"'Cause it's a deathtrap."
The misfit crew of the Firefly-class spaceship "Serenity" transport goods between planets, regardless how illegal the cargo. Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Fillion) is a rebel, a Browncoat, with an extreme dislike and distrust for the ruling organization, the Alliance. His first mate Zoe Washburne (Torres) also served with him and continues to fight loyally by his side. Zoe is married to the ship's pilot, Wash (Tudyk), who plays with dinosaurs and prefers to see the positive in life. They are aided by Jayne (Baldwin), who has an arsenal of weapons in his room and provides muscle. The ship's mechanic is Kaylee (Staite), who is naturally gifted and an eternal optimist. In addition there are 4 passengers on the ship: Inara (Baccarin) a licensed Companion who has her own shuttle that's docked into the ship; Book (Glass) a Shepard trying to get back into the world; and fugitives Simon (Maher), a gifted doctor, and River (Glau), a genius who had her brain experimented on by the Alliance.
Mal's goal is to keep flying, looking for any work that comes his way. The Alliance is around every corner, causing problems for the crew, while the threat of Reavers is always in the air towards the outer planets. With "friends" and contacts looking to turn them in, can they find ways to stay in the air.
I discovered this show in college in 2005. One of my roommates, who had an impressive movie collection, loved Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A friend told her to check out his show Firefly, and she wouldn't be disappointed. She borrowed the DVDs and was captivated, and talked me into joining her. My first episode was "Shindig" and I was hooked. We finished the series and started again from the beginning... it seemed to get better each time. Sometime after that the movie sequel to the show, Serenity, was released on DVD. I bought the movie, without seeing it, because I loved the show, and I was not disappointed. And later, I bought the show on DVD.
The show is a western... in space. Let that sink in. It sounds crazy, but it works. The story is set five hundred years in the future, when the Earth has been destroyed (it is continually called "Earth that was"). Humanity moved to a new star system and is controlled by the Alliance, a single government entity that took control by force. The show establishes it's background from the beginning and assumes the audience is smart enough to run with it... such as the language, the characters all speak English with Chinese words / phrases intermixed. You get used to it quickly. The characters are compelling and it is easy to get sucked into their world quickly.
The nine core cast members are huge fans of the show and have publicly stated that they would return in a heartbeat. They are also in large demand. Nathan Fillion is on Castle (which I started watching because of him). Gina Torres is on Suits. Morena Baccarin is currently on Homeland and was previously on sci-fi show V. Adam Baldwin was a star of Chuck and pops up in bit parts on other shows. Alan Tudyk was a regular on Suburgatory. Summer Glau is a sci-fi icon and has appeared on numerous shows. Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, and Ron Glass have appeared on several different shows. The show also featured a strong cast of recurring characters that became as popular as the main cast.
The show was cancelled too soon, but the passion of the cast, crew, and fans kept the story alive in the film Serenity and in the Dark Horse comics written by Whedon and Brett Matthews. The comics allow the story to continue and for further development / explanation of characters and other important questions. Whedon also released several short videos over the internet called the R. Tam Sessions about River's time with the Alliance and hinting at information for the movie.
Every episode is stellar. Combining compelling characters, "thrilling heroics," quotable lines, and serious story lines. My favorite episodes are "Shindig" and "Our Mrs. Reynolds," but I enjoy aspects of every episode.
Firefly (2002-2003)
Creator: Joss Whedon
Starring: Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Gina Torres as Zoe Washburne
Alan Tudyk as Hoban "Wash" Washburne
Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra
Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb
Jewel Staite as Kaylee Frye
Sean Maher as Dr. Simon Tam
Summer Glau as River Tam
Ron Glass as Shepherd Book
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