blogs_blog_1854

TBBT's content is hardly comparable to Fireflies. That's not to say that parts of the show aren't pushing the limit, but other licenses like Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean also had some more adult themes, but those weren't the focus of the sets. TBBT references that stuff a lot, but not to the same degree as Firefly.

 

My complaint is that the set looks boring. I don't want a living room scene where they sit around their memorabilia. They should have some sort of science lab and a cool function to make it that way.  The show may be about relationships, but the science they routinely use in it is real, and that should’ve been more in focus in this model IMO.  But that’s just me, and I’ll vote for the Bird set over this with my money.

 

You'll never have a fair comparison if you just isolate one aspect. As a whole, I'd still consider Firefly a bit more objectionable. And as is said in every Ideas announcement, many factors are considered, not the least of which is marketability. The Big Bang Theory undeniably does have a much larger audience, both in numbers and ages.

 

I'm fine with not wanting it to be a set. I even said I never expected it, and that is true. But I did not appreciate feeling like I was being vilified. And it's not even just this case; it's a sentiment I've felt in general for a while.

 

My complaint is that the set looks boring. I don't want a living room scene where they sit around their memorabilia. They should have some sort of science lab and a cool function to make it that way.  The show may be about relationships, but the science they routinely use in it is real, and that should’ve been more in focus in this model IMO.  But that’s just me, and I’ll vote for the Bird set over this with my money.

 

But we haven't even seen the set yet, just the fan-created Ideas submission.

Which in and of itself is my issue with the set, assuming the Ideas version looks anything similar; it's just cashing in on a popular thing right now, and not being an interesting LEGO set on its own merits. If TBBT hadn't gotten a three year renewal and was ending this year, I find it much harder to believe this would have gotten the support required to pass.

TBBT's content is hardly comparable to Fireflies. That's not to say that parts of the show aren't pushing the limit, but other licenses like Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean also had some more adult themes, but those weren't the focus of the sets. TBBT references that stuff a lot, but not to the same degree as Firefly.

And focus of the Firefly set was the ship itself, as opposed to being Inara's rooms or the site of a Reaver attack. I can't really agree with you about the degree of reference to the, ah, big bang in each show. Many of the episodes in TBBT have major or minor plots the revolve entirely around the subject, and plots that don't tend to be laced with not terribly thin veiled innuendo. The only Firefly episode that comes to mind like that is Heart of Gold (and Our Mrs. Reynolds, but HoG is steeped in the subject), and the Kaylee-Simon romance-plot in the movie. True, there was barely a season of episodes so there may have been more if it had continued. And as for just referencing, as opposed to depicting, a reference in Firefly is passed over unless the characters themselves dwell on it. In TBBT, it gets pointed out with a laughing audience so that it can't be missed. It's like Shrek, among others, except if this were TBBT there would be a nice howling laugh moment when Shrek claims Farquad is "compensating." Neither are what you'd call "Kid Friendly," but one of these projects was stated to be rejected for not being so while the other gets by with flying colors and a smile.

I can see your point and I do agree to an extent. Part of me finds BBT a bit more objectionable because of how crass it is (though Jayne makes up for it in a sentence, hah).

 

I guess my put-off-ness of the set is because I plain don't like BBT and find it insulting and am bummed that my favorite toy would endorse it. Especially since they just did a set focusing on women in science, it's sad to go back to stereotypes.

 

But that, as they say, is just my opinion. And I would kill for a Lego Serenity because, y'know, it's Serenity.

I think Firefly without Jayne would probably alleviate about half the concerns of family friendliness XD sadly, it would be odd to see Firefly sans Jayne, and TBBT would be a very different show if the emphasis brought up were removed.

I guess my put-off-ness of the set is because I plain don't like BBT and find it insulting and am bummed that my favorite toy would endorse it. Especially since they just did a set focusing on women in science, it's sad to go back to stereotypes.

Evidently there are plenty of people who feel differently, because one of the builders of the Big Bang Theory project is the exact same person who created the project that became the Research Institute set. And that builder, Alatariel, is herself a scientist, specifically a geochemist. I have also seen a lot of other people excited about this project because they are themselves scientists or science fans.

 

In my opinion, the teasing of intellectuals in the show is not meant to be taken personally, and it's clear that a lot of people appreciate the show because it focuses on jokes and characters they can relate to in terms of their OWN interests, not because it helps them to feel better than anybody else. It's sort of the same reason why many people enjoy parodies that take irreverent jabs at the flawed or ridiculous aspects of the franchise they're based on. Parodies offer a chance for people to laugh at their own interests, just as the nerdy cast of the The Big Bang Theory offer a chance for like-minded viewers to laugh at those interests and at themselves.

 

I think there's something incredibly ironic that some people insist the show is hurtful to nerds and intellectuals. Taken to its logical conclusion, this kind of thinking insinuates that the nerds and intellectuals who DO enjoy it are too socially and culturally oblivious to recognize when they're the butt of a joke. Is that not the same kind of stereotype people accuse The Big Bang Theory of perpetuating?

 

Now, as for comparing it to Firefly, I have to say I've never seen Firefly (I really need to fix that soon; at this point I really have no excuse), but I think you have to bear in mind that different cultures respond differently to different taboos. So the LEGO Group's Danish corporate culture might have somehow influenced those two decisions. Or it might not have. I'm just pointing out the possibility.