I just finished watching this show and movie on Netflix and was amazed that only 14 episodes of this show were ever made. This is some of the best science fiction I have ever watched! Great chracters, great stories that make sense, good effects that don’t get in the way, and plenty of mystery to keep things interesting.
The show revolves around a man who fought in a war against an evil empire (the Alliance) which wanted to control the new system that humankind has gone to after Earth could no longer sustain humans. The man, Malcolm Reynolds, bought a small transport ship, and with the help of a fellow soldier (Zoe), her husband Wash (the pilot), Kaylee (the engineer), and Jayne (the muscle), the crew does jobs for whoever pays them. They took on a preacher (Book) in the first episode, as well as Simon (a doctor) and River (his sister, a genius who the Alliance has experimented on). The setting of stable inner worlds with backwater, dangerous outer planets plus the six shooters that are often used give the show a great western feel to it. Their is so much untapped potential here; it is too bad Fox didn’t give this show the chance that it deserved. I am shocked the Sci-Fi channel never picked it up, although it is owned by Universal now (Universal produced Serenity).
I definitely recommend watching firefly first them the movie Serenity. Serenity takes place shortly after the show ends and things are much clearer if you’ve already enjoyed these characters in the TV series. Joss Whedon did a great job wrapping things up in the movie, but I wonder if he didn’t have a different direction originally planned for River. There were also some mysteries about the preacher that never came to light, but I still enjoyed the movie very much.
You can watch the show instantly from Netflix or get the DVDs. Highly recommended.