Firefly

The Browncoats are coming! The Browncoats are coming!

Who, you might ask, are the Browncoats? They are an elite group of people across the country who have one thing in common: their love for a canceled TV series called "Firefly." And the Browncoats have done something unprecedented in the history of entertainment — they have resurrected their favorite show.

In 2002, Fox ordered 15 episodes of a "Western in outer space" from Joss Whedon, the creative force behind cult hits Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. The show followed the adventures of a group of good-guy mercenaries and their ship Serenity. After airing 11 of those episodes, the network pulled the plug and yet another series rode off into the sunset.

Fans rallied and began letter-writing campaigns. The network released the series on DVD. But that wasn’t enough; the Browncoats wanted resolutions and they wanted them now. Whedon and the cast of the show wanted more as well. The fight for Serenity was on. Universal, based primarily on the fan response, worked with Whedon to craft a feature film, Serenity.

Serenity was supposed to come out in April. The problem was it wasn’t ready. The Browncoats, who had fought long and hard to see the dream come out, weren’t going to wait. So Universal decided to do something unique. They held limited screenings, which were announced by Whedon on fansites. Las Vegas was one of the selected cities, and by the time of the May 26 screening at Brenden Theaters, the Browncoats were ready.

As the lights went down, Whedon’s face appeared on the screen. "We have done the impossible and that makes us mighty," he intoned. The crowd roared. But why? What causes such fanaticism? "It’s character-based science fiction," says Philip Wilson, who along with his brother Mark donated $90 bucks piece to the tsunami relief fund for their tickets. And that’s not even counting the flight in from Montana where the brothers live. Unlike other series, in which case it may take a season or two to get going, "Firefly" was up and running from the beginning. "Whedon creates characters you like," adds Mark.

That sentiment was echoed around the room. Everyone there shared a deep affinity for a show where the moral compass of the lead character didn’t always point true north, and the world was a dark, dangerous place where right and wrong are not always easy to tell apart.

The Browncoats were not disappointed. Instead, a group of strangers were reunited with friends they thought they’d lost forever. They will be reunited again Sept. 30 when the film opens nationally.