"Mal Reynolds vs Han Solo" Topic

I more direct challenge, compared to the Han Solo vs Boba Fett and the Vader vs Luke…

Both are scoundrel captains of their own weird shaped ships

Interesting crews

Both skirt the law, hold to a code, work to make money, love life, and face it…both are pirates!

*****

This is a challenge as they have much in common…

Draw. Although the Falcon is armed unlike Serenity.

Mal, no contest.

Mal wins. More and better dialogue. Cuter engineer.

Darn close, but I have to give the edge to Han. And, yeah, the Falcon is armed, so points there.

Mal wins. More and better dialogue. Cuter engineer.

Both excellent points – but Han can at least fly his own ship…

Oh, I thought you said Mal Wright! In that case, I would have put my money on Mal. Otherwise, I have to go Han.

"Cuter engineer"

Indeed!

*****

Besides, Chewbacca being all big, hairy, a guy, and let's face it…he smells really bad…he has a checkered past with some charges of sexual misconduct

As Mal and Han are discussing details of "x", Jane shoots Han while C3PO looks on.

Tough choice, I'll probably go with Mal. Chewbacca has dingleberry problems.

Have to go Mal though tough choice mal does have a betterlooking crew ( 1st mate and Engineer and sublet shuttle tennant )

Malcolm Reynolds vs. Han Solo

Preferred sidearm:
Reynolds: Colt Pistol with better sound
Solo: Laser Blaster – with a SCOPE
Winner: Solo

First Officer:
Reynolds: Stoic ‘Warrior Woman' with a thing for authority figures
Solo: Walking Carpet
Winner: Reynolds

Ship Top Speed:
Reynolds: Here to the nearest planet in… a couple of days… yeah…
Solo: .5 past Light Speed (whatever the heck that means)
Winner: Solo

Engineer:
Reynolds: Cutest. Engineer. Ever.
Solo: Hairiest. Engineer. Ever.
Winner: Reynolds

Cargo they wish they hadn't carried:
Reynolds: Super intelligent, semi-telepathic, hyper-violent teenaged assassin
Solo: Secret plans to the biggest superweapon ever created
Winner: Solo

Ambassadorial advice comes from:
Solo: Spoiled princess with a thing for metal bikinis and her droid built by the Galactic Empire's #2 Heavy

Reynolds: Inarra, the <bleep>.
Winner: Hmmm, tough one.

Mal by a crew.

Girlfriends

Inara…professional concubine

Leia…professional diplomat

*****

Hmmmm easy choice for me…Inara

Mal. No question. Anyone who kicks a bad guy into the intake of his engine just to make a point has gotta win.

Solo by a mile.
Crew, shmew. Are we really turning Han V. Mal into a crew beauty contest?

Han Solo has a better ship, Saves the universe and marries the universe's most famous princes.

Mal's ship makes the falcon seem like a luxury liner. When we leave Mal, he's still trying to work out a meaningfull relation ship with a part-time geisha, and while he has the potential to help save the universe, it's more likely, he'll just end up alone and on the bottle.

Arch enemies:
Reynolds: Every 2-bit crime boss in the 'Verse' and the 'not-an-Evil-Empire' Alliance
Solo: Giant slug and emo-kid wearing daddy's armor suit
Winner: Reynolds

Fought in a rebellion?
Reynolds: Yes, lost.
Solo: Yes, won.
Winner: Solo

Does he swear?
Solo: 'I'll see you in <bleep>!'
Reynolds: Lots, but only in Chinese…
Winner: ???

Mal….7

Han….3

Draw/undecided…3

But the race has strong runners in both lanes, so it is not over yet!

:)

Served a role model for:
Reynolds: Many other promising sci-fi series that were cancelled before their time.
Solo: Malcom Reynolds
Winner: Solo

Legacy carried on by:
Reynolds: Awesome movie
Solo: 3 not-so-awesome movies
Winner: Reynolds

Unlikely last-minute ally
Reynolds: Cannibal savages in spaceships (well, allies may be a bit of a stretch)
Solo: Space teddy bears
Winner: ???

I would crew with Mal over Han.

In the end it is tough to compare directly as the production value was so different, the focus of the two carrier media was a bit more indirect for Han then Mal, and other aspects.

Ships
Both have great character and certainly the Falcon influenced the design and application of Serenity. But I have to go with Serenity…as they are carrying cargo and are logistic specialists there is more room aboard Serenity. As far as guns, it is not always about the shooting…they are not fighter ships they are cargo ships.
+1 Mal

Captains
Neither is a professional sailor…both saw a cool ship and stuck the main sail. Both act with a sly gut instinct. Both have botched jobs and done good work. I got to call a draw. It is a wash between Mal delegating work to a crew and Han working/piloting with a crew of one; by the by Mal can fly his own ship.
+/-

Charisma
Hmmm got to be a wash on this one. Both are leaders of various qualities and interest.
+/-

Action
Again both are willing to debate, negotiate, run a blockade, punch a bad guy, and shoot first.
+/-

Etc.

I have to say for me it is quite close, almost too close to call.

I would be happy to serve with/under either…draw.

Forget ships, forget crews, look at the title, this is about one man vs the other.

Both are very much willing to shoot first and ask questions later.

Both think too much with their hearts, though pretend not too.

Both have extensive military backgrounds.

Both are in love with women that are alot of trouble, but can also save their necks at times.

The only real seperation is that Solo tends to catch a lot of lucky breaks, while Mal tends to have a lot of bad luck.

Too close to call this one without seeing it happen.

Now if this had included crew, it would go to Mal, no question. Include ships, it goes to Han.

I JUST THIS VERY SUNDAY debated this matchup in a podcast with my friend Pete (who is editing it up now).

Mal took it in a 2/1 decision based on

Ship to Ship (Millenium Falcon wins, cargo ship got no gorram'd guns, whereas the Falcon has turbolaser turrets and occasional hyperdrive.)

Crew Vs. Crew (crew as per Serenity movie showdown with
Reavers, and as per end of new hope post princess rescue) with Mal's crew winning based on superior firepower and Luke being an old school lightsaber fighter with little actual training against River post-Miranda unlock).

Mano A Mano (with both captains being roughly equal with quick draw and marksman ability, Mal eeks out the win because he comes back from the brink of defeat 4 times during the show, including 1 death experience and 1 near death experience)

I'll post up the link when it's all edited together.

Mal

Mal. Hell just on dialogue, let alone anything else.

Plus Mal never used parsec as a unit of time.

They are about even for me.

I'd probably give the nod to Solo, since he seems to plan better, has outrun Imperial Star Destroyers (not the bulk cruisers mind you, but those big Corellian cruisers), has a well armed ship, and shot Greedo first. Plus, Solo is very lucky most of the time, which can be important (ignoring that whole carbonite/Darth Vader affair).

Mal wins for a better looking vessel, way hotter girlfriend, and better looking engineer.

When asked of this situation;

Han just shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Mal had this to say "Da-shiang bao-tza shr duh lah doo-tze shiong mao niao Solo". (something about smelling like an old horse or panda urine)

Chewie farts.

Jayne "Ai-yah Tyen-ah!"

Then they all laughed, drank down a shot of T'iil-T'iil, and bid on the next hand of cards.

Why don't we just let Mal & Solo have a race in an asteroid field? First one around "Dead Man's Moon" wins!

We can have a catfight between Inara and Leia( in pit full of jello ) as a pre-race show.

Mal – Firefly best ever TV series – again killed off to early

Mal would show han the "Chain of Command".

This is too tough to answer! I think they'd definitely be brothers in arms…

Definitely a solid draw for me. They are both so simililar, yet distinct. They both have some pluses that the other doesn't, yet those are balanced by problems that the other doesn't have. I think they'd be freindly rivals who'd sit down and have a drink together in a rough and tumble spaceport bar, bragging about their exploits, and maybe even teaming up with each other in the right situations.

Tie, but as Han is clearly the inspiration for Mal (and Fillion is himself clearly a geek-made-good who I am confident is a fan of Han and Ford), I have to give the nod to Han Solo.

As to the rest, I want Han's ship over Mal's, Han's engineer/sidekick over Mal's engineer (better in a fight), and in a girlfriend, one has to admit Leia is wealthier, better connected, can handle herself in a fight, and doesn't have an apparent host of former, hum, "boyfriends", to contend with (or risk the unknown lingering effects of). Hot is all well and good, but "hot with baggage," not so much.

As to cargo/passengers, both appear to be equal amounts of trouble for their respective captains.

Mal without a question.

I respect Han, but Mal would be a great deal more fun to work for.

The rest of the crew is also better.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
You can't fool me.
There ain't no Sanity Clause!
They is the Same Guy!

Mal. Because George Lucas will eventually 're-edit' Solo into something silly….

Jayne & Chewbacca: Both hairy, smelly, and obnoxious when they talk, so a tie for those two….

I would love to know the story behind the photo of Chewie and Leia. What a publicity shot! Can't think why it was never used. lol

As others have said. Mal and his crew would be more interesting, better company and fun – but if I wanted to actually survive the adventures I had I would want to be with Han.

Mal. If I were to serve on either ship it would be Serenity.
kreoseus2, I agree!

Photo finish, Mal by a nose!

Just a fun pic!

*****

There is no official story about the Chewie on Leia boob action other than it is suspected to be photoshop fake, but if it is then it is a very good one.

Han Solo.

Jsut think about it. Han is such a bad ass that he is being compared against the lead character of a series made ~25 years after his public-inception.

Don't forget that Solo's got a Teela Brown-esque luck factor, something that occasionally gets remarked upon.

Including ships, Solo wins ('cause the Serenity can't shoot back), but mano-a-mano, I'd give it to Mal--sure, Han shot first, but Mal shot an unarmed man (so for ruthless, Mal wins). With crews, I'm not sure--light sabers deflecting shots and the "blast" effect of blasters versus plain old firearms. Never mind, innacurate blasters versus Jayne's scoped AR (coupled with Mal's ruthlesness)--fight over.

Of course, as mentioned above, they'd probably just be friendly competitors.

Rob

I suspect *my* chance of coming home alive would be better as a crewman on the Serenity, instead of the Falcon. There are times you wonder how Chewie made it this long.

Hate Serenity!

Han.

Mal, he's got that 'troubled man' vibe which gives him gravitas, and he makes me laugh too. Han is cool don't get me wrong but for me its Mal.

"We can have a catfight between Inara and Leia( in pit full of jello ) as a pre-race show"

That's a winner in my book!!

As a sign of MY geekiness:

In the second season of Castle (with Fillion playing the main character) Richard Castle shows his daughter his halloween costume (looking suspiciously like Mel):

Alexis: What exactly are you supposed to be?
Castle: Space cowboy.
Alexis: Ok, A: there are no cows in space. B: didn't you wear that like five years ago?
Castle: So?
Alexis: So, don't you think you should move on?
Castle: I like it.

The Other Tim

Well, I had to read through to find out who the heck 'Mal Reynolds' is, whereas in both 'Reign of Fire' and the 'Fallout' series, the Star Wars saga is shown being retold after the apocalypse.

Here's how it goes…

Mal sets out to shoot Han. After several episodes, he still hasn't done so, and the show is cancelled. Fans complain. Joss Whedon protests that there was a complete story arc laid out in which Mal totally does shoot Han, honest… he just didn't get a fair chance to explore it.

Han shoots Mal.
Bang. Done.
Next year, Han shoots Mal again, in high definition. And Blu-ray.
A year after that, Mal shoots first, but Han still wins.
Rumours persist of a 1970's christmas TV special where Han & Mal sing carols 'round the tree and give each other presents.
The Han shoots Mal.

Artraccoon wins the thread!

My vote is actually for Mal, by the way. Much more interesting character.