Firefly premiered on Fox TV in September 2002. Juggled around on the schedule, shown out of order, and cancelled after only eleven episodes aired (fourteen were produced), Firefly never stood a chance. Created by Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series (and now, director of The Avengers), Firefly had a built-in cult following that should have leapt on it, but many Buffy fanatics had never even heard of the show until after its cancellation. As a result of a fanatical word-of-mouth that gradually became significant, DVD sales soared—enough to get a movie studio interested in a movie sequel: Serenity (2005). Movie box office, though, was insufficient to justify a sequel, and other than comic books, the franchise is essentially dead.

The Premise

Firefly is something of a blended genre, which is probably why Fox struggled with its marketing, having components of science fiction, Westerns, and pirate stories.

In the 26th century, humans have abandoned “Earth-That-Was” for a star system of many small planets and dozens of moons, all terraformed for habitation. The series takes place a few years after a civil war between the Alliance (“Feds”), who want a centralized government, and the Independents (“Browncoats”). The Alliance won and Unification was acheived. Our hero, Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) plays a former Browncoat who now captains a Firefly-class ship known as Serenity. Serenity works as a transport ship, sometimes smuggling (hence the pirate theme), sometimes doing legitimate work, until they take on two passengers, brother and sister Simon and River Tam, who turn out to be fugitives. Harboring fugitives means they rely more heavily on smuggling and crime.

Although core Alliance planets are sophisticated technological marvels, outer planets and moons resemble the Wild West, and residents often even ride on horseback.

The Cast

Nathan Fillion’s career has been a happy one in the post-Firefly days. He is now the star of Castle, a hit crime series. Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne, was a series regular on Chuck.

Summer Glau (River Tam) has largely stayed in the science fiction/fantasy genre and has yet to have a successful series. She’s had guest stints on The 4400, The Cape, and Alphas, and starred in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

The Fans

Firefly fanatics call themselves Browncoats and have their own catch phrases. There have been conventions, as well as ongoing presence at more general fan events like Dragoncon or Comiccon.