Joss Whedon's "Firefly" of 2002 has received a substantial amount of praise since its cancellation after just one season. Its cast still appear and meet up at various events throughout each year, including bigger appearances like Comic Con. Merchandise and fan art is still being produced even after 14 years. It goes without saying that this was truly a magnificent work of art... That just happened to get cancelled after 11 of the 14 episodes aired. For some, this may give rise to the argument that the television series must have been flawed or lacking in some area. To this, I say that the fandom has only increased since its cancellation and the series has won several notable awards such as an Emmy and a couple Saturn Awards. Not to mention that its fate was doomed from the start as it was placed in Fox's dreaded Friday night death slot. But I digress. As I've probably made apparent, I am a part of this ever-growing fandom and I'd like to share with you a few reasons why this series will always be one of my favorites.
1. There's Really Nothing Like It
"Firefly" is part of a genre that was really only popular at the turn of the century: Space Western. There were some popular anime of the same genre around that time such as "Trigun" and "Cowboy Bebop," but among the lovers of live-action television, "Firefly"was at the top of the genre (technically, it still is). While other shows were trying to incorporate aliens and bizarre planets with increasingly dangerous environments, "Firefly" chose instead to deal exclusively with humans (and, of course, the classic Western feel). It truly was a science fiction series with an extreme focus on human interaction. If you don't know, it's set several hundreds of years in the future in which Earth's resources were used up and humanity was forced to seek shelter in a completely different galaxy. Don't get me wrong, there are still laser and advanced technologies, but the age-old conflict of man against man still remains. In fact, the events of the show occur just a few years after a major war between the central and outer planets; a war that the main characters lost and are now living as thieves and smugglers. Basically, I'm saying that this show is the most relatable and understandable than most other shows in the science fiction genre.
2. River Tam
At first, I was thinking that Malcolm Reynolds, the captain of Serenity and protagonist of the show, was my favorite character. However, after having just re-watched the series, I found that it was instead River Tam. Having had her brain experimented on countless times before the events of the show, River Tam is still quite an extraordinary character. Without question, she is the smartest individual to appear in the series and several flashbacks have told us that she has not lost a bit of her intelligence after the experimentation. Although, she did lose some sanity. Combining her vast intellect with her inability to control her actions at some times is really quite a marvel to behold. In most episodes, she is completely aware of most situations before they take place. While she does seem to make this apparent in broken jargon for the most part, when you take time to decipher her true meaning, it is really quite fascinating. At times, she appears to read minds but it's likely that she just thought of every possible scenario and chose the most optimal one. Other times, she is proven to be so masterful at strategizing that tricks the ship's enemy into believing she is part of the ship. Without a doubt, there truly is no power in the 'verse that can stop her.
Honestly, there is just too much left to say about "Firefly." It was really a fantastic show with some of the best character development that you will ever find. Whedon eventually produced a film to offer fans a sort of finality to the millions of questions the abrupt ending left us. Furthermore, there are still several comics and fan fiction out there for all of the undying fandom for "Firefly." It's sad to see such a great work of art fail, but there's no place I can be since I found Serenity.
