Firefly: One Big Happy Family

So yeah, I can go on and on about how much I want to be Malcolm Reynolds. But while he was the lead, he didn't carry the show alone. The other eight members of the crew each brought something unique to the show.

Let's start with Zoe, since I have already brought her up. Zoe fought with Mal in the war for independence, and has followed him onto Serenity. Although she is a hardened soldier who knows to follow the chain of command, that doesn't rob her of free will or remove her personality, as it is very present. It is rare for an order to escape Mal's lips that is not met with at least some form of criticism by Zoe. At the least, she'll make a dry quip about it, and when Mal seems to completely forget logic (which happens more often that you'd think), Zoe is right there to point out the stupidity of the plan.

Furthermore, being the soldier/warrior woman/first mate doesn't consume Zoe's character. She definitely was not pigeon-holed into only two roles, but her other significant role was that of loving wife of Wash, the ship's pilot.

Wash was pretty much everything Zoe was not: he had a sense of humor, was not a warrior, and loved to stick it to authority... then slink away when authority tried to fight back. Many of my friends have selected Wash as their favorite character, and while I stand by my love of Mal, it is not hard to see why. He is nearly the only character on the ship who actually tries to be funny. While someone like Mal or Zoe will make us laugh because their comments are inappropriate to the situation, or Jayne will say something ridiculous that sounds logical to himself, Wash will say things to get a rise out of his shipmates.


Though many characters new to Serenity don't immediately understand the attraction between Wash and Zoe (and it's never because of the race issue), it doesn't take long to see that they are nearly perfect compliments for each other. One is at home on the battlefield, while the other is at home behind the controls of a ship and can fly through the most intense of conditions.

At first glance, it would appear that Kaylee is a better match for Wash, since they often work together on ship repairs. Kaylee is Serenity's mechanic, but whereas many writers who want to appear cool and have a woman doing a "traditionally male" job tend to make the woman a bit of a tomboy, Kaylee is the girliest girl on the ship. She has school-girl crushes, loves pretty objects, and would love nothing more than peace on earth(s). Kaylee is the bright spot in a dark universe. Most other characters on the ship, including Wash the joker, find it hard to see the bright sides of their lives, which is not surprising, since they are criminals struggling to get by. However, Kaylee can see the good in any person or situation. She once, after being shot in the stomach, asked the doctor she was crushing on if the question "Can you move your feet?" meant that he was asking her to dance (though it may have been equal parts cheer and shock at being shot).

Kaylee is the only character who can get along with all eight of the other characters on a regular basis. There are times when she gets upset with her crewmates, but she is quick to forgive, and her seemingly annoying cheery disposition causes the rest of the crew to feel very protective of her.

Kaylee is the kind of person who is always honest and sincere, which is why she is pretty much the only person that Jayne trusts on the ship. Jayne is a mercenary who joined the crew in the midst of robbing the ship. Basically, he's the kind of guy you really want on your side of a fight... unless the other side realizes that they can pay him more. He definitely worships the almighty dollar (or credit) with a nearly unwavering loyalty, though he would make an exception for Kaylee. Jayne is in his element with a gun in his hand, but his best scenes definitely were the ones he shared with Wash. They are almost never in a fight together (I think there was one exception), their scenes involved Jayne making an ignorant or uninformed comment followed by a snarky comment from Wash.

Once again, while Jayne may initially come off as nothing more than the dumb hired muscle (that is the impression my brother got of him from the trailer for Serenity), he is so much more. He develops an interesting relationship with Sheppard Book, and usually shows respect toward Mal. His relationships with most of the rest crew are interesting at best, but he seems to understand why (most) everyone else is there.

Inara is probably the exact opposite of Jayne. She is the only representative of high class on Serenity prior to the arrival of the Tams; although we are initially meant to think that she is nothing more than a lowly hooker, nothing could be further from the truth. It's rather funny realizing that Mal's comment about her making a legitimate living is made in earnest, as opposed a sarcastic remark. Inara is cultured, intelligent, and well-learned in methods of seduction and etiquette. Basically she is the opposite of the stereotypical prostitute of today, which is a rather interesting departure from the rest of the show. The story Whedon wanted to tell was about how the only thing that will change in the future will be technology; we will still have the same problems, such as social stratification. However, Inara is more than a "prostitute". In the future, apparently, sex workers will become a highly respected profession that requires years of training.

Strangely, Inara doesn't fully interact with the entire crew; her relationship with Mal is one of the ongoing stories that will never be truly fulfilled due to the early cancellation, and her first interaction with the Sheppard goes the way one would expect in a meeting between a priest and a whore. But her actions toward most of the rest of the crew were minimal. I can really only think of how she acted toward Kaylee and Jayne (those scenes were also funny). I cannot remember ever saying more than two words to Zoe or Wash, and while she was affected by the arrival of the Tams (just like the rest of the crew), she had minimal contact with them. Sadly, we will never see these interactions happen, which hurts the most, since the relationships were possibly the show's best aspect.

And that brings us to Sheppard Book, the first person discussed here to join the crew of Serenity in the first episode (as opposed to already being a part of it). Sadly, he was probably the most under-developed crew member, and the biggest casualty of the early cancellation. There were numerous references to a shadowy past, but now we will probably never know what the good sheppard was hiding (unless the rumors of a comic book series about him are true...).

But enough about the unknown past, let's talk about the Book we knew. Book came to Serenity when Kaylee noticed that he was looking for ships, not destinations (though her interpretation about him liking ships may be wrong; for all we know, he was looking not at ships but at crews...). Though he initially planned to use Serenity as mere transport, it became home for him. And what a strange home it was for a man of God to be, as it was run by pirates and smugglers. Though I (and probably many other Firefly fans) thought upon first seeing him that he was going to be the lamest character EVER, I quickly learned that looks can be deceiving. Yes, Book tried to bring the good book to Mal and co., but he was also a total badass, as adept as Mal in any fight. And there's that whole thing about having some sort of trump card on his ID badge. As I said earlier, his relationship with Jayne was pretty interesting, and watching his exchanges with Mal was perhaps the most intriguing aspect of his character, since they were able to forge a bond out of a rather hostile first meeting.

Speaking of looks being deceiving, we now come to the siblings Tam. Simon is filmed and has his scenes scored in a way to make us believe that he will be the show's villain when he boards Serenity. He, like Inara, represents high society, which is the very institution that Mal loves to buck (he puts up with Inara because he needs her onboard). Yet it turns out that this isn't the case. I don't want to say too much about him, or his sister, since the overarching storyline concerns them; their ties to the Alliance drive the plot. Although this is Mal's story, the Tams are the catalysts for his changes.

Simon's sister River is the other focal point. If the Tams are what drive the plot, River is the spark that started their story. A gifted young woman, River's story of her change is just as important as Mal's. Watching her start out as a broken girl (sound kinda familiar?) and gradually become feared by those she loves, and then see where she finally ends up is a pleasure to watch, and is a testament to the story-telling power of Joss Whedon.

Sadly, I don't want to say too much more about the Tams, but suffice it to say that the love they feel for each other transcends the feelings of everyone on Serenity, and makes for some amazing storytelling. I think that the fact that I chose to express my love and tell the story of Firefly through its characters speaks volumes about how well-written it is, and I hope that this has inspired you to check it out if you still have yet to see this wonderful show.

But I'm not done with my story. Up next: The fall...