To this day, science fiction fans feel that Firefly is one of the best sci-fi shows ever created. Plenty of fans and critics have called Firefly the smartest space Western ever made, and many people have fond memories of the series. Many more think of it as a wasted potential, because it had so much to offer the sci-fi genre and never got a chance to get off the ground. While the original series never got a continuation, fans have helped the franchise thrive in the wake of Firefly’s untimely cancellation.
Firefly Is Still Beloved Today, Despite Only Having 1 Season
As mentioned, Firefly is a space Western drama series created by Joss Whedon. Whedon is known for producing, directing, and writing iconic television shows and movies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Angel (1999-2004), The Avengers (2012), Cabin in the Woods (2011), and even animated movies like Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Needless to say, with Whedon at the helm, 20th Century Fox took immediate interest in the series.
Despite Firefly falling into a niche subgenre that is often more campy and goofy than grounded, this space Western actually addresses a number of heavy topics. Firefly is set in The Verse, a star system that humans have migrated to. The series takes place in the year 2517, after a brutal civil war that destroys most of humanity’s culture. Some of the main crew of the Serenity fought in the Civil War and are described as some of what’s left of the losing side.
To make ends meet, the crew takes jobs across The Verse, living on the outskirts of society. The crew relies on one another because they have no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go. This found family dynamic is one of the most alluring aspects of the series, and with Nathan Fillion at the helm as the crew’s captain, Firefly was sure to be a smash hit.One of Whedon’s major influences was to explore human society and how nothing really changes. According to him, technology will continue to advance, but it won’t do anything to make a monumental change in the future. At the end of the day, politics will still be at the forefront of how humanity governs itself, and humanity will still face the same moral problems that exist now. The future may look different, but humanity will always be the same.
Firefly had all the ingredients to be one of the best shows on television. A great premise with intricate world-building, a stellar cast with fun, lovable, and compelling characters, and incredible creatives at the helm to bring the series to life. When Firefly was picked up, 14 episodes were ordered for the first season, but the series was canceled after only 11 episodes aired. The cancellation ultimately fell back on Fox.
Fox didn’t do Firefly any favors, as the show received a horrible time slot and little to no promotional material to gain consistent viewership. It also aired episodes out of order, leaving audiences confused and frustrated. Firefly was also a relatively expensive show to create, which made it difficult for Fox to justify when viewership wasn’t very high.
Firefly Spawned a Fan-Favorite Franchise
After the show’s cancellation, mostly due to Fox’s repeated misfires, Firefly saw surprisingly high DVD sales. Among the series’ biggest supporters were fans of Nathan Fillion. In truth, Firefly’s continued success owes a lot to Fillion’s dedicated fan base. Without them, Firefly may have quietly faded into oblivion.
After the botched airing of the first and only season, Firefly became so popular that fans simply wouldn’t accept never seeing more of it. That popularity and demand to see more finally paid off three years later with the release of Serenity (2005). Serenity is a feature film that picks up where the series left off.
The movie aimed to give the series a satisfying conclusion that wraps up many unresolved plot lines from Firefly Season 1. Obviously, fans wanted to see more than a single movie, but at least it was something to address the issues the series faced after the unexpected cancellation.Serenity wasn’t the only entry in the franchise, though. The Firefly franchise went on to release several comic books. Serenity: Those Left Behind was the first to come out in 2006. This miniseries comprises three issues totaling 104 pages. In 2008, another miniseries came out called Serenity: Better Days. Better Days also includes three issues totaling 80 pages.
In addition to the miniseries, there are multiple one-shot comics like Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale, Serenity: Downtime and The Other Half, and Serenity: Float Out. Most of these earlier comics take place between the end of the Firefly series and the events of the feature film. The comics cover plots that were planned for the series, had it not been canceled.
These aren’t the only comics that exist in the Firefly franchise, though. There are a number of comics that take place after the events of Serenity, like Serenity: Leaves on the Wind, a six-issue series that started in 2014, and 2016’s Serenity: No Power in the ‘Verse. Bomb! Studios acquired the rights to publish Firefly comic books and/or graphic novels in 2018. Since Bomb! Comics’ acquisition, the publisher has released numerous Firefly comics, including series like Firefly, Firefly: Brand New ‘Verse, All New Firefly, and Firefly: The Fall Guys.
Comics might be where the Firefly franchise shines the most, but they aren’t the only additionsfans have petitioned for. In 2018, Titan Books began publishing Firefly novels. Currently, there are nine novels in the franchise. Each book is considered canon to the franchise and continues the adventures of Serenity’s crew. The newest novel, Aim to Misbehave, came out in November 2024, which really wasn’t that long ago.
Firefly Online was never officially canceled, though, so maybe one day, fans will finally get their hands on what would likely be an incredible RPG. Since it was never canceled, it could be stuck in development Hell, a problem more and more video games have suffered from lately.
While the video game might not have seen the light of day, there are plenty of other games and collaborations that feature Firefly. Gale Force Nine released two board games based on Firefly. These games include Firefly: The Game and Firefly: Adventures. Both games have received multiple expansions. There are also a number of dice games, card games, and tabletop role-playing games in the franchise, including Serenity Role Playing Game, and the more recent Firefly Role-Playing Game.
