One wildly popular TV series that I watched but never quite got interested in was Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The long running series starring the (very) delicious looking Sarah Michelle Gellar ran for seven years, the last of which was in 2003, and coincided with my first year in Perth.
I’m not quite certain why that series and its spin-off Angel never worked for me. But there’s another of Wheldon’s creation that I like a lot, and it’s Firefly from 2002. This very short-lived science-fiction series – at 14 episodes, it lasted for about half the normal length of a typical season – related the adventures of a nine crew members on board the Serenity, a Firefly-class space transport vessel. The crew are fugitives from the law, take on mercenary and criminal jobs, and throughout are typically short of money, on the run at the fringes of habited space, and trying very hard not to let their beaten space ship fall into pieces.
The series is an odd mix with influences from more genres than you can count. It’s part Wild West – complete with ammo belts, horses, cowboy hats – part science-fiction as it’s set in the 25th century, and part space opera of a world that’s governed by supreme authority – the ‘Alliance’ – that while is largely benevolent has elements which serve the ‘greater good’ but at great expense of individual liberties.
Like the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, there are subtle grey tones in the dilemmas posed in many episodes, with many unraveling like morality plays. The different brands of ethics come by way of the different backgrounds and motivations of each of Serenity’s crew – which is the highpoint for me in the series. It’s an eccentric bunch, but the series, short as it is, gives each character ample time to tell each person’s back story.
There’s Malcolm Reynolds, the captain of the Serenity, and whom I’ll describe as a dark version of Han Solo complete with revolver sidearm. He’s a war veteran but was on the losing side, and holds thinly concealed contempt for the Alliance government who kicked his butt. His crew comprises his executive officer, Zoe, who served under him in war and retains unquestioning loyalty and respect for his person… except when it comes to marital matters with her husband, Wash, a genial, morally upright and extremely skilled pilot of the Serenity.
Mixing it up is Jayne, an all-for-money and nearly amoral mercenary (or “Hired Muscle” as the Wiki entry puts it) who states matter-of-fact that he’s not sold out his Captain so far only because the bribe money is insufficient. And there’s Kaylee, the ship’s engineer whose duality is especially so striking: she enjoys her job as grease monkey, but is also a person Ling chirped as sooooo sweet, innocent, good-natured and a person who cannot see evil in any person.
The other cast members are also prominent but all except one play untraditional roles. There’s Simon, who was previously one of the Alliance’s most valued and brilliant doctors but gave it all up when he smuggled his gifted sister, River, out of an institution that was experimenting on her. There’s the 25th century fatherly Christian pastor, Derrial Book, who starts out straight but grows to better understand his faith and the complicated ethical situations his companions get into as the stories progress.
And the last character is Inara, a ‘companion’ which really is a futuristic version of the Courtesan. In a ironical twist, she enjoys better social standing than the Firefly crew. Her presence among the crew lends legitimacy in the ports of call and cities they visit, and she is treated with a lot of respect wherever she goes – despite the fact that she is in essence a prostitute.
Continued in the next post.
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