By Devin Meenan

Copyright slashfilm

Without question, the greatest strength of “Firefly” is its perfect ensemble. Starting with nine characters is ambitious, but there’s not a single weak link between them, and they’re all perfectly cast. You can pair each and every member of the Serenity crew off with one other and come away with a compelling scene. So, it’s a damn shame our time with them went by so quickly. This also means that “Firefly” isn’t the type of show where you can or should do a legacy sequel (like “Buffy” is doing). Without these characters, another “Firefly” would be diminished.

One reason for the “Firefly” fandom’s longevity, and why some still hold out for another reunion, is that the cast love the show too. During Fillion’s 2022 appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s “Inside of You” podcast, Rosenbaum asked him if he’d still do a “Firefly” reboot. Fillion: “Why wouldn’t I do that? [‘Firefly’] was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

Jewel Staite (bubbly ship mechanic Kaylee Frye) said in an August 2024 appearance on “The Katee Sackhoff Show” that people still ask her for another “Firefly” season. Alan Tudyk (eccentric pilot Hoban “Wash” Washburne) said just a few months ago on that same show that he wants a revival to happen.

So if people love “Firefly” so much, why hasn’t season 2 happened? “Serenity” broke even at the box office, so that immediately created another hurdle for more. It’s also been 20+ years, so the cast and crew have moved on to new projects. (Actor Ron Glass, who played the preacher named Book, passed away in 2017.) Whedon, due to many allegations of poor behavior, is also persona non grata right now, and his voice is essential to “Firefly.”

Some have also argued the central allegory of “Firefly” means it doesn’t fit the current political moment. Whedon admittedly based “Firefly” on “The Killer Angels,” a Civil War-set novel … yet in his analogy, he made the Confederates the good guys. Part of this is that Hollywood Westerns, which “Firefly” pulls from, lean on “lost cause” mythology that says the Confederacy was fighting for freedom, leaving out that they wanted the freedom to enslave people. John Ford’s “The Searchers,” starring John Wayne as an embittered ex-Confederate soldier, is a clear influence on “Firefly” and Mal’s character, especially. (A more easily fixed problem is the lack of Asian characters in a future where everyone speaks Chinese.)

Since your “Firefly” binge is destined to be short-lived, I recommend checking out the anime “Cowboy Bebop” and “Outlaw Star” once you finish “Serenity.” Both shows are set in similar worlds with cowboy main characters flying around on a spaceship. There’s only one “Firefly,” but speaking as a once die-hard Browncoat, I promise similar shows can help sate you.