Firefly/Serenity

[Marina]

OK, Firefly lovers, have at it! What do you love about the show, why do you feel it fits your small-government values, and how do you explain that each side of the political spectrum wants to claim it as its own?

[Greyweather]

Well, as to that last part, nobody sees themselves as the big, evil, oppressors.

[Marina]

Yeah but I can name a bunch of shows where the Big Bad is obviously conservative. I don't like it, but I see it. In Firefly you have a very powerful government but it's not quite clear what they do except in young River's words "meddle." Modern liberals are the ones asking government to meddle everywhere "for our own good," not conservatives.

[Greyweather]

I think it ties into what Frank J. Fleming observed a few years back, that leftists have a fundamentally different definition of freedom than we do.

[Marina]

That's a great article. In PoliSci they teach "negative" vs. "positive" freedom concept, but this actually brings it to a very understandable level.

[S.J.]

To me, 'Firefly'/'Serenity' was always a very apolitical show, in spite of the series background. All Malcolm Reynolds wanted was to 'go my way', relying on his wits, skill and reputation to keep his ship and crew together. The only time he dealt with the Big Bad was when it got in his way, or had something that he needed.

[Marina]

In commentary to Serenity, Whedon explains that the story is fundamentally about faith. Mal starts out as a Christian and loses faith when his side loses the war. So he spends the duration of the story looking for something to believe in. That's why on the surface he seems amoral and apolitical, just looking out for himself and his crew, until you get to know him better through his actions rather than words.

[S.J.]

That was one thing I particularly liked about the show: We kept learning more about the characters as the series progressed. Mal Reynolds clearly lived by a code. His crew clearly trusted him to look out for them. And the stories were just plain fun to watch.

[Eddie]

Anyone else watch anime?

Surely Cowboy Bebop was a huge influence on Firefly.

Code Geass was pretty brilliant. It is set in a near future where an oppressive British monarchy rules much of the world and it follows a resistance group fighting for self-government. You kind of wonder how the world got to that point, but the main point is the fight for freedom against oppression. It often reminded me of the SHADOW series by Orson Scott Card. Lots of military tactics and battles.

[S.J.]

I watch considerable anime, thanks to the continued efforts of my youngest son. 'Cowboy Bebop' was an interesting series, but I couldn't say how much it might have influenced 'Firefly'. My own preferences in anime run to 'Slayers' and 'All-Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku-Nuku.'

[Eddie]

Oh yeah, Death Note is the ultimate anime. Great exploration of objective justice versus subjective justice. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.