How did you become a Browncoat?

[RitaKAustinTX]

I remember on the first First Sunday- we used this questions as an ice breaker.

So tell me your stories of how you found Firefly/Serenity. How did you become "one of us?"

My story-

I didn't know there was even a TV show (I was out of the country during that time) and I never watched any whedon anything ever. Then I got back and I saw the trailer for Serenity and my friend leaned over and said "it was a tv show- you missed it." I though "huh? whazzat?'

Then I saw the big damn movie and I was mesmerized by Jayne. I said to my friend (different friend- I used to have non-BC friends, I wonder what happened to those people....) "why isn't this part played by Bill Paxton?" Because I LOVE Bill Paxton. and Jayne is very Paxtonian. So I was IN LOVE and I really didn't understand the movie at all because I was so distracted thinking "I want to be on that ship!" And I bought the show dvds the next day and I went crazy and I got all over the internet looking up stuff.

And then I found the Austin Browncoats Yahoo group and I WAS SO EXCITED! (thanks for making that Andy B!) And now I'm all "ABCs 4 Eva!!!"

[haldira]

That's a great question.

I was already a Whedonite..or whatever, so I watched Firefly out of loyalty (and in hope of it being better than Angel...because I thought Whedon dropped the proverbial ball with Angel).

I'm a huge Sci-Fi/Western fan - I mean...hello Star Wars!  I fell in love with the Firefly 'Verse.  I went to Russia before the show was cancelled and was broken hearted when I found out.  I wrote a bunch of angry emails from a wireless cafe and wished that I could watch the last episodes. 

Fast forward to 2005 - Alamo Drafthouse premiered Serenity with two very hot ladies and I watched that and smiled. 

2006 - b!X starts the Can't Stop The Serenity movement.  I wanted to get involved, but didn't have the time.  I was disappointed that Austin didn't get involved.

2007 - Devin Pike is running 2007's Can't Stop The Serenity.  His kindness and dedication to the cause helps me get involved.  I run Austin's event and from then on...the rest is history.    Browncoat Forever!

[Zeek]

I was already a Buffy & Angel fan and knew that Joss Whedon was the best writer on television.  Though I must say I was skeptical about Firefly because the ads just made it look so crazy.  Still I watched it and even though The Train Job seemed rather odd for a first episode, the scene where Mal kicks the guy through the engine made me stick with it.  I was busy with school at the time and I often didn't have time to catch the show on TV.  So, there were a few times when I had to find a source to download the episode from.  That's when I found the "unaired episode" that was the actual pilot.  That helped to make the show seem much better.  After it was canceled I was still around downloading other things and I saw the rest of the "unaired" episodes on there and was so excited.

Then I decided to hunt around and see what other content I was missing.  I found fireflyfans.net and they seemed to know everything about the show.  There I heard about the potential DVD release and I got excited for that.  Then the movie rumors started and I just had to stick around to keep up to date with that info and then there was the long wait for the movie.  By that point I'd be on the message boards for so long that I was pretty well invested in the browncoat community.  It paid off big time when fireflyfans posted the news about the pre-screenings and I was able to get tickets to the first ones in Austin and see Nathan and Ron in person.  That was the most amazing energy filled theater I've ever been in.  It was one of the coolest nights of my life.  Joss's message to the fans.  The actors showing up.  The powerful movie.  All of it was just priceless.

Now I still spend plenty of time on fireflyfans and keep up with all the latest rumors.  Hopefully there's some truth to Alan saying there are rumblings about a sequel.

[hornslongtx]

I got an extremely late jump. I read a review of the Serenity movie DVD in the Chronicle. It sounded pretty cool so I downloaded the show and the movie. (Yes, I stole it, I'm evil, sue me.) I thought it was the best tv series I had ever seen and immediately bought the DVD set and the movie. I must say I prefer the tv series to the movie mostly because of the explosions in space. Anyhow, I began doing some internet poking and discovered the browncoats. A little more poking and I decided it was something I wanted to be a part of. One more browncoat.

[Marc Gunn]

I remember performing at I-Con in New York when my bandmate told me, "That's Jewel Staite from Firefly". My response, "What?" Which on retrospect was probably good. It kept me from slobbering all over in a fannish frenzy.

Mid-summer, Andrew lent me a copy of the show. I watched the first episode, and thought "nice"! Then I saw "Train Job" and the kick through the engine, and I was hooked. (I had too many unresolved enemies while playing D&D growing up). I went on a power watch with my girlfriend at the time. I watched as quickly as she'd let me. So it took 2-3 days. *sigh* But that didn't stop me from ordering my own copy immediately.

Since I had started my own podcasts by then, I decided to look for a Firefly podcast. There, I found The Signal and that was the first regular podcast I listened too... and I did so obsessively. And I still do today.

[od0_ital]

Well, I saw the promos on FOX, and wanted to check out the show.  I had seen Buffy & Angel, and looked forward to seein' something new.

But 'The Train Job' didn't get my attention.  The next week, I recorded the second episode, but didn't watch it.  And by the third week, I just didn't care.

Fast forward to pickin' up the complete series box set on a Christmas sale, meant as a gift to my older brother.  When the family thing cancelled and some words were exchanged, I opened the box set & kept it for myself.

Loved almost every episode, and realized just how jacked up it was that 'The Train Job' was the first episode.  Seriously, WTF?!?

Since then, I've introduced other friends to Firefly and took a couple of friends to a free advanced screenin' of Serenity the week before it was released.  They seemed to like it quite a bit, too.  I also got the chance to meet Ron Glass (Book was my favorite on the show, with Jayne a close second) at a scifi con, and got a Firefly 8x10 signed "Oh, I think I have heathens aplenty right here. Ron Glass".  His Q & A at the con was one of the most entertainin' events I've been to durin' a scifi con.

[Kain]

My coworkers kept talking about it for a while, but I didn't have cable and its time on Fox was long gone.  Our game designer described the series as almost like D&D in terms of characters and skills.  I had to wait for the DVD set to become available in stores before I could get it... and I was blown away.  And the movie blew me away.  And that is when I knew.