Firefly - Science Fiction Space Western Drama Television Series Analysis

firefly, produced by Joss Whedon, is a science fiction space western drama television series. the show is about the "underdogs of the galaxy" in other words, the crew of firefly. the crew lost a major civil war against an opposing force. now the two major superpowers of the galaxy are china and the united states which have fused together and become "The Alliance", a strong force. the crew of firefly is on the move constantly because they are actually smugglers, which means avoiding the Alliance is a top priority. the crew of firefly acts as a passenger ship to cover their smuggling business. fire fly is shown to be a truly good example of science fiction by using three main characteristics of science fiction, extrapolation, social commentary, and serving as a warning.

Extrapolation is a frequently used characteristic of sci-fi in firefly. the first example we see of extrapolation is the ship "firefly". technology today has allowed us airplanes, and space crafts, but nothing like firefly. the ship firefly is an extrapolated version of a rocket, or and airplane. this contributes to the show being in the sci-fi category because it wouldn't have a time frame that makes sense with the rest of the show unless extrapolation is used on the ship. the next example of extrapolation shown in the show is making other planets besides earth livable for humans. this is extrapolation because this is not a technology that is present now but very well could be in the future. using extrapolation on the galaxy's planets contributes to firefly fitting into the sci-fi category because it shows true extrapolation that is necessary for the show to make sense. the last example of extrapolation used is packaging. although it may not seem like much, the packaging used in firefly that allowed River to be transported out of danger had a huge impact on the plot and theme of firefly. packaging was extrapolated from cardboard boxes with bubble wrap, to a fully livable box that an actual human could travel comfortably in. this contributes to firefly being a great example of a science fiction show because it shows the viewer the measures taken in the future to travel, and even save ones life in River's case. these advancements to technology today have been put in firefly to make this a true Science Fiction show.

the next characteristic of science fiction used is social commentary. the viewer gets a first glance of this at the beginning of the first episode when the civil war is being fought, and the human are loosing miserably. this is social commentary reflecting on the fact that it is very possible for americans, maybe all humans can eventually be overthrown. by who? the government. the social commentary used in the civil war scene helps develop firefly into a great sci-fi show because it gives it the show a deeper message, and more importantly it provides the viewer with something to contemplate about the social influences around themselves. the second example of social commentary shown is when the whole crew has to change course and escape from the reavers. this is social commentary giving the viewer the option to contemplate who the reavers may be in their everyday life, and how those "reavers" are affecting them. the social commentary of people being afraid of the reavers contributes to fireflies reputation of being a good example of science fiction because it opens the readers eyes to a possibility of "reavers" or bad influences in their lives. the last bit of social commentary used in firefly is when the viewer is t'old that the USA and China have become the superpowers, and the "Alliance" of the galaxy. this is social commentary because it is a prediction about what could be in the near future for humans. will China and USA become and alliance, and rule the world? it's is shown to be a possibility