Farscape gun handling observations

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White Horseradish

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For my birthday this year I got a 4 season set of Farscape. Naturally, I am in the process of watching it beginning to end.

The episode I watched last night had some close-ups of pistols and I made an interesting observation. Officer Aeryn Sun, played by Claudia Black, an Australian actress, always keeps her finger off the bang switch. John Crighton, played by Ben Browder, an American, constantly has fingers in triggerguards.

So, what do you think? Is this an intentional thing meant to differentiate Officer Sun, a career sodier, from Crighton, a scientist/astronaut? Or an indication of Ms. Black's interest in shooting? Or maybe the Australian actors do more research...
 
I wonder if Ms. Black's keeping her finger off the trigger of the "weapons" is impacted by the work she did on River Rats (?) , an Aussi cop drama she was on before Farscape. I've seen her do that same when her roles on Stargate SG-1 call for her character Vala to handle weapons.

Jerri Ryan did the same during her tenure on Star Trek:Voyager. I've seen a couple of shots where Seven of Nine is running about wielding a phaser rifle, while the Captain has her finger on the trigger.

Or maybe its the actors? I've noted that Ms. Black's skills are apparently better than Ben Browder's. Vala is NOT Aeryn, and Ms. Black did a bang on job as Crighton in the 2nd season body-switching episode, along with a very compelling Chiana in an unrealized reality segment late in the fourth season. Ben's acting just seems the same no matter what the character is, even in the movie Memphis Bell from the '80s.
 
All of the characters in SG-1 have excellent handling skills, including muzzle control. Vala has continued with proper handling. Unfortunately, Ben Browder still puts his finger on the trigger occasionally.
 
I've noticed scifi programs in general display more proper gun handling than all of the other gun shows put together.
 
add me to the list of Friday night scifi channel fans.Farscape is my all time favorite show though the new Battlestar Galactica is great also.I watch all those shows.
 
not to hijack your tread. (well i guess this is relevant as Claudia Black and Ben Browder are on Stargate now) i was watching my DVD of Stargate the other day, and noticed Gen. O'Nell's terrible gun handling. i don't remember the episode right now.

so anyway he's coming home and notices the front door open, draws his M9 from what looks like a SOB or MOB holster and does a press check (so good so far) WITH HIS HAND IN FRONT OF THE MUZZLE AND HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER. i had to stop and rewind it a few times to make sure i was seeing it right.

by the way Richard Dean Anderson is rabidly anti-gun.

other then that i really like stargate. i'm going to miss it.
 
Anderson is big time anti-gun, but totally inconsistant. In the 200th Episode special of SG, he was asked what was his favorite scene and he said one where he got to shoot a SAW. He said he loves shooting the weapons on SG-1, as long as they have blanks in them. He said he doesn't like guns shooting real bullets. He just doesn't want us lowly peons shooting weapons.

I resisted watching SG-1 for a long time because of Anderson, but finally overcome my dislike of him. He can have his views and me mine. I find it amusing that the show has to be filmed in Canada because most of their weapons are banned in the US. No P90s here.
 
Well, what do you want from a guy who can blow up a tank with used bubblegum, a dirty sock and duct tape? :neener:

Who needs a gun when you have that kind of skill?

Oh, and to stay on thread....Claudia Black with a gun...yeah, baby!
 
Does anyone else find it hipocritical of anti-gun actors ie: Richard Dean Anderson, Kim Bassinger, Alec Balwin and the boys, Shawn Penn,etc. making so much money using guns in movies. It actually angers me quite a bit. Not as much as Diane Fienstein having a gun permit but, they are acting and then again why do we care what the pretenders care about such things as guns and politics anyhow? It's not like actors have special insights into such things.

by the way love SG-1.
 
man I really hope they don't cancel SG1.....
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It's a great show, and 10 seasons is quite an accomplishment for ANY TV show, much more for a sci-fi fantasy show based off a not very well received(but extremely awesome) movie. I would rather they go out properly than turn to junk and crap out on a down note.

I hope Atlantis goes for another 7 season. I honestly think that is a great spin-off, and the episodes that tie the two series together are pretty neat. I like it when spin off shows do that, like Voyager leaving from DS9 in the first episode.

This is getting way OT. :p
 
man I really hope they dont cancel SG1....
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From what I understand the real issue is Skiffy playing games trying to get the show cheaper. MGM thinks they can go on in syndication but Skiffy is standing in the way of that, too. Basically it seems to be the same crap they've pulled with every other franchise (Sliders, Farscape, to name two out of a bunch).

Interestingly, the Skiffy contract apparently does not have a clause forbidding first-run syndication in overseas markets so MGM may take the show to other markets until the Skiffy contract expires.
 
One of the things that most impressed me about Farscape's writing was that in the episode where they do end up on a (sort of) Earth, Claudia Black's character is supposed to be an absolutely professional soldier trained nearly since birth.

And even though her "familiar" weaponry is quite different, it only takes her a few moments of study to figure out, then be able to (effectively!) use what looked like an AR-15.

I would figure that someone that trained WOULD be able to do that, not the usual "your earth weapons are primitive, I cannot figure it out!" drivel that most SF does.

I was impressed by that.
 
I liked that episode, too. One thing about it that made me crack up, though, is that the pistol they wound up with was a Desert Eagle...
 
HKmp5sd; "I resisted watching SG-1 for a long time because of Anderson, but finally overcome my dislike of him. He can have his views and me mine. I find it amusing that the show has to be filmed in Canada because most of their weapons are banned in the US. No P90s here."

Hate to break it to you, but they're not allowed here either. Bullpups aren't allowed, P90's aren't allowed, and 5.7 catridges aren't allowed. 3 strikes for a safety and security. At least you're allowed a 'pussified' version, we can't get anything at all.

About Stargate, you might be surprised to hear that there's a strong correlation between the release dates by Toyko Marui of airsoft guns, and the change of weapons used on that show. TM was making lots of MP5's, and then they released the P90, an just recently they released the MP7. I wonder what Stargate is using...
 
I have seen P-90's at a recent gun show, long barrel and semi to make it legal. It was interesting to examine; it was heavier than I thought it would be, and pretty ergonomic. It was pretty expensive at over $2000.00 and WAAAAAY above my budget. If I want a longarm that fires a small cartridge I think I'll just keep the M-1 Carbine I inherited from my father.:p
The guns used on the Star Gate series are not real guns. They are propguns and use propane released through valves to "mimic" gunfire. In fact, when they're carrying guns and not shooting, they are carrying dummy guns that won't do anything.
The reason they're made in Canada is cheaper labour costs; has nothing to do with firearms laws.
 
Wasn't there an SG-1 episode where SG-1 was fighting this alien with the people from another planet. The aliens where immune to the more "advanced" energy weapons. But where completly vulnerable to the kinetic (Firearms) weapons that SG-1 uses. I think there was a conversation like this.

Your earth weapons are so primitive.

Yea, but they WORK.

/:D
 
Hate to break it to you, but they're not allowed here either.
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Doesn't matter to me what they have in Canada, that was just the rumor. :) I'd like a P90, but will settle for a PS-90 SBR. I already have a REAL MP5 and M16A1, the kind with the third position on the selector switch and shoots real bullets. :cool:

Your earth weapons are so primitive.
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A bunch of episodes. The Replicators. In one episode, the Asgard came to Earth to borrow a human to assist them because they couldn't think "stupid" enough as to design a weapon which propelled a metal projectile by a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur.
 
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