FSU: Analysis of a Television Show - Firefly's Pilot Episode – “Serenity”

Positives:
+ A successful blend of science fiction and the Wild West provides a gritty yet realistic approach to mass colonization on the edge of space.
+ One of very few science fiction shows that portrays space as a silent vacuum.
+ Special effects enhance the episode without appearing forced or getting in the way of the story.
+ Wonderful character acting carries the viewer through the overarching plot and subplots while turning the individual characters into a family unit.

Negatives:
- Chinese phrases are pronounced incorrectly. The cast should have practiced more with the language specialist.
- There are some prop inconsistencies. For example, Mal doesn’t have his gun with him when Wash calls him to the bridge. Yet, in the very next scene, Mal punches Simon and then pulls his gun on him.
- The first half of the show had a slower pace than the second half. Balancing this would have helped the show flow a bit better.
- The scene where Inara washes herself seemed more like a gratuitous ratings grab than a solid contribution to the storyline. The ritualism of the act does tell us a bit about Companion training but the scene was unnecessarily long and highlighted her lack of clothing instead of the backstory.

Thoughts:
~ While the pilot episode contained a lot of information, a bit more about how the Firefly universe actually worked would have been nice. It’s understood that there was some kind of civil war but it is unclear why the Alliance is hated and untrusted while the Independents are the “good guys”.
~ The society in the show is an amalgamation of American and Chinese cultures. It’s never explained how this mash-up came about.
~ There is an obvious tension between Malcolm and Shepherd Book when Malcolm finds out the latter is a holy man. This is interesting considering Malcolm kisses a cross during a scene portraying the Battle of Serenity Valley. The tension is never explained but is explored in friendly debate.
~ Moral differences between characters are also addressed in the pilot. It is obvious Malcolm is uncomfortable with Inara’s chosen profession. It is made clear, though, that it’s her profession he doesn’t approve of, not her personally. It is also obvious that Shepherd Book disapproves of her profession but he handles it much differently than Malcolm. Instead of responding scornfully to Inara, as Malcolm does, Shepherd Book responds with humor and attempts to accept her for who she is.

Would Like:
* A more meaningful way to display a Companions background and training than an overly long, gratuitous semi-nude scene that adds nothing to the story.
* A bit more backstory on Malcolm Reynolds and why/how he lost his faith. This is necessary because it’s obvious that Shepherd Book will be a main character throughout the series and the tension between the two is obvious.
* Better pronunciation of the Chinese dialogue. It’s an integral part of the story’s society so the characters should know how to pronounce it.
* I’d love for the two deleted scenes to be added back into the episode. They help explain story points and flesh out characters.

Credit where credit is due:
Various. (2002). "firefly" serenity (tv episode 2002). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0579535/

Various. (2011). Series: firefly. Retrieved from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Firefly?from=Main.Firefly