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Firefly: The Review

by

Powell Gammill

In 2002, Fox briefly brought a science fiction-western classic series to their unwatched Friday night lineup called, “Firefly.”  It was remarkably good.  It was markedly libertarian in theme.  Fox, the formerly maverick network that brought so many original shows, but is now just a mundane fourth rate network,  promptly cancelled it.  In doing so they created a cult classic.  [see http://www.fireflyfans.net]

“Firefly” takes place 500 years in the future.  Earth has been used up and destroyed in a final Sino-Anglo war, and humanity has expanded outward into the galaxy, where we are alone (no aliens).  Transforming worlds into Earth-like planets as they went (Terraforming).   Along the way they had a galactic civil war.  The “Central Planets” which are modern, technologically advanced worlds declared that all inhabited worlds and their people fell under their governance, termed “the Alliance .”  The rustic outer worlds who called themselves the “Independents,” was composed of those who did not conform in the first place and who worked hard to survive in Spartan conditions, disagreed.  The end of that conflict is where “Firefly” begins, at the Battle of Serenity Valley.  Here we meet Sergeant Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) holding his “Browncoat” soldiers together waiting for reinforcements from the “Independents,” as the Central Planet’s “Alliance” forces attack their defenses.  In the end, his commanders refuse to send reinforcements, and order him to surrender his forces.  His company and his cause are betrayed by those in charge who refuse to risk everything for their cause, his forces are slaughtered, and his cause is lost.

Jump six years later and Mal is captaining a barely holding together archaic Firefly class space transport vessel he has named, “Serenity.”  He is surviving by staying out of the way of the Alliance as best he can, in the remote rural reaches of the colonies, where government presence is less because there is little worth the government protecting or taking.  He will take any job, “don’t much care what it is,” including pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire to keep his ship flying.  He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family -- squabbling, insubordinate and mostly loyal.  His first mate is Zoe (Gina Torrez), a woman who was his former second in command during the war.  She is married to the ship’s pilot (Alan Tudyk) who is insecure in his wife’s relationship to the captain.  They have a mercenary sociopath Jayne (Adam Baldwin) whose loyalties are to himself, and acts as the ship’s “Public Relations” Director with a wide variety of firearms.   They have a pretty, naive, but not so innocent ships mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite).  And a prostitute named Inara (Morena Baccarin), who is considered to give the ship class and respectability.   They are all well armed and proficient in the use of firearms.

They picked up passengers who become crew members.  A preacher (Ron Glass – “Barney Miller”) has joined them, only he swings a mean fist, gun and has a mysterious connection with the Alliance .  The captain is none to fond of preachers.  A mysterious and smug doctor (Sean Maher) who has smuggled his unstable sister (Summer Glau) out of a government run camp where she was being experimented upon, and is now damaged goods.  The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl, including killing anyone who has contact with her.

The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, blood thirsty pirates who roam the very edge of space.  Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board "Serenity" herself.

Joss Whedon -- the Oscar® and Emmy® -nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and spin-off “Angel,”  is the creator of “Firefly.”  The first time I saw this show I said Whedon has to be a libertarian in philosophy.  Whedon has applied his trademark character and story themes: responsibility, self-reliance, dedication, sacrifice, compassion, loyalty and wit (this show had genuine and surprising belly laughs) to create what should have developed into to both great characters and issues to write about (if you are a TV writer) and a fun show to watch.  With the whole well armed, independent anti-government thing it is no wonder that the Fox execs did not have a clue.

You can buy a very well packaged, 4 DVD set of all “Firefly” episodes that were produced, including unaired episodes (placed in their correct order) for about $35.  You get around 20 hours of entertainment.  Since its release in December of 2003, the DVD has sold over 250,000 copies in less than three months!  That is incredible!  As I write this in April, it is currently the 33rd highest selling DVD on Amazon, it is the #10 best seller in the United Kingdom , and #18 in Canada .  Of the hundreds of radio shows, Ernest Hancock has done, the episode on Firefly is the fourth most popular download:  http://ernesthancock.com/archive/index.cgi?2004-03-08-Ernie.

And Universal Pictures has announced that Whedon will write (“Toy Story,” “Titan A. E.,” “Alien Resurrection”) and direct a movie based upon “Firefly,” titled “Serenity,” which takes place six months into the future from where the show left off.  Can you say resurrection?

If the film is a success, we hopefully will see “Firefly” return on a new network.   The movie is a done deal.  The movie has a $40 million budget and will be released in 2005.  All of the original cast have signed up to continue their characters in the movie, except Ron Glass.

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Part of this review was adapted from a press release from UNIVERSAL CITY , Calif. , March 3 /PRNewswire/  I would like to thank many of the web sites devoted to “Firefly”, whose links were found on www.fireflyfans.net. 

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For an opposite opinion:   Amazon review of Firefly DVD set.  0 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

Right-wing paranoia in space, March 9, 2004

Reviewer: Elizabeth Durack from Madison , WI

The good: Nice special effects for a TV series, good production values, some clever humor, some fun but stereotypical characters, sexy women if you like that kinda thing.

The bad: This is an unapologetically violent show, and not in a silly "Xena" way. Han Solo is an example of a good guy who thinks he's a bad guy; Captain "Mal" is a bad guy who thinks he's a good guy--and he mostly fails for me as a sympathetic character. I like good guys. The "Serenity" gang are a bunch of amoral parasites. Even the preacher never much questions the thieving and killing.

The ugly: The concept is a group of Confederate holdouts after the Civil War.  In a way it's the anti-Star Trek, like a group of violently independent right-wingers who can't stand the liberal Federation of Planets (or a present-day anti-government militia group). This show panders to the worst of the Right and apparently enjoyed a strong following from that sector, but the rest of us should let it pass into well-deserved obscurity.

[P.G.:  I must buy her a movie ticket to "Serenity!"]

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