Firefly

Firefly was a TV show aired on Fox and created by Joss Whedon in 2002 for only one season. Fourteen episodes were made, but only eleven were originally aired, most of the time out of intended order. The three unaired episodes were finally aired six months after the others. A box set of the show was released on DVD in late 2003 and features all fourteen episodes in intended order. It has been said that Fox sabotaged the show by airing it out of order and not giving enough promotion because the characters (and the actors who played them) were nobodies.

The show follows the crew of Serenity, a Firefly-class transport spaceship, in the year 2517. By this time, humans had decimated Earth and moved to another solar system with many more planets and moons which had been made habitable through the process of terraforming. Two factions arose in the new solar system—the Alliance and the Independents. The Alliance wanted to unite all the planets and moons under one central government and the Independents wanted each planet to be able to rule itself. A war ensued and the Alliance won. Malcom "Mal" Reynolds, a Sergeant for the Independents, bought a transport ship named Serenity to keep as far away from Alliance control as possible. The crew includes Wash, the pilot; Zoe, the first mate; Jayne, “public relations” (he carries the big guns); Kaylee, the mechanic; Inara, a companion (high-class prostitute); Sheppard Book, a holy man; Simon, the doctor; and River, Simon’s crazy, psychic sister.