Firefly
I’ve just been watching the first few episodes of Firefly, a short-lived series by Joss Whedon. It’s space science fiction set in a thinly-disguised post-War Between the States American West. For foes there are inhuman man-eating savages (analogues to the American aborigines) and the neo-fascist Alliance (Union) government which has recently finished a war to suppress an independence movement; its troops are even called Federals. Our heroes are a captain and exec, formerly of the independence army, a pilot, an engineer, a doctor, his sister and a travelling preacher. It’s a decent series, although the constant reminders that it’s the West in space do get a bit wearing after awhile.
It’s a pity that the series was cancelled so soon; I think that its second season could have been even better. The writers seem to have been on the way to building up some interesting story arcs and letting the Old West theme settle into the background a bit.
