Serenity
Still Soars Regardless of the Medium
“After
the Earth was used up, we found a new solar system, and hundreds of
new Earths were terra-formed and colonized. The central planets formed
the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under one rule.
There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the
Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system,
far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with
the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would
help you keep it. A captain’s goal was simple: find a crew, find
a job, keep flying.”
Although
the above is the narrative introduction to the Firefly universe,
it could also serve as the modus operandi of the 2002 television drama
created by Joss Whedon. Cancelled by the FOX network after only eleven
episodes, Whedon—as well as the fans—fought to keep the
series going, eventually paving the way for a big-screen adaptation,
Serenity. Although hopes for additional motion pictures have
yet to materialize, the story of a renegade “browncoat”
(as the independents were known) and his rag-tag crew of “space-scavengers”
continues to be told with the recently concluded three-part Dark Horse
comic book, Better Days. With a plot co-conceived by Whedon
and former Firefly writer Brett Matthews, who also penned the
script, it is the second such venture into the world of comics for the
television show that wouldn’t give up.
The first
Serenity graphic conception, the three-issue Those Left
Behind, was released in 2005 and served as a prequel to the Serenity
motion picture. While “companion” Inara Serra had already
decided to leave Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew during an unaired
Firefly episode, the explanation for preacher Shepherd Book
no longer being amongst the group at the beginning of the film was solely
clarified in Those Left Behind. The miniseries also briefly
introduced future characters Mingo and Fanty, as well as the Operative,
while bringing back old characters like Dobson and Badger, and concluded
with what could be considered the starting point for the big-screen
Serenity.
The placement
of Better Days in the Firefly/Serenity timeline,
meanwhile, is harder to pinpoint, although it obviously occurs before
Those Left Behind. It is also a more straightforward, stand-alone
story in that events both before and after are not referenced, including
the pursuit by the Alliance for the telepathic River Tam. Instead the
core of the narrative revolves around multiple capers by the crew, as
well as elements from Mal and first mate Zoe Washburne’s war-fighting
past, all of which eventually converge by the conclusion of the three-part
series. Although each of these Dark Horse trilogies have their share
of action and suspense, both focus more on the characters in the same
fashion that Firefly the television series and Serenity
the motion picture did, making the comic books true companions to the
other medium incarnations.
“The
characters, I think, are what most appeal to me as a writer,”
Matthews told IGN
in March regarding his involvement. “Beyond that, the many fans
and just the world Joss has created. I love the merging of genres in
the series. But Serenity always comes back to the characters
and the ensemble nature of the show. Other things might get you in the
door, but the characters are what keep you there.”
While each
of the nine main characters from Firefly/Serenity
do indeed play a role in both trilogies, it is Reynolds that serves
as the psychological focal point. In Those Left Behind, for
instance, he continues to deny his obvious affection for Inara while
likewise making excuses for not immediately traveling to her disembarkment
destination. And when he finally does, not only does Mal forgo any farewells
with Inara, but he recites his true feelings later, alone, in an imaginary
goodbye. As for Better Days, it is Inara who plays the captain’s
therapist, noting that his ambition in life is simply to eek out an
existence as opposed to becoming wealthy, because that way his crew—his
family—remains intact. “You get by and the crew stays together,”
she says. “You get rich… then everything does change.”
The irony is that in both Those Left Behind and the Serenity
motion picture, Mal’s “family” starts to leave anyway,
causing his subsequent actions to become more introverted and reckless.
“Usually
that’s what bothers me with prequels,” Matthews explained
to IGN. “You always tend to feel, ‘Well, if I already know
how it ends...’ But the tragedy of Firefly was that it
was just taken away. The future was lost and it just sort of died this
sad, premature death. Part of the joy of the comics is being able to
reclaim some of what was lost along the way and occupy that time period
where there’s still a lot of room to play in.”
Firefly
has become that rare creation that is successful in whatever storytelling
format Whedon decides to pursue. Although cancelled by FOX, the DVD
release of the complete series (which includes three unaired episodes)
has sold over half-a-million copies, and still performs well nearly
five years after its initial release. Likewise for Serenity;
although hardly a box-office blockbuster, its strong DVD and international
sales continues to keep hopes alive for a sequel. Dark Horse, meanwhile
reports that 85,000 copies of Those Left Behind were sold in
2005. Just as the actual Serenity—a Firefly-class spaceship—always
seems to fly beneath the Alliance’s radar despite the odds, so
does Whedon’s creation. It may not get the mainstream attention
it deserves, but succeeds nonetheless.
“That’s
kind of the amazing thing about Firefly,” offered Matthews
to IGN. “I don’t know what the opposite word of resurgence
is, but there’s just never been a lull. I don’t know how
something resurges when it’s always been so damn alive and kicking.
The fans of the show are fans in a profound sort of way that I’ve
never experienced or seen. It’s been really great that way. If
anyone mentions a resurgence I just ask them where they’ve been.
Firefly has always been there, and it’s always had that
whole other life. Better Days is just a part of that.”
It appears
that regardless of the medium, Serenity still finds a way to
soar.
May 19,
2008
