When Joss Whedon developed Firefly he was influenced by the book, The Killer Angels, a novel by Michael Sharra about the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
Whedon wanted to follow the people who fought on the losing side and their experience afterward as pioneers and immigrants on the outskirts of civilization like the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction and the American Old West. He uses music from the campfire days of fiddle playing and slide guitar and often mixes images of the old west with space battles.
The Alliance is a culture formed of the mixing of the two greatest world power - United States and China - in the year 2517. This has caused a fusion of culture that is visually apparent. Humans have arrived at a new star system and it is a time of pioneer culture with fringe living in distant star systems. The crew of Serenity are pirates, making a living the best they can. According to Whedon's vision "nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems of today.
So here we are still fighting, still prejudice, still facing spiritual and ethical dilemmas in the face of opposition and challenge. Each character has their way of dealing with things. Shepherd often quotes the Bible and looks to prayer, yet he struggles to define his place as a Shepherd with such a motley crew. I could relate to that character in my own life. Often I'm the only "churchy" one among my friends and social groups. Sometimes people turn to me with questions of spirituality. Sometimes I am surprised to find the depth of thought those I'd least expect had given spiritual matters. Sometimes I am shunned and shut up before I even enter a room because it is assumed that I will be judgmental and discouraging. Each character has a secret, dark side and each has unexpected brilliance to share. It is a human story.
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