Firefly: The show that could have been

The cast of Firefly.

For all Sci-Fi fans out there, once or twice they have probably heard of the show Firefly. In a way, this show was the one that put the sci fi genre on the map and lead to the creation of many other shows in its genre. Not to mention it has one of the most largest fan bases out there (besides Supernatural). Firefly became a cult hit after it was released to Dvd with only one season. This one season was also cut down to 14 episodes.

Firefly is basically about the tale of 9 people living and working together on a ship called Serenity. But that is just the tip of the ice berg. The plot of the story is that the year is 2517 and humans are living in a new star system on terraformed planets and moons. The alliance now controls the system due to their victory at the battle of Serenity. Malcom Reynolds and Zoe Washburne, survivors of that battle are now scavengers and along with the rest of the crew of Serenity. Things take an interesting turn when three passengers come on board.

Now what makes the show very interesting is the variety of characters that we were introduced to. Each character brought something to the show. Whether it was humor, issues or morals, it wove into the plot and created depth for the characters. It also helped the storyline along well. One interesting storyline was of the Tam siblings who were on the run from the Alliance. Despite having a large bounty on their head, Mal still takes them in on his ship. There is also romances between the characters, more specifically, Mal and Inara, and Simon and Kaylee. Each of these relationships aren't easy, so it isn't addressed right away, but toyed with throughout the episodes.

There are a few episodes that stood out from Firefly's short run. My personal favorites are Out of Gas, War Stories, and Ariel. The rest of the episodes are good too, but for me these episodes are the strongest. Out of Gas shows you how everyone (except Simon, River and Book) came to the Serenity. In addition to Mal's struggle of getting the ship's life support back on. In Ariel, the gang pull a job on a hospital upon Simon's request, but things get side tracked when Jayne decides to trade the siblings in. This episode really defines the character relationships. Finally, War Stories is great because it shows the crew working together to get their lost crew members back. Not to mention the scenes between Wash and Mal are entertaining as they argue.

It is sad though that Firefly got cancelled mid season 1. I would have liked to learn more about the characters and the universe surrounding them. Joss Whedon didn't just create a show, but a universe to explore. Fans got more later on when the spin off movie Serenity came out. This movie was to end the series off nicely. Firefly is a nice blend of sci Fi, adventure, and comedy. It's worth to take a look at.
The whole series is available on YouTube if you want to watch it.

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