FIREFLY | OnStreaming

Firefly poster — Images: Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox Television

“Some of us think the wrong side won that war, sir.”

Created by: Joss Whedon
Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
44minTV-14$

What if Han Solo had come into the bar five minutes later and never met that old man?

That’s Joss Whedon’s pitch for the sci-fi western Firefly, and it’s a great one. Let’s see… Han might keep shooting first. He’d probably gather a ragtag crew that don’t play nice and really shouldn’t be together in a confined space. Then he would get to work transporting dangerous cargo under constant threat from a fascist empire.

That’s where Firefly begins—as a space western wearing influences on its sleeve. From there it grows into an ambitious sci-fi tale with action, humor, conflict, and danger at every act break.

Our captain is Malcolm Reynolds—a man with no family, no religion, and a history of being on the losing side. Now the only things that matter to him are his ship, getting paid, and protecting the lives of his crew. Probably in that order.

His crew consists of husband and wife team, Wash (he’s the pilot) and Zoe (she’s the guns). Jayne brings the muscle, and Kaylee keeps the ship from falling out of the sky.

During a brief stop in civilization they bring some passengers onboard who are nothing but Trouble. They’ll fit right in. There’s Book the preacher, Simon the young Doctor, and Simon’s little sister, River. River is… well, she’s different than the other kids.

The experience Whedon gained on his previous shows, the excellent Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the also excellent Angel, greatly benefits Firefly. There is no adjustment period—the show FADES IN, introduces us to the characters, and then just goes.

Gunfights, heists, mysteries, and menace play out all across the universe while Captain Mal sulks, Preacher Book dispenses wisdom, Wash goofs off, Simon looks handsome, and badass women get shit done.

But it’s not all good news. Firefly is only fourteen episodes long. That’s it. I’ll always be left wondering what other greatness was yet to come, if only the series had continued for two or three or ten seasons. Luckily, there is a resolution to the story—Serenity, the feature film written and directed by Joss Whedon, concludes the story of Malcolm Reynolds and his misfit crew.

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