Serenity (2005)
Thursday, December 22nd, 2005I’ve staked my crew’s life on the theory that you’re a person, actual and whole, and if I’m wrong you’d best shoot me now… Or, we could talk more.
Firefly was one of the best television shows that almost no one ever saw. Premiering on the Fox network in September, 2002, it was shown out of sequence in a very nomadic time slot. Finding the next episode was like playing “Where’s Waldo – The TV Guide edition.” After doing little to promote or support the series, Fox cancelled it after airing only 11 of the 14 episodes produced.
Then something kind of bizarre happened. The complete series, included the three unaired episodes, was released as a DVD boxset in December of 2003. It sold like crazy, especially for a little-known show that was cancelled after eleven episodes. It turns out that Firefly fans, who call themselves “Browncoats,” are fanatical enough to make Trekkies look as fickle as Los Angeles hockey fans. Something about the DVD sets flying off the shelves that convinced Universal Pictures to take a chance on a feature film. Considering that it took Star Trek a decade to reach the large screen, despite running for three seasons initially, it’s remarkable that a half-season wonder like Firefly could turn that trick in less than three years.
