Firefly TV series

[opening narration for episodes: Safe, Ariel, War Stories, Heart of Gold]

Mal: Here's how it is: The Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths. Some rich and flush with the new technologies, some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She's a transport ship; Firefly class. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide companion. There's a doctor, too, took his genius sister outta some Alliance camp, so they're keepin' a low profile. You understand. You got a job, we can do it, don't much care what it is.

---

opening song: Take my love, take my land / Take me where I cannot stand / I don't care, I'm still free / You can't take the sky from me / Take me out to the black / Tell 'em I ain't comin' back / Burn the land and boil the sea / You can't take the sky from me / There's no place I can be / Since I found serenity / But you can't take the sky from me



This is the beginning of an American science fiction TV series created by writer/director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel). It's modeled as a traditional Western set in a science fiction backdrop.
The series was debuted on FOX in 2002. It was canceled after only eleven of the fourteen episodes were aired. Although it had a short life, it had a "cult" following that won it an Emmy in 2003 for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series" and the production of a film title Serenity, which brought some closure for fans. I'm one of those fans and I just bought the DVD collection of the 14 episodes. This will be my series for theological reflection, you may recall I haven't been so great at reflecting on twice a week. So you're in for a whole lotta Firefly folks!

Basically this is the story, as Joss Whedon put it, "of nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things." The cast of characters include:

Malcom "Mal" Reynolds - Captain the firefly style ship called Serenity and veteran of the civil war against the Alliance.

Zoe Alleyne Washburne - Second-in-command, loyal wartime friend of the captain, and wife of Wash - a "warrior woman".

Hoban "Wash" Washburne - Pilot and Zoe's husband. He is jealous of her loyalty to Mal and tends to be the comic relief for many episodes.

Inara Serra - is a Companion, which in the 26th century is the equivalent of a courtesan. She rents a shuttle from the ship, is nicknamed "the Ambassador" and gives the ship some legitimacy and social acceptance.

Jayne Cobb - is hired muscle. He acts dumber than he is and asks the questions no one else will and is often more than what you see on the surface.

Kaywinnit Lee "Kaylee" Frye - is the ship's mechanic. She is the soul of the ship, a sweet, genuine loving character who has no formal training in mechanics but intuitively keeps the ship going.

Dr. Simon Tam - is a medical researcher and trauma surgeon, the best of the best who is wanted by the Alliance for breaking out his sister from a government research facility.

River Tam - is a child prodigy who was experimented upon, leaving her in a sort of schizophrenic phase in which she sees and hears things others don't.

Derrial Book - is a Shepherd (equivalent to a priest, minister, or pastor). He has knowledge of things you won't expect a Shepherd who has been living in the monastery for some time to know, like hand-to-hand combat, weapons, criminal activites, and electromagnetic field. He is torn as to whether he is called to be with this worldly crew or if their influence is destroying him.