Great Origin Stories from Movies & TV4 of 12
Joss Whedon's other widely-loved creation was much more short-lived than "Buffy" or its spinoff, "Angel." "Buffy" fans were gifted with seven seasons of her adventures, while the exploits of Mal Reynolds and his crew are limited to a mere 14 episodes and a theatrical release, "Serenity." That was enough to develop a rich mythos for each of the characters navigating the hardscrabble, Wild West-style future following a war between the government and the outer colonies who struggled to maintain their independence.
Mal Reynolds, an unsung war hero and captain of Serenity, takes on odd jobs and works diligently to remain beyond the grasp of the authoritarian centralized government, the Alliance. But even his crew is unusual by TV and standard pop culture storytelling standards. It includes a preacher, Shepherd Book; the Tams, a doctor and his sister being hunted by government forces; a lunkheaded merc named Jayne; Mal's steely right hand woman Zoe, who was also his best buddy in the war; a throughout girly mechanic named Kaylee; Wash, a geeky pilot; and Inara, a "companion," the future's version of a courtesan. Each of them has an interesting backstory, only some of which was revealed during the show's only season. They were all so well realized in those episodes, however, that fans are happy to fill in the blanks.
In some cases, they no longer have to. "Firefly" lives on in comic books which, among other things, illustrate the pasts of the most auxiliary members of the crew (such as Shepherd Book). And if you explore the Internet, you'll even find a full boat of hip-hop songs devoted to Mal Reynolds and his crew.
Mal Reynolds, an unsung war hero and captain of Serenity, takes on odd jobs and works diligently to remain beyond the grasp of the authoritarian centralized government, the Alliance. But even his crew is unusual by TV and standard pop culture storytelling standards. It includes a preacher, Shepherd Book; the Tams, a doctor and his sister being hunted by government forces; a lunkheaded merc named Jayne; Mal's steely right hand woman Zoe, who was also his best buddy in the war; a throughout girly mechanic named Kaylee; Wash, a geeky pilot; and Inara, a "companion," the future's version of a courtesan. Each of them has an interesting backstory, only some of which was revealed during the show's only season. They were all so well realized in those episodes, however, that fans are happy to fill in the blanks.
In some cases, they no longer have to. "Firefly" lives on in comic books which, among other things, illustrate the pasts of the most auxiliary members of the crew (such as Shepherd Book). And if you explore the Internet, you'll even find a full boat of hip-hop songs devoted to Mal Reynolds and his crew.
PeopleNathan Fillion
TitlesFirefly
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