Remember when I teased you with the title that Serenity Will See Space Once More? And the article simply talked about Nasa offering a contest to name Node 3’s module on the space station? Well the overwhelming 86% vote got trumped by a “write in” and the contest winner is Colbert.
NASA’s mistake was allowing write-ins. Colbert urged viewers of his Comedy Central show, “The Colbert Report” to write in his name. And they complied, with 230,539 votes. That clobbered Serenity, one of the NASA choices, by more than 40,000 votes. Nearly 1.2 million votes were cast by the time the contest ended Friday.
The “write in” option in a contest is just a courtesy flush to those who do not like any of the options offered. The likelihood of any write in vote getting higher numbers than an existing poll entry is very slim.
Stephen Colbert, a comedian and political pundit I do respect needs to learn to use his powers for good. He managed to over ride nearly 200,000 votes to immortalize the name Serenity on the space station with a gag presented on his show. I agree that he is proving that his viewership is a force to be reckoned with, and it scares me that his whims would be so effective.
Nasa reps have suggestively stated that despite the contest winner, at the end of the day Nasa will choose their own name and the online contest will simply be a consideration. I hope that the more fittingly inspirational name Serenity would be used if not to tribute the show, but at least to give a more suitable name that would reflect the quiet and peace of space.
what a bunch of sore losers. Colbert won. if that other name was more popular then it would have won. maybe nasa should have just done a better job spreading the news then colbert did. (btw he said it twice on his show, late night also) hilarious
I guarantee you that if the name serenity would have had the public platform that colbert did ( his t.v. show ) serenity would have won by a mile. Brown coats stand as one!
So because it got cancelled it was a “failed series.”
What constitutes failure I’mBIGsampson?
Not being popular? Poor ratings? So in that sense, failure is only opinion based on numbers and percentage.
Either way, I never watched the show, so fuck it who cares. Your opinion will always be correct.
touche, I’mBIGsampson.
The name with the most is only to be seen as a deciding factor. Not what they ultimately decide to name it. I’ve been watching the Colbert “repore” since day one. I get his humour and laugh constantly. That being said, “Colbert” is not a fitting name for this rocket. Just because the fanboys love and adore him, it must be. So what, he got the most votes? I guess if I had an ongoing show on COMEDY CENTRAL watched by millions on a weekly basis named Droid, I’d get a lot of votes to. Again, I love Steven Colbert from back in his Daily Show days, YES I AM REFERRING TO THE TIME “KILBY” WAS HOSTING, but give me a fucking break. The rules from NASA state that NASA will ultimately decide the name, and hopefully they will choose what’s fitting, not what’s popular.
“Just because the fanboys love and adore him”
oh i thought u where talking about the failed name of that failed series and failed movie….i dont watch tv so i dont care bout colbert….but if your gonna name it after a sci fi tv program…..fuck serenity….sounds like a bad guild name for WoW…
rather see it called falcon punch or shiny metal thing
Colbert FTW. I think since he won not only did he win but he crushed the would be winner so why shouldn’t they name it after him. Yeah keyword IF how many other names from any show were put up there… and then how many even made it close to his votes… think of it like this you enter your name in on a contest and just because they dont like your name they decide to hand what ever it is over to some dumbass named serenity.
I also want to add this: why ask the public for a name if they are just going to throw out the winner and choose for themselves anyways.. seems kinda pointless to me.
I think it is a good idea for NASA to try to pull in a younger generation’s interest for exploration like Antonio said. And yes contests like this do shine light on what NASA is doing and maybe opens up little doors of interest in people’s hearts. But what it isnt going to do is win peoples support when they hold a contest and then back out of it because they dont like the name that won. I find that to be the problem here. Colbert is a funny mofo! I have to give it to him here…he won the vote!!! Now he should protest and throw a fit about the fact that his name may not even be given a chance because that is what NASA’s statement means (and I am following along his line of humor with that suggestion so dont get all crazy on me here). And by the way…I thought Firefly and Serenity ROCKED!!!
I know, as film fans, we hear the word “serenity” and automatically think of the movie. However, who’s to say that NASA didn’t just want to use the word simply because of its denotation and had no intention of connecting it to the TV show? As popular as the show is among film/TV fans, how many people REALLY remember the show/movie?
That being said, Colbert won, and I say that’s what they should name it!
As a NASA employee, I find this to be great news. NASA has been trying to get the younger generation involved in our exploration efforts. Hopefully contests like this one opens the doors of imagination to our upcoming leaders to further the exploration efforts of mankind.
Gotta go with the Rod on this one, I love Colbert, but the name makes me think of coffee and paperwork. The latter of which I avoid.
@ nbakid2000- thanks for clarifying on the name of that muppet movie. I missed your post earlier
you should stop hating Colbert…Rodney. He’s a power to reckon with….and maybe its a lesson for NASA to not allow write ins next time. also did you ever thing that Nasa used Colbert to get coverage….so it goes both ways.
I think Mute is a better word for no sound than serenity which sounds like a brand name of some candle:-)
Who says I am hating? I said clear as day in the post that I respect him and somehow you translate that into hate.
ya i never read anywhere that u hate one him so…
we should run a vote on here.
colbert or serenity?
I will make my vote one for COLBERT.
Colbert
They could always name the toilet the Colbert…for some reason I think that he would find it funny to think astronauts thinking about him every time they have to go… For years after returning from space any time they felt that urge they would want to see his show… It might even be a good monument to prove how random crap can accomplish stuff.
Colbert.
so they should over ride the clear winner because you don’t like the result?
why did nasa bother running the vote…they should have just checked in with you yeah?
look at this way
firefly – a failed tv show
serenity – a flop movie
why would they want to associate it with something that has failed so much. why jinx the launch.
if they are going to name it after a show at least the colbert report has viewers.
the ten guys who still can’t let go of the highly overrated serenity need to lay it to rest.
Not that I disagree with you that both Firefly and Serenity both failed at Box Office and TV launch, but calling them a failure is a little short sited. The DVD sales alone for both are staggering so it is not hard to see why this show is routinely mentioned for comeback even though it will never happen. Both shows have die-hard loyal fans.
Above all “Colbert” clearly won this poll, so all I can say is congrats, but I don’t have to like the outcome.
the film was a flop and the show failed. those are facts.
so what dvd sales of baywatch where of the hook too….doesnt mean it was a good show.
Besides, “Colbert” isn’t exactly an obnoxious word, if he was trying to get “Fuckstick” put on the side I could understand why they’d want to change it.
Colbert’s name going on the ship will give me hours (well minutes at least) of laughter. What would Serenity getting its name on the ship give me?
Colbert FTW
SERENITY the tv show sucked so hardcore….i cant believe some fans liked it…i swear people just cling to odd things like the serenity crap….firefly w/e seriously it sucked…so many flaws in its crap tastic acting so on….i rather have the space station be called darth vader then serenity….meh fan boy boo boo show.
“reflect the quiet and peace of space”
while Serenity would reflect the quiet of space, it sure as hell does not reflect the “peace” of space. I’d like to know how space is peaceful? lol
im just sayin
roflmao!
how freakin awesome is that.
read this from a comment at Slashdot. seems Colbert was not just trying to show how powerful his viewership is.
“It’s not mentioned in the article, but what brought this all up in the first place was the fact that “Xenu” was winning the write-in vote before he asked viewers on his show to write in his own name instead. Xenu is the galactic overlord from Scientology myth. Colbert asked his viewers to write in his own name, and the following day he had already passed Xenu on the write-ins. The show that evening, he declared himself the new galactic overlord.”
I get the humor in Colbert trying to get things named after him, and I think he is pretty hilarious, but Serenity sounds much better in this case. I hope NASA goes with Serenity.
I’m pretty sure he didn’t MEAN to get people to actually vote for him and win. Like you said, it was a gag that went a bit too far. If anything, I figured he was trying what he did when he wanted to run for President, thinking he probably wasn’t gonna win. If that was the case… well, its getting a step closer to Colbert ruling the world.
“reflect the quiet and peace of space”
LOL. seriously?
and echoing shane, what makes you think NASA folks are more likely to want to pay tribute to Firefly than Colbert? give it to colbert, the funny man’s done it again.
Yes seriously. Read a book.
And Serenity has a quiet tribute to the show, but for those who do not know it sounds a lot more “space like” than Colbert does.
Yea, come on. I like Colbert as much as the next person, I watch his show all the time! But lets be honest, he is a shameful media whore at times.
Serenity is the logical, natural choice for a space station. Colbert would sound better on the side of an Aircraft Carrier.
who tells another human being to ‘read a book’ when asked a question?
you take opposing opinions too personally ROD….lighten up.
another W for the Colbert Nation!
but in all seriousness….wheres the MOVIE news?
i go to theTVblog.com for my colbert info….
also, without reading a book, id have to imagine that it can get pretty violent and loud in some parts of space, i mean look at the moon…that thing has had a VIOLENT past.
Christian, Serenity IS a movie. So this is related.
Nothing in space is loud. Sound cannot travel in a vaccuum.
Just sayin.
P.S. And really Rodney, are we not just swapping the name from one show to another…
Think about it.
It is one show to another, but in the case of Serenity it also serves as a suitable name for a space station.
Space is often refered to in such terms.
And Serenity has humans eating humans, or worse (ravers) killing ect ect. But…..
What the crew was about is honor and the name Serenity is beautiful.
But….
Colbert is a real man doing good and Serenity is science fiction…
One could ponder both sides for an Eternity…
Hey now that’s a name!!!!
Colbert FTW!
Wait a tick – he did get the name in Europe. They came on his show and announced it. Did they rethink that decision?
I thought they wouldn’t give it to him because he wasn’t a citizen of their country, but they could have changed their minds, I didn’t really keep up on it
Colbert won fair and square.
They have to go with Colbert, he can’t be robbed again!! He was already unfarily denied the name of that bridge in Europe
colbert > serenity.
colbert nation stand up!
Colbert has nothing to do with space. Serenity is a more suitable name. Just cause he told Americans to vote his name, they did it? Loyal followers? I think not, some people will do anything TV tells them.