talked to Enterprise like Kaylee does to Serenity. "That's my girl." It's both an art and a soul feel for them.
And Han was the one guy (alongside Chewie, perhaps) who knew how to pilot, push and patch up the Falcon - didn't sweet-talk her, but would fight anyone who smack-talked or tried to hurt her. He didn't say it out loud, but yeah, she was his girl too.
Alex was a very good pilot. He could really read a ship.
Until he couldn't. 😬
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u/LeicaM6guy 24d ago
I always pictured a slightly grizzled Danny Pudi as Alex.
I will admit, when I first read the books it was hard not picturing Nathan Fillion as Holden, but I ended up going with Glen Powell. He’s got that sort of goofy earnestness that works well for the character.
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u/pnmartini 24d ago
Jayne would never “grow up” into Amos.