Firefly

I recently purchased the full DVD boxed set of the complete episodes from the short lived Sci-Fi Western Firefly. The series first came to my attention after I watched the movie spin off called Serenity at the cinema, which I felt was probably the best science fiction film I had seen in the last 3 or 4 years (move over George Lucas!).

Though I feel slightly guilty for splashing out 18 pounds for it, I must say that the episodes have been brilliant, and it absolutely baffles belief that they cancelled the series after only 12 episodes have been filmed. I can only feel completely aggrieved and outraged, as many fans have before me - apparently the movie came about due to strong DVD sales of the original series which continues to fly off the shelves.

Part of the anger lies in the outright mess that 20th Century Fox made in terms of publicizing the series initially, leading to poor ratings. They refused to show the pilot episode, because they felt it was "inappropriate" as a first episode, leading to chronological discontinuities and the fact that viewers were not given appropriate introductions as to the background of the respective characters. The time slot the show was given was also not ideal for a series of this nature.

All I can say is that Firefly is absolutely brilliant and is a must see for any science fiction fans, or just anyone looking for an intelligent, beautifully designed television series. The sets, effects and costumes on the show are amazing for a start, not to mention the fact that the concept itself is original and quite striking. Definitely one not to be missed