Several years ago a science fiction series aired on television featuring the adventures of a spaceship captain and his crew. Although the series received critical acclaim and had a devoted following, low ratings led to its swift cancellation. No, I’m not talking about the original Star Trek -- I’m talking about Firefly.
Created and directed by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, Firefly debuted on the FOX network in September 2002, but was canceled after only eleven out of fourteen episodes aired. In spite of its short run, the series received an Emmy for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series" and spawned a motion picture called Serenity.
Firefly takes place in 2517, long after humans have left Earth. Colonization of planets in another solar system has been made possible by terraforming technology. The two remaining Earth superpowers, the United States and China, have united to form a government called the Alliance, and as a result the two cultures have also merged. Not only is there a strong Asian influence in terms of lifestyle, but people are bilingual in Chinese and English. The series begins six years after the end of a civil war. Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) is captain of the Serenity, a Firefly-class ship. He and his first mate Zoe (Gina Torres) are veterans of the war and fought on the losing side. Tough times since have led Mal and his crew to often run smuggling operations on top of their legitimate passenger transport service.
While many science fiction films and television shows have been described as the “Wild West in space”, Firefly takes that theme literally, best demonstrated during the opening sequence where we see the Serenity fly over a group of horses across a classic Western backdrop. While the central planets are under strict Alliance control, the outer planets are similar to the frontier states in the United States 100 years ago.
According to a Wikipedia article, Whedon’s concept for the show was developed upon reading Killer Angels, a novel depicting the Battle of Gettysburg. He wanted to explore the harsh and difficult life of pioneers but set it in a futuristic environment. Indeed, if it weren’t for the spaceships, the first-time viewer may forget that he or she is watching a science fiction series. The crew don't use laser guns – they have six shooters. They don’t run around in sleek space suits. Mal and Zoe look like they're more at home on a ranch than in space. There's even a classic scene of someone being tossed out a window during a bar fight. The only thing is that the window was holographic. And finally, there are no aliens.
The first and only season of Firefly is available as a DVD four-disk set. I'll be reviewing one episode at a time.
Episode 1: "Serenity"
Like many pilots, "Serenity" is a two-part episode that introduces the cast and its major storylines. The opening scene shows Mal and Zoe in a fight reminiscent of the battle between humans and robots in Terminator, and ends with their side surrendering to the Alliance. Fast forward six years later, with Mal now the captain of the Serenity. We meet the rest of the crew - Zoe’s husband Wash (Alan Tudyk), the ship’s pilot, engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), courtesan Inara (Morena Baccarin), and mercenary Jayne (Adam Baldwin). They are later joined by Book (Ron Glass), a “Shepherd” i.e. preacher, and Simon Tam (Sean Maher), a young doctor, accompanied by his sister River (Summer Glau). By the end of the episode, we learn that Simon and River are fugitives, running from a shadowy government organization that experiments on the minds of gifted teens like River.
Article comments
1 - Brad Schader
Joss shows are very much like British sitcoms in that they are 100% character driven. I compare them to a snowball running down a hill. It is not very inspiring in the beginning, but once it gets rolling it will have your full attention.
2 - kymk
Interesting coincidence! BigDamnZine.com is also reviewing the Firefly episodes one at a time. The critic there, Chris, also dislikes several aspects of the show but overall has a much higher opinion of it.