Firefly for Rookies

Recently wrote a piece entitled Firefly Approved Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Review. I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to learn that there are people in the world who've never even heard of Joss Whedon's Firefly. But that jolt to my system only arose because the show has become so engrained in my daily sphere of functioning, I had forgotten how I was introduced to it.

For years my brother would mention during conversation,"Dude, have you seen this show called Firefly? It's really good. Done by the same guy that did Buffy the Vampire Slayer." My response was usually,"Dude. What the hell kind of name for a show is 'Firefly' and do you think mentioning another show with 'Buffy' in the title is going to sell it to me?" (And yes...we say "dude"...a lot.)

Because my brother is awesome, he actually sent the first season of Firefly as a gift. He included in the note:

"Dude. It's like what Han Solo would've been all about before he hooked up with the Rebel Alliance."

How could I ignore a statement like that?

That night, disc one gets popped in. During the first couple of episodes, primary thought was,"What the hell is this?" Over episodes two and three, thinking shifted to,"Whoa. This is awesome." By the end of the first season, complete addiction took hold. The show was new, different and refreshing compared to almost anything else I'd ever watched. There was an absence of formula and an emphasis on creative non-conformity, with tons of action, excellent writing and sharp humor. And perhaps most importantly, the crew felt like family.

Quickly went online to find season two. Found nada, zip, zilch, bupkis. Called my brother. "Dude. Can't find season two for sale online. What's the deal? Is it out of print or something?"

His response?

Words that are forever etched into the very foundations of my mind. Words which upon hearing caused a thousand serrated daggers to rip my heart to shreds. Words that bit and clawed with the ferocity of savage space cannibals. Words that lead to thoughts of jabbing knitting needles into my eyes and then running madly, screaming, into the night.

"Dude. There's only one season. And if you didn't notice, its not even a full season."

Because of severe mismanagement by the TV execs, the show had been cancelled.

Previously on Action A Go Go, I'd written a series of articles entitled Trek for Rookies which people seemed to appreciate. Geared towards folks that were turned on to the Trek universe by the Abrams reboots, but didn't know where to start regarding the television series.

Because the Firefly series is almost a blink of an eye compared to the extensive history of Trek, it doesn't require multiple articles. However, if you'd like to simply get a taste, or perhaps you're already a fan and need something to share with others to open their eyes to the awesomeness of Firefly, then this article may be of help. Enjoy!

Firefly Overview
Joss Whedon (writer/director) described the show simply as "nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things". Others have described it as a "space western," but I've always felt that does it a disservice, since the label "western" carries much baggage. (And I, generally, am not a fan of the genre. I think the only cowboy I ever found fascinating was The Stranger in The Big Lebowski.)

My brother was right. Malcolm Reynolds is cut from the same cloth as Han Solo. He, and the rest of the crew on the Firefly class ship named "Serenity" are all misfits, trying to find their way in the universe. Smuggling, running from the law, finding trouble and then getting out of it.

Cast/Characters 

Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) - Captain of the ship. A rogue. A man of action. Anti-authoritarian. Anti-government. Anti-religion. Cynical on the surface, but that's just to cover up that he actually cares. Well, cares most of the time anyway. Aw hell. Some of the time? Hard to tell.

Zoe Washburne (Gina Torres) - Second in command. Skilled in tactics and combat. Dominating presence. Married to Wash. "Amazonian goddess-warrior" is a term that comes to mind. 

Hoban "Wash" Washburne (Alan Tudyk) - Pilot of the ship. Married to Zoe. Not someone you'd pick first to help out in a fire-fight, but would be awesome to have him sitting at your poker table. Funny as hell and an expert at handling the ship. 

Kaylee Frye (Jewel Staite) - The essence of kindness. A smile that would warm the most bitter of hearts. Master mechanic. 

Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) - Not that bright. Driven mostly by his hormones. Morally ambiguous. And because of that, he is awesome. We live in a politically correct, corporate, cubically-driven society. Living vicariously through Jayne is a wonderful thing. 

Inarra Sena (Morena Baccarin) - A professional courtesan. Looking at her, one would think she's trained in a thousand arts of pleasure. But it's actually more like twenty three thousand. 

Shepherd Book (Ron Glass) - Claims to be a man of God. But there's a past. Someone once asked him if the Bible didn't have some specific things to say about killing. His response? "Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps." 

Simon Tam (Sean Maher) - Although a brilliant, handsome doctor, he is completely incompetent around women he finds attractive. Cares more for his sister River than anything else in the universe. 

River Tam (Summer Glau) - To write anything of her would be to give too much away before viewing the show. However, will share a gif that gives a clue as to what lay down the road:

Alphas 
 - Action packed, but not at the cost of substance.
 - Much humor at all levels, from the prurient to the subtle.
 - Multiple-viewing shelf life. To this day, after seeing an episode for the dozenth time, I'll still catch subtle things I'd missed before.
 - Every single crew member, regardless of what faults they may have, is likeable. They become like family.
 - If you're a fan of language, the show contains a smorgasbord of cool colloquialisms and slang.
 - It's no secret that the paradigm of women as mere sex objects runs rampant in Hollywood. However, even though all the women on Firefly are sexy, they also show amazing depth of character and embody tons of admirable qualities. You know. The way it should be.
 - Special effects are pretty awesome considering it was made for TV. Stunning on Blu-ray.
 - Speaking of which, when looking to buy the series and the film, minimal damage is done to one's bank account. But when you have them in your possession, clear the weekend schedule and turn off your phone. The words "Firefly" and "binge" usually go together.
 - And if you're a fan of Christina Hendricks, you'll be happy with a couple of her appearances, made before Mad Men existed.

Deltas
 - As stated in the intro, if you watch the first episode cold, one may think,"What the hell is this?" Be patient. Watch a few episodes. It sometimes takes time for the mind to realize the greatness of something new.
 - Fourteen episodes. One movie. That's it.

Is Firefly right for you?
If you like science fiction; if you like action; if you like word play; if you like dry humor; if you like seeing authority being bested by the underdog; if you like seeing people doing the right thing even when it would be more expedient to do the easy thing; if you liked Joss Whedon's work with The Avengers (2012) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D; if you always wondered what a TV show about Han Solo would've been like; then Firefly just may be right for you.

Will close with an image to which every fan of Firefly can relate.

The photo above is for entertainment purposes only. It is a metaphorical representation of the inner existential turmoil experienced by fans of Joss Whedon's Firefly and is in no way advocating actual violence. Please do not do this in the real world. Mr. Travolta was unavailable for comment.

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. He's proficient in Klingon swearing and has attempted the Vulcan process of Kolinar (with only mild success.) His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VierLights or on the Tumblr machine at http://vierlights.tumblr.com/.