There have been many shows that explored space. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape, etc. But perhaps none explored the facets of the human dilemma as well as Joss Whedon‘s Firefly. The 2003 series was taken from us far too soon, lasting only one season with episodes that were even out of order when they premiered on TV. On paper, Firefly shouldn’t have worked… a sci-fi TV series about a bunch of space pirates composed of a ragtag group of individuals racing across worlds doing legal and illegal gigs to survive, all the while fighting the evil Alliance and staying ahead of the feared Reavers. Doesn’t sound like much, so what made it work?
I guess first we should qualify the series: Firefly is terrific.
It’s one of the best shows ever created, and I say that with no hyperbole or facetiousness. Whedon is a master of storytelling, and his Mutant Enemy team are master scribes who know how to create a fantasy that enthralls, entices, and engages. One can look at the success of Buffy and Angel and see that their prowess in creating fascinating tales is top-tier. The main ingredient? Relationships. It’s what drives our societal structure, and it’s what drives Firefly. Just take a gander at all the social dynamics in play without adding plot.
The Characters
There’s the relationship between River and her brother Simon; he’s trying to understand what the Alliance did to her mind, and she’s trying to cope with the disturbance (or gift) that she’s been saddled with. The pilot of Serenity, “Wash,” and his soldier, ass-kicking wife, Zoe, have a comedic, familial touch to their relationship; even when they quarrel there’s a deluge of affection seeping through their dialogue. Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds has a different relationship with Zoe, one of a military-like structure. The wildcard, Jayne, is a mercenary that could be on anyone’s bad side any given episode, and he betrays the group on one occasion which reveals a facet of Mal’s personality we had not seen before… forgiveness. There’s Mal’s relationship with his onboard council, Shepherd Book, who tries to instill in Mal a sense of spirituality while he seems content with practicality. There’s more to these dalliances, but you get the point; an emotional crux is formed through the connections between our heroes and their motivations.
The Plot
The plots add more. We never see the Reavers during the televised series, but their mere mention strikes fear into the characters, and thus, us. What an amazing device it was for Whedon and his team to introduce a threat, but never fully show them until the final act (Serenity). Plot should help reveal more about our characters, and it does in Firefly. When a beautiful, but dangerous stowaway makes it onto Serenity, we learn that not even the rebellious and calloused captain Reynolds can subdue his sexuality. In “The Message,” the supposed corpse of a war buddy stirs up memories of Mal and Zoe’s past. In “Heart of Gold,” we get to see the true, heroic nature of Mal and the crew when they defend a helpless mother and her child.
The World
All of these elements are packaged in a world that was built to house them. A space-western theme pervades the series and there are little touches — the show takes place 500 years in the future — that build on the mythos. Take, for instance, the language. There’s a touch of Asian dialect, especially when a character curses, that gives us the hint that many races and cultures in the future have melded together; it’s an implication, not a declaration. Smart. In “Shindig,” we get to see how the one percent live, and come to the realization that a sense of history belongs to them more than other subcultures. The worlds seem so massive and inhabited that, when the series ends, there’s a longing sense that we haven’t explored everything yet, and that may account for the feelings of abandonment that fans felt when a second season was never created (and, also, why its fandom demanded a third act in the form of a feature).
The Writing
What this all boils down to is intelligent writing. Joss Whedon and his Mutant Enemy team created a world, or worlds, populated them with interesting characters, gave them each their own problems and motivations, and let them loose in a starry sandbox to the benefit of anyone who paid attention to the short-lived program. Firefly is on Netflix streaming right now. Watch it, absorb it, and relish it because shows this well-programmed only come along once every few moons.
