I’d heard quite a few things about Firefly before I finally got to see it. About how it was cancelled by Fox but later made into a movie (Serenity, just out here in Europe). About how only 14 episodes were ever made. I knew it had a cult following, but then which sci-fi series doesn’t. What I didn’t know is how much I’d enjoy it.

Firefly is the name of an outdated spacecraft model, a specimen of which transports a merry bunch of ‘creative entrepreneurs’ along the edge of known space. Captain Malcolm Reynolds and first hand Zoë are war buddies who fought on the losing side of a conflict that seems modelled after the American civil war. Along the way they picked up a pilot, a mechanic and several others, including a priest and two fugitives with a mysterious past. Their Firefly ship “Serenity” is for hire for illegal transports, wreck salvaging and the likes. As long as it keeps them out of the way of the dreaded Alliance.

On thing that you notice immediately is the western theme. The outer rim planets are inhabited by settlers, and most of the times Serenity is on the ground you wouldn’t be able to tell you’re watching sci-fi. I personally don’t care much for the western genre, but it does make for a great “used universe”, the concept that made Star Wars into what it is. Everything looks old and used, adding to the realism. Serenity is probably in worse shape than the Millennium Falcon, and it doesn’t even have any weapons. On the ground is where most of the action takes place, and action there is. The crew meets the unlikeliest of characters, gets double-crossed on a daily basis and has to plan many a emergency rescue mission. I really liked how every episode was very distinctly different.

Another thing that really makes this series stand out is the dialog. It’s witty, with many memorable oneliners, and it really makes you love the characters. My heart hurts when I think how much better The Star Wars prequels could have been if they were written by the same team. The nine main characters on the ship are also very memorable, each with an interesting background, which some of the episodes explore. On top of all that there’s a smouldering love story or two that work well. As a series, it really has ingredients enough to keep things interesting for several seasons. The only gripe I have about the casting is that Nathan Fillion plays the captian. He looks much too goody two shoes for a war veteran with a dark past. But he is rather sympathetic and brings load of charm to the part.

This is the second very good sci-fi series I’ve recently seen (along with the 2003 Battlestar Galactica series), and I really can’t believe it’s from Joss Whedon, the man that brought us Buffy (which I hate). Can’t wait to see Serenity on the big screen…