Firefly

2 0 0 2 (USA)
14 (11) x 60 minute episodes

It is 2517, and – having depleted Earth’s resources – humanity has migrated to a new multi-planet solar system.

The universe is ruled by “The Alliance” – a powerful, authoritarian central government formed by an alliance between the United States and China.

While central planets in this new solar system are highly advanced, the outer worlds resemble the lawless, dusty 19th-century American frontier.

Consequently, characters blend cowboy aesthetics with futuristic technology – and routinely curse or use slang in Mandarin Chinese.

Some characters use old-fashioned six-shooters, while others use laser guns. Some people ride horses, others soar on hovercraft.

The show follows a ragtag group of nine outlaws, smugglers, and travellers trying to survive on the fringes of society. They live aboard Serenity, a small, unarmed cargo ship named after the Battle of Serenity Valley.

Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) is the cynical but fiercely loyal captain who fought on the losing “Browncoat” rebel side of a devastating civil war.

His tough, no-nonsense second-in-command and fellow wartime veteran is Zoë Washburne (Gina Torres).

Zoë’s lighthearted, quirky, and deeply skilled husband, “Wash” (future Resident Alien star Alan Tudyk), serves as the ship’s pilot. Exceptionally sweet, cheerful, and naturally gifted Kaylee Frye (Jewel Staite) is the mechanic.

Other key characters include greedy, trigger-happy mercenary Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) whose loyalty is often swayed by a high payload; Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin), a high-society “Companion” (a legally respected courtesan) who rents one of Serenity’s shuttles; Dr Simon Tam (Sean Maher), a wealthy, top-tier surgeon who sacrificed his career to rescue his teenage sister River (Summer Glau) from government experimentation (she possesses unstable psychic and combat abilities): and Shepherd Derrial Book (Ron Glass), a wandering Christian preacher with a high moral compass and a strangely mysterious, violent past.

Created by writer and director Joss Whedon, this space western series was cancelled by Fox after airing only 11 of its 14 produced episodes. The remaining three episodes (“Trash”, “The Message”, and “Heart of Gold”) finally made their television debut in 2003 on the Sci Fi Channel in the UK.

The show has since achieved cult status and is frequently ranked among the greatest sci-fi shows ever made.

Though a second season never materialised, healthy DVD sales convinced Universal Pictures to back a 2005 theatrical sequel film titled Serenity.

Written and directed by Whedon, the movie brought back the entire original cast and provided definitive closure to the main storyline regarding River Tam and the Alliance.

Captain Malcolm ‘Mal’ Reynolds
Nathan Fillion
Zoë Washburne
Gina Torres
Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburne
Alan Tudyk
Inara Serra
Morena Baccarin
Jayne Cobb
Adam Baldwin
Kaylee Frye
Jewel Staite
Dr Simon Tam
Sean Maher
River Tam
Summer Glau
Shepherd Derrial Book
Ron Glass
Saffron
Christina Hendricks