Firefly (television series)

Firefly is a science fiction television series that premiered on television in the United States and Canada on September 20, 2002. It was created by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fame. Whedon and Tim Minear were the executive producers. The series concept presents a story in the style of classic "Westerns" combined with elements of science fiction. The show applies naturalistic science fiction concepts, such as showcasing flawed characters in humble circumstances.

Cast

Main characters

• Nathan Fillion plays Malcolm Reynolds, Serenity's captain and former Independent sergeant in the pivotal Battle of Serenity Valley. Captain Malcolm Reynolds was named #18 in TV Guide's "25 Greatest Sci-fi legends" list in 2004.
• Gina Torres plays Zoë Alleyne Washburne, second-in-command onboard Serenity and loyal wartime friend of Reynolds.
• Alan Tudyk plays Hoban "Wash" Washburne, Serenity's pilot and Zoë's insecure husband.
• Morena Baccarin plays Inara Serra, a Companion, which is the 26th century equivalent of a courtesan, sometimes mistaken for a prostitute. Like her Renaissance colleagues, Inara enjoys high social standing. She and Mal have a strained relationship, with unspoken romantic tension playing a significant part in several episodes.
• Jewel Staite plays Kaywinnit Lee "Kaylee" Frye, ship's mechanic. With no formal training, she keeps the ship, Serenity, running with an intuitive mechanical talent. As a result, she's extremely sensitive to insults (or even candid observations) about the ship's appearance.
• Adam Baldwin plays Jayne Cobb, the hired muscle. Though lower class, uneducated, and appearing to lack either morals or ethics of any kind, Jayne is a keenly skilled mercenary, and sometimes displays unexpected emotional sensitivity.
• Sean Maher plays Simon Tam, a medical researcher and trauma surgeon of the first caliber, on the run after breaking his sister River out of a government research facility. His bumbling attempts to start a relationship with Kaylee are a recurring subplot throughout the series.
• Summer Glau plays River Tam, a stowaway. River was a genius and child prodigy, but suffered from unspecified experimentation at the hands of Alliance doctors. As a result, she is psychotic and almost impossible to communicate with, but still undeniably brilliant.
• Ron Glass plays Derrial Book, a holy man or "Shepherd". He has priority status in the Alliance, for unspecified reasons, and demonstrates a peculiar depth of knowledge about firearms and criminal activities. His full identity remains a mystery throughout the series, and like many characters on the show, he is more than he appears.

The show's plot pits these characters against various criminals and schemers, Alliance security forces, the violently insane Reavers, and the mysterious men with "hands of blue" who are apparently operatives of a secret agency which is part of the megacorporation referred to in the DVD commentary only as The Blue Sun Corporation. The crew is driven by the need to secure enough income to keep their ship operational, set against the need to keep a low profile to avoid their numerous adversaries. Their situation is greatly complicated by the divergent motivations of the individuals on board Serenity. The show's brief run did not allow full elucidation of all the complex interrelationships of the cast and their external contacts.

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Recurring characters

Despite the short run of the series, some recurring characters emerged from the colorful inhabitants of the Firefly universe:

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• Badger: An established smuggling middleman on planet Persephone. He has provided jobs for Serenity on at least two occasions.
• Adelei Niska: This criminal kingpin has a reputation for violent reprisals, including severe, prolonged torture, against smugglers who fail him.
• Saffron: A con artist whose original name is unknown. In the series she also uses the aliases "Bridget" and "Yolanda." She has a habit of marrying her marks in order to achieve her scams.
• Two anonymous men wearing suits and blue gloves pursue River (apparently to return her to the institute she escaped from), as shown in "The Train Job", "Ariel", and the comic book miniseries Serenity. They have a tendency to kill off anyone, including Alliance personnel, who has had contact with her, using a mysterious handheld device that causes fatal bleeding to anyone in its proximity (except them).