Firefly

Ranked #18,740 in Entertainment, #228,119 overall

Firefly, a short lived sci-fi series was released on Fox in 2002. In spite having been on the air for only one year, it quickly entered the annals of sci-fi tv history.

Set 500 years in the future, Firefly is the story of a 9 person crew manning a "Firefly" class spaceship named Serenity. The Serenity crew travels between planets in search of (mostly) illegal work and escaping from the clutches of an oppressive regime.

The storylines are fresh, the characters are genuine, believable and original, and the series itself avoids most sci-fi cliches. It is full of humor and packed with excellent action sequences. Above all it's fun.

Although it remained on the air for only one season, Firefly built itself a highly devoted fan base. After the series was canceled popular demand was such that in 2005 Firefly became a major motion picture by the name of Serenity.

Take a few minutes and enter the truly fun and exciting world of Firefly. Be warned, if you watch a single episode, you are likely to get hooked.

The Nine Firefly Characters

One of Firefly's main strengths is its excellent ensamble of characters. The characters are complex and interesting. The series (pretty much) skillfully avoids your typical sci-fi cliches. There is no Mr. Spock on this deck...
  • Malcolm (Mal) Reynolds - the cap'n himself. A former fighter in the war against the alliance. He stands for truth, justice, robbery and smuggling. Fiercely loyal to his crew, he can always be trusted to do the right thing, well, sort of...
  • Zoe - second in command on Serenity, Zoe fought under Mal in the war against the alliance. She kicks major butt, and is married to Serenity's pilot, Wash.
  • Jayne - he's your run of the mill evil minded, light hearted outlaw. Would sell his own grandma if the price was right, but he has a nasty kind streak in him.
  • Inara - one of the things that I thought makes Serenity unique is that it was not afraid of touching contraversial topics. This is one of them. Inara is a companion, i.e. a fancy name for one practicing the oldest profession... the twist, in the Serenity universe, companions are considered the elite of society.
  • Kaylee - the trusty engineer... ok... so there are ALMOST no cliches. The words "beam me up Scotty" have never been uttered on the show, so I guess we're sort of ok here.
  • Dr. Simon Tam - the ship's doctor and brother to River Tam. Simon and his sister are fugitives from the law. The series never quite explains why, but the movie Serenity, covers that part of the story in detail.
  • River - the mystery passenger on Serenity, River has some... unique abilities... and interesting eccentricities... like wondering around the ship with loaded weapons for no good reason.
  • Wash - Serenity's pilot, Wash is married to Zoe and is brilliantly played for comedic effect. He never really grows out of that niche during the series' brief run.

Firefly: The Series on DVD

This is it folks. The entire series in one small package. It is a little light on the extras, but you get all 14 excellent episodes. If you haven't seen Firefly yet, AND if you are a sci-fi fan, buy it.

Trust me, you will be HOOKED.


The production is great, the characters are unique and interesting and the often goofy humor is a blast.

This is definitely a sci-fi classic. Mark my words, Firefly will rise from the dead and return to TV again.
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Favorite Firefly Quotes

Firefly Episode Guide

A brief synopsis of the 14 Firefly episodes. I promise, no spoilers.

Coming soon. Please come back in a few days.

Serenity: Firefly Goes Big Screen

Serenity is the major motion picture based on the Firefly series. It is unique in several respects:

First, they only made this movie after the series "failed", and was taken off the air. Talk about finding success in failure.

Second, it is not half bad. The transition from series to movie was very well accomplished, in keeping with Firefly's major story lines but while clearing up many of the issues that were left open after the untimely cancellation of the show.

Watch the series first, and then get this movie. It is good.
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The Man They Call Jayne...

Remember this one? How can you forget? If you haven't seen the series yet, don't worry about it, it's an in-joke...

The Campaign for Season 2

I publicly admit that I was one of those wretched souls who did not watch Firefly during its brief run on Fox. If you are like me, you too are to blame for this amazing show's cancellation.

The good news, is that there is a chance for you to repent and amend your ways. Follow this link, vote your support for Firefly Season 2, and be redeemed!

Favorite Firefly Quote

Can Firefly Rise Again?

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Recommended Firefly Websites

These are some of the best Firefly websites out there. Firefly has a rabid, fanatic following, and has some very active fan websites.
Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
Firefly is rated an amazing 9.5 out of 10 on imdb. Visit the site for a complete list of characters, filmographies of all actors and to rate Firefly a 10 out of 10. Come on, we can do better than 9.5!
Fireflyfans.net
An excellent site containing interviews, discussion boards, a detailed database of characters, locations and equipment used in the series, wallpapers and more. Very nice.

The Firefly / Serenity Discussion Forum

This is where you can leave your comments, thoughts and ideas about Firefly, about the characters, about this lense, or about anything that comes to mind.

Original ideas and content are strongly encouraged and will become a permanent part of this lense (with due credit to the contributor).

  • tiff0315 Feb 15, 2011 @ 12:44 am | delete
    Way more than I knew about firefly! Cool lens!
  • WritingforYourWealth Jul 30, 2008 @ 6:18 pm | delete
    I still miss this show. Can't believe it's been that many years since it was on. I was always hoping it'd make a comeback after the film (even though certain characters were killed, grumble).
  • BigGirlBlue Mar 15, 2008 @ 5:04 pm | delete
    I was so looking forward to the gag reel but it says it's no longer available. Otherwise an informative lens.
  • ShellHarris Aug 19, 2007 @ 6:04 pm | delete
    One of my all-time favorite tv shows and movies. I would love to see more quotes on this page. I still watch the reruns on HD and have the set but it is hard to recall on the classic lines on that show. Mal would have 2 or 3 every episode. I hope you continue to build this lens. I'll be back.
  • tmackarney May 22, 2007 @ 1:17 pm | delete
    Well I have to say that I thought the series was OK. I loved the characters but I found some of the story lines a little boring. The movie however was fantastic. It is one of my favorite sci fi flicks of all time.
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