Firefly

As a proud member of the Star Wars generation, I enjoy a healthy dose of otherworldly sci-fi plots and special effects. Enter the world of “Firefly.” Five centuries into the future, the totalitarian Alliance regime rules an outer space colonized by humans from Earth. Some of the fringe folk in this world include the motley crew of the Firefly-class spaceship known as Serenity. On board Serenity are military rebels, a bi-racial couple, a preacher, a voluptuous courtesan, a spunky mechanic, a doctor and his psychic sister who all manage to operate just outside the law as they meet with misadventures on new and strange planets. With sharp-witted dialogue (cursing is done in Chinese), a cowboy-style theme song, and suspenseful plots, “Firefly” has all the makings of a hit TV show thanks to creator Josh Whedon (who gave us the hit series “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). For some odd reason, the suits nixed “Firefly” after airing it several months in 2002 on the Sci-Fi Channel. Fortunately for those like me who missed the original episodes, “Firefly” is now out on DVD. The four-disc collector’s edition includes 14 episodes (including 3 that never aired), director commentary, behind-the-scenes features, a blooper reel, deleted scenes and plenty of reasons to wonder why this show got canceled in its prime. The just released DVD of “Serenity,” a feature film starring all the crew from the show, will build more of a cult following and perhaps jumpstart another season of “Firefly.”