Can't Stop the ISSerenity

February 19, 2009 1:43 PM

via whedonesque.com: Vote for the name of node 3 of the ISS. Apparently Joss needs our help. "After Serenity made it to space last year, NASA want to know what to name part of the space station, and Serenity is on the list."

I just voted and it's a runaway victory for Serenity...IANA buffy geek or anything, but I do love the Serenity.

posted by valentinepig (41 comments total)

The results are official, Mr. President, and the people have spoken. The International Space Station will hereinafter be known as Mr Splashypants.
posted by Damn That Television at 1:46 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

How about naming it, "Joss Whedon's cool and all that, but maybe NASA could concentrate more on the kind of science and engineering that took us to the Moon, and less on stupid pandering public relations, and then maybe America would respect NASA again".

Yeah, that would be an appropriate name.
posted by orthogonality at 1:47 PM on February 19 [6 favorites]

Actually, I kind of like the pandering. Makes me feel special.
posted by jabberjaw at 1:49 PM on February 19

Wait, you really thought a "hey vote for this thing in this web poll" post belonged on the front page of Metafilter? Your judgment is clearly so impaired that I'd like to vote for one of the competitors, but Earthrise , Legacy, and Venture are equally lame. I'm writing in "FLAGGED".
posted by dersins at 1:49 PM on February 19

THE WHEDON FANS MUST BE HEARD!!!! FIRST THEY SAVED A TV SHOW, NOW, THEY'LL NAME THE WORRRRRLLLDD!

Wait, they didn't save the TV show?
posted by cavalier at 1:51 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

Well, I was going to object to this shill for a pop culture reference in space - but then I looked at the names of the first two nodes: Unity and Harmony. Serenity fits really well with those. And as much as I love the photo Earthrise, naming a node after it seems redundant.

Unity, Harmony, Serenity. It works.
posted by crossoverman at 1:52 PM on February 19 [4 favorites]

The Arthur C. Clark Ghuzinta Module
posted by bondcliff at 1:53 PM on February 19

GO TEAM VENTURE
posted by boo_radley at 1:54 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

Unity, Harmony, Serenity.

It's a 12-step program for space exploration.
posted by GuyZero at 1:54 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

...e
posted by bondcliff at 1:54 PM on February 19

Plus, Harmony's already a Joss Whedon character. All he has to do is create some kind of brainwashing, longhair cat-stroking supervillain organization named "Unity" before Dollhouse is canceled (in 3 ... 2 ... 1) and he'll have a trifecta.
posted by adipocere at 1:55 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

Voted for Venture.

That's revenge for having watched the Dollhouse pilot.
posted by eyeballkid at 2:03 PM on February 19

I actually think Dollhouse has some potential. Give it time.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:05 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I like how the fifth most written-in suggestion is "Endor".
posted by wander at 2:05 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I wrote in "Nostromo".
posted by The Tensor at 2:07 PM on February 19 [4 favorites]

2girls1cupola
posted by CynicalKnight at 2:10 PM on February 19 [4 favorites]

Unity, Harmony, Serenity. It works.

They can name future ones Tranquility, Serendipity, Melody, Vanity, Honey, Bambi... wait, I've slipped into stripper names again haven't I?

Serenity is nice though. It makes the geek in me smile.
posted by quin at 2:13 PM on February 19

Maybe this is what will bring back the show guys!
posted by The Devil Tesla at 2:13 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

I erred on the side of seeing the vote go in favor of Serenity. I know some fans hang out here. If it's removed, then so be it.
posted by valentinepig at 2:14 PM on February 19

I voted for it to be called "That awesome moustache that Wash had in that one flashback episode."
posted by Greg Nog at 2:17 PM on February 19 [6 favorites]

I'm *so* tempted to write in "Butterstick".
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:18 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I guess I'm the only geek alive who doesn't think much of Serenity or Firefly. I just don't find any of Whedon's work that I've seen to be at all imaginative.
posted by caporal at 2:26 PM on February 19

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't one of the major themes of Firefly that Serenity was an outdated vessel that barely limped from port to port, held together with electrical tape and wishes? Is that really the sort of image that NASA wants to present?

Although I have to admit that the notion of NASA identifying themselves as a crew of misfits who are doing the only sort of work that they're qualified to do, while struggling to secure funds from mission to mission, with a relationship with the government that can only be called "adversarial", seems oddly appropriate to me.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 2:27 PM on February 19 [8 favorites]

How about the Boîte diabolique?
posted by snoktruix at 2:30 PM on February 19

The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station, and follow in the tradition set by Node 1- Unity- and Node 2- Harmony.

So, based on this, I'm guessing the fact that Serenity is a possible choice and the name of a Joss Whedon film/spaceship is a bit of a coincidence. It fits very well with the first two names.

I enjoy Whedon's stuff for the most part, but every use of the term Serenity does not automatically reference his work.

I wrote in for Babylon 4
posted by never used baby shoes at 2:33 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

STARSCREAM
posted by Science! at 2:47 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

Oh man! This needs to turn into a "taters" write-in campaign!
posted by eyeballkid at 3:00 PM on February 19

Bah. Trekkers got a real-life spacecraft named over 30 years ago. I suppose we can throw the Whedonistas a bone.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:05 PM on February 19

There appears to have been an oversight: Marcus Garvey is missing from the options.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:16 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

SERENITY NOW!
posted by mazola at 3:38 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

KOBAYASHI MARU
posted by never used baby shoes at 3:42 PM on February 19

Serenity? That's a funny name. I'da called 'em 'chazwozzers'.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:45 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

"CANCELED MID SEASON"?
posted by Artw at 4:06 PM on February 19

just when you wished rick-rolling would die NASA gives us

Unity, Harmony... ASTLEY.
posted by Hammond Rye at 4:23 PM on February 19

Oh, and Enterprise is a real-life spacecraft only in that it is shaped like one.
posted by rikschell at 4:41 PM on February 19

I read that one of the write-in names for the ISS back in '98 was "Giant Space Thingy".

I'm goin' with that.
posted by Lucinda at 4:48 PM on February 19

Unity, Harmony, and George Michael Bluth.
posted by clearly at 5:32 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I like how the fifth most written-in suggestion is "Endor".

That's no space station, that's a moon!
posted by crossoverman at 5:35 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

I vote for Serenity...with 'Dollhouse' and 'Sunnydale' as options for future models. And when it's time to de-orbit the ISS (which will be right around when it's finally f***ing finished...), they can name the de-orbit module "Hellmouth'.
posted by spincycle at 5:39 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

What, no Horrible?
posted by Foosnark at 10:09 PM on February 19

Yeah, well, when you find out that the River Tam session tapes were actually shot at Abu Ghraib, you're all gonna be sorry.

(What, you thought those were fake? Why do you think Bush refused to pardon Scooter Libby? The pedo-bear knows what went down. He helped Cheney schedule the whole thing).

This does, incidentally, explain how Summer Glau got talked into shooting those godforsaken Fox promo bumpers that aired last week during Dollhouse... the nerd porn ones.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 10:10 AM on February 20