Firefly

Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand. I don't care I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me. Take me out to the black, tell them I ain't coming back. Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me......There's no place I can be since I found Serenity, you can't take the sky from me."

Firefly is set five hundred years from today in a new planetary system after humanity abandons "Earth That Was". Under the leadership of Malcolm Reynolds, a renegade who fought against the new unified central government (the "Alliance"), the crew of the Firefly-class vessel Serenity struggles to survive any way they can. They fly between the border planets to keep away from the Alliance and below its radar. This series was described as a "science fiction western" but is different from other space-based shows as it features no aliens.

(For stations and individuals seeking the intended air order of the series as specified by creator Joss Whedon, as opposed to the order Fox originally aired them or that they are informing stations is the order they should be shown in, see here)

Each of the crew members has a special role:

Malcolm Reynolds holds the duty of Captain - he is a defeated soldier who opposed the unification of the planets by the Alliance to no avail. He strives to keep all his crew members on task and Serenity flying safely, while trying to make a living and do the right thing...in his rather flexible moral framework.
Zoe (aka The Soldier) is extremely loyal to Reynolds as she served with him during the war and owes her life to him. Zoe has the strength and experience to take command of the ship, if necessary.
Wash is Serenity's pilot (and Zoe's husband) - unassuming, self-deprecating, and calm with a sense of humor.
Kaylee is the ship's mechanic - an experienced engineer who keeps Serenity flying.
Inara is a 'Registered Companion,' most easily described as a high-priced courtesan or geisha. She is also the person with the highest social standing on the ship and acts as the crew's Ambassador.
Jayne is the muscle of the crew. A tough, uncultured Mercenary, unpleasant and offensively direct, but loyal to those on his crew...usually.

The newcomers are:

Simon Tam is the Doctor on Serenity and comes from a wealthy family and has a privileged upbringing. He has spent his life savings and future to save his sister, River.
River (aka The Fugitive) was experimented on by the government. Her psychic visions (a result of the experiments) are taken at first as babble by the crew but they slowly come to realize that there's more going on than what shows on the surface.
Book or "The Shepherd," is a wise minister who knows far more about military matters and battle tactics than a man of the cloth should, and his past is shrouded in mystery.

Cast

Nathan Fillion
Role: Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds

Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Birthday: 3-27-1971

Nathan Fillion began his acting career by taking a number of small roles in television, film, and theater, but larger roles were hard to find in his birthplace of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In 1994, he moved to New York City and landed the role of Joey Buchanan on the soap opera One Life To Live for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in 1996.

In 1997 Nathan left the series and the city to seek out other opportunities in Los Angeles. He got a small but memorable part in Speilburg's Saving Private Ryan, and a recurring role in the sitcom Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place. When his series went off the air in 2001, Nathan moved up to a lead part when he was cast as Captain Malcolm Reynolds on the short-lived but critically acclaimed series Firefly.

Firefly was cancelled after only eleven episodes had aired, but creator Joss Whedon vowed to find a new home for the series and immediately began courting television networks and movie studios. Meanwhile, Nathan was given a chance to display his range as an actor when he was cast as the murderous preacher Caleb on the final season of Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Thanks to enthusiastic support of the Firefly concept by executives at Universal Pictures (and bolstered by amazing sales of the DVD set) Fillion was cast to play Malcolm ("Mal") Reynolds a second time in a big-screen adaptation entitled Serenity which was released in 2005.

Nathan has also been cast in a comedy/horror called Slither, which was released in 2006

Alan Tudyk
Role: Hoban "Wash" Washburne

Birthplace: El Paso, Texas, USA
Birthday: 3-16-1971

Alan Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas and grew up in Plano, where he attended Plano Sr. High. In 1990, he went on to study drama at Lon Morris Jr. College. While there he was awarded the Academic Excellence Award for Drama. He was also named "Most Likely to Succeed" and "Sophomore Beau." During this time Alan was an active member of the Delta Psi Omega fraternity.

After leaving LMJC, Alan went on to study at the prestigious Juilliard conservatory, but left in 1996 before earning a degree.

After a number of smaller stage productions, and a small role in the movie Patch Adams, Alan landed his first Broadway role in 1999 with Epic Proportions. He quickly became a sought-after comedic actor, with roles in such films as 28 Days and A Knight’s Tale.

In 2002, Alan got the role of Wash, the wise-cracking pilot of Serenity on the short-lived series Firefly. Though the series lasted only eleven episodes, this may be Alan’s most well-known and loved role. No other networks would buy the failed series, but Universal Pictures began courting the creator Joss Whedon to produce a big screen version of the series.

While awaiting the final news of Firefly’s fate, Alan played the beloved "Steve the Pirate" in the movie Dodgeball and the voice of the robot "Sonny" in I, Robot.

In 2005 Alan finally reprised the role of Wash in Serenity, the feature film version of the series Firefly. The same year he went back to Broadway from June to November, taking over the role of Lancelot for Hank Azaria in the successful musical Spamalot.

Morena Baccarin
Role: Inara Serra

Birthplace: Rio De Janero, Brazil
Birthday: 1-1-1979

Morena Baccarin was born in Rio De Janero, Brazil in 1979, but was raised in New York City. She was exposed to the world of acting at a very young age through her mother, Vera Setta, a well-known Brazilian actress who worked on both stage and television.

In 1989, Morena and her family moved to Greenwich Village, New York. A few years later she attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, the High School made famous in the movie Fame and the subsequent television series of the same name. Upon graduation, she was accepted into the prestigious Julliard School for the Performing Arts, and while there she was one of the subjects of the PBS series American Masters which focused on the school and the students.

Morena landed her first film role in 2001 in the independent film Perfume, which turned a critical eye on the fashion business and the lives of those who work in it. The same year she played the lead role of Rebecca in the film Way Off Broadway, which garnered rave reviews and earned Morena the "Best Actress" award at the Wine Country Film Festival.

After a minor role in the film Roger Dodger in 2002, Morena appeared in the Central Park production of The Seagull with Natalie Portman. She also was the understudy for Portman’s role.

Later the same year, she got her first television role as Inara Serra on the critically acclaimed series Firefly. The series was cancelled after only eleven episodes were aired, but Universal Studios was so impressed with the show and the cast that they greenlighted a silver screen continuation of the story. The movie, called Serenity, opened in September of 2005 to almost universal raves from critics.

Ron Glass
Role: Shepherd Derrial Book

Birthplace: Evansville, Indiana (USA)
Birthday: 7-10-1945

Grew up in Evansville, Indiana. Attended High School at St. Francis Seminary, where his nickname was "Big G". He graduated from high school in 1964. He then attended the University of Evansville where he had a double major and received a BA degree in Drama and Literature.

After college he worked in theatre in Minneapolis and worked at many regional theaters in the US and Canada.. He then moved to Hollywood and had numerous guest appearances on television before being cast in the popular sitcom "Barney Miller".

Over his career Ron has received many awards in theatre, and has twice been nominated for Emmy Awards. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the "Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center".

In 2002, Ron landed a role as one of the main characters, Shepherd Book, on Joss Whedon's hit sci-fi show Firefly. The series only lasted 15 episodes, but it got a huge fan base in in 2005, the continuation movie Serenity was filmed. If there are any future Firefly projects, Ron probably won't be in them, as his character died in the movie.

Sean Maher
Role: Dr. Simon Tam

Birthplace: Pleasantville, New York
Birthday: 4-16-1975

Sean was born in Westchester, New York, on April 16, 1975. He became interested in acting after performing in a play at summer camp. Sean graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama.

Sean’s first television series was the Fox series entitled Ryan Caulfield: Year One. It was cancelled after the first two episodes. Despite the failure of the show, Sean received favorable reviews and was cast in a recurring role on Party of Five in 2000 as Julia Salenger’s love interest. After his work on Party of Five, Sean co-starred in The Street as an ex Nay Seal turned Wall Street trader. The show was not successful. In 2001, he starred in the ABC/Disney remake of Brain’s Song.

In 2002, Sean accepted the role of Dr. Simon Tam on the Joss Whedon series, Firefly. The series was cancelled after only 11 of 13 episodes were aired.

Sean made his feature film debut in 2004 starring in the independent film, Living ‘Til the End. In 2005, he reprised the role of Dr. Simon Tam in the Joss Whedon’s film, Serenity.

Sean is single and splits his time between living in New York and Los Angeles.

Gina Torres
Role: Zoe Washburne

Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA

Was born at Flower Fifth Hospital in Manhattan, New York in 1969. Her parents were native Cubans, and Gina grew up in a Latino neighbourhood. Her family lived in Washington Heights for a brief while, and then they moved to the Bronx. She is the youngest of 3 siblings.

In high school, Fiorello LaGuardia School of Arts, she majored in vocal, and she is a gifted mezzo-soprano, as well as a jazz and gospel singer. She applied for several colleges, but didn’t attend to any of them because she couldn’t afford them.

She started out working at the Lincoln Center Theater Company answering phones. She also worked in the saloon across the street from her first mentioned work place. Gina then got her own agent and started her professional acting career in musicals and theatre plays.

Gina started her small screen appearances in the daytime soap opera One Life To Live. Since then she's been in many tv productions; Xena, Cleopatra 2525, Alias and Firefly are only some of the series she's appeared in over the years. Her big screen appearances include movies such as The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix: Revolutions, Hair Show, Fair Game and Serenity.

Torres married her Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne in September 2002.

Jewel Staite
Role: Kaywinnit Lee 'Kaylee' Frye

Birthplace: White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Birthday: 6-2-1982

Jewel was born in White Rock, British Columbia, but her family moved almost immediately to Maui where she lived until she was four. Jewel made her first public appearance while in Maui at the "Maui County Most Beautiful Baby Contest" and has loved the limelight ever since.

In 1986, Jewel's family moved to her current home town of Vancouver. There she was approached by a Sears representative to appear in a video for the department store. At first she refused because she felt she was being talked down to, but after seeing the clothes that young models got to wear she changed her mind. Her parents supported both decisions, and her modelling career was soon underway. Modeling jobs led to commercials which led in turn to larger acting roles.

She got her start appearing in a student short film for the Vancouver Film School, called Meeting Dad. This lead to some small movie parts and then to a larger role in the series Flash Forward for which she won a Gemini Award in 1996. She was featured in a number of other series, but is probably best known for playing the role of Kaylee on the short lived Joss Whedon series Firefly and the movie sequel called Serenity.

Summer Glau
Role: River Tam

Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Birthday: 7-24-1981

Newcomer Summer Glau is from San Antonio. She is the oldest of three daughters. Her father and mother work as a general contractor and a school teacher, respectively. When she was younger, she was a professional ballet dancer. Her ballet training schedule required her to be home schooled by her mother from Grades 3 to 12. She secretly wanted to become an actress.

Later on, she began to do some acting because of an injury she had that forced her to take a break from dancing. She started out slowly in the acting business. She was in a range of commercials and theatre productions. Eventually she made a small appearance in the 2004 movie, Sleepover. She was credited as "Ticket Girl".

However, she was finally noticed by Joss Whedon after being in an episode of Angel. Joss ended up casting her for the role of River Tam, which is her biggest role so far.

Adam Baldwin
Role: Jayne Cobb

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birthday: 2-27-1962

Season 1

The Train Job

Episode Number: 1

Serenity continues to travel through space conducting illegal runs across the star system, which is under the control of The Alliance. A powerful and fearsome mobster named Adelei Niska demands that the crew of Serenity pull a train robbery. The train is carrying medical supplies for a community, and Reynolds and Zoe get held on suspicion. They get free with Inara's help but realize they were tricked and try to return Niska's money. His henchman isn't too happy, but Mal "persuades" the next guy to take the money back. Meanwhile, two blue-handed, black-suited operatives close in on River.

Bushwacked

Episode Number: 2

On a salvage mission aboard a drifting colony ship, the Serenity crew find signs that the crew were killed by the cannabalistic Reavers. They find one survivor, but things take a turn for the worse when an Alliance ship looking for an unspecified Firefly-class ship with brother-and-sister stowaways shows up and takes them in.

Our Mrs. Reynolds

Episode Number: 3

While completing a job on a backwater world, Mal is married to a village girl without his knowledge. The girl, Saffron, gets onboard and the crew does not find her until they're already in the air. Mal is not sure what to do with her, but Zoe thinks she is dangerous.

Jaynestown

Episode Number: 4

Serenity sets down at the mudder colony of Canton where it turns out Jayne is a hero for having dropped a bunch of money there years ago that he and his partner Stitch stole from the local magistrate. The drop was unintentional but Jayne doesn't turn down the attentions. Meanwhile, Kaylee and Simon dance, River rewrites Book's bible, and Inara beds the magistrate's son, a virgin.

Out Of Gas

Episode Number: 5

In a delirious state after Serenity's engine explodes, draining the ship of its oxygen supply, Mal has a series of flashbacks about how he came to own Serenity and form his crew.

Shindig

Episode Number: 6

On the planet Persephone the crew are contacted by their old "friend" Badger the ruthless crimelord to transport some goods on behalf of a local lord. While at a ball to arrange a transport job with the lord, Mal defends Inara's honor when her current customer insults her. By local custom he unintentionally challenges her date, Atherton Wing, to a duel

Safe

Episode Number: 7

On a planet, Simon is kidnapped by locals who need a doctor, while River is threatened with burning as a witch.

Ariel

Episode Number: 8

The crew visit the planet Ariel because Inara needs to receive an annual Companion physical. The crew is offered a surprising job by Simon: in return for stolen medicine he wants them to get him into a hospital to use a high-end scanner to diagnose River. Simon devises a plan - Kaylee and Wash browse through the local dump and find parts to make an imitation emergency vehicle so the crew can get into the hospital posing as EMTs. Simon and River pose as corpses with the aid of a drug Simon has. While Mal and Zoe round up some medicine, Jayne stays with River and Simon, who are unaware he has ratted them out to the Alliance in return for money.

Jayne rushes Simon through the examination and on the way out Jayne, Simon, and River are caught by the Alliance. Jayne is betrayed by the Alliance and becomes a prisoner himself. They manage to escape as the Men With Blue Hands arrive and ruthlessly execute anyone who had contact with the Tams. Mal and Zoe end up saving their friends and Simon makes a big deal about Jayne fighting, thinking he was trying to save River and himself. Mal realizes that Jayne leaked the information about Simon and River to the alliance and tosses Jayne in the airlock. Jayne admits to doing so and Mal decides to let Jayne off the hook. In the end, Inara returns, and Simon begins "healing" River.

War Stories

Episode Number: 9

Jealous of Zoe's relationship with Mal, Wash insists (thanks to a bit of scheming) that he go with Mal to try to sell some of the medical supplies the crew stole from the Alliance. In the middle of the deal Mal and Wash are kidnapped by men working for Niska the crime lord, who wants revenge against Mal for the botched train heist. He tortures Mal and Wash until Zoe shows up offering money in exchange for the prisoners. Niska says that the money is only enough for one person and Zoe chooses Wash. Wash realizes that Mal's antagonizing him while they were being tortured was to help keep him alive and kicking. This inspires him to do everything he can to help Zoe rescue Mal from Niska. The rest of the crew jump on board to save the Captain.

Meanwhile Inara extends her services to a council member. To the crew of Serenity's surprise, it's a woman. And Simon continues to treat River with some of the medicine he stole but she suffers the occasional relapse as well as displays a penchant for blind-shooting.

Objects In Space

Episode Number: 10

A bounty hunter boards the Serenity to capture River for the Alliance

Serenity (1)

Episode Number: 11

After a flashback to Zoe's and Mal's days in the wars six years previous, we cut to the modern day where the Serenity crew is running a salvage operation on a deserted ship and are forced to flee with the cargo when the Alliance show up. Their buddy Badger refuses to buy the cargo so they head off to the rim worlds after picking up three passengers: Book, Simon, and Dobson. En route someone sends a signal to the Alliance and it turns out to be Dobson, an undercover Federal agent, who arrests Simon but is glad to take the whole crew in. He shoots Kaylee before being captured, and Simon forces Mal to flee in return for his doctoring services. When Mal investigates Simon's cargo he finds a naked woman...

Serenity (2)

Episode Number: 12

The naked woman is Simon's sister River, a government test subject he helped to escape. After ducking a dreaded reaver ship, Mal tries and cuts a deal with Patience, an old "friend" but suspects a trap. Patience tries an ambush but the team escapes just as the Reavers return and the Federal agent breaks loose. Mal shoots the agent dead and Wash manages to duck the Reavers. at the end Mal decides to take on all three of his remaining passengers full-time.

Heart Of Gold

Episode Number: 13

The crew of the Serenity are in for a gunfight when one of Inara's companion colleagues asks for their help. The Serenity crew defends a bordello from a gunslinger who got a prostitute pregnant and now intends to collect the child; Mal falls for the bordello's madam

Trash

Episode Number: 14

Saffron (from "Our Mrs. Reynolds") returns - after Mal breaks up her current gig, she convinces him and the crew to help out with a "perfect crime" that isn't. The crime: go to Bellerophon and steal a criminal's prototype laser gun from his collection. The plan: Saffron and Mal sneak in and dump the gun down the trash, bypassing security, and the Serenity crew grab it from the disposal system. Of course, this is Saffron, and things don't quite turn out as planned...

The Message

Episode Number: 15

An old war comrade of Mal's and Zoe's, Tracey, mails his corpse to them. He also leaves a message asking them to deliver his body to his family. Some men claiming to be with the Alliance are on the trail of the body and catch up to them demanding the body. The crew can't find anything on Tracey's corpse, but as they prepare to cut it open, Tracey comes back to life. He explains he is smuggling super-organs in his own body. They flee to the planet with the men in hot pursuit and eventually/supposedly agree to give up Tracey. Tracey gets wind of the plan and makes a break for it with Kaylee as a hostage – they shoot him down and Mal reveals they were going to send the officer off since he's out of his jurisdiction and on a personal mission with no authority. Then Tracey dies and they deliver his body for real this time.

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