Yes, it is a space "western." There are horses! Old guns. Saloons and slang! There is even a classic song to start off the show:
Though there have been a few posts so far asking why this is, I am sure there are others in the viewing audience pondering the same question. Why make a show set so far in the future that has a decidedly Western theme applied to it? I will tell you!
The theme isn't important. The music isn't important. The Western jargon isn't important. What is important, however, is the idea that these aspects of the show represent. What happens when humanity loses the notion of a frontier? Humans, historically, have always pushed boundaries and created frontier settlements in search of "a better land," only to usually find more of what they left behind. Right now, though, Earth is overcrowded. There are no frontiers left on the planet (except for the oceans, but they don't count. Oceans are silly.) Our only frontier left is space.
Firefly is set in a large solar system. Most of the celestial bodies that they visit are, in fact, moons of larger planets that are uninhabitable for various reasons. There is no intersteller travel here as in Star Trek, for example. The central planets are the great populated "East" of space, and the outer rim planets are the classic "West."
The show is then able to explore the idea of a frontier through the lens of what is perceived as traditional science fiction. You'll notice, though, that there are no aliens. Very few lasers. We could come close to building a Firefly spaceship today. If you saw the show from the inside of Serenity, would you be able to guess that you were in a spaceship? It is unlikely. Where, then, is the science?
Honestly, it really isn't there. Firefly is a human/Western drama in a science fiction setting. I am a tad rambly, but my point is this: Firefly could be a very accurate possible future for humanity. We expand, the new settlers regress in technology (whether of out need for control or necessity), the colonizers become independent entities, a war erupts between the former and the latter, and the cycle repeats.
At its core, then, Firefly is a human show about human struggle. Don't let the setting prejudice you against the meaning. I promise that the opening song stops being annoying after a few episodes.
3 comments:
Fantastic post, Josh. Read this one and then read it again, folks. Josh does a great job explaining what's going on in this show.
And yeah, at first the song might sound strange, but give it a couple of episodes and you'll see how completely perfect it is. The lines "Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me" are pretty darn poetic and a wonderful encapsulation of what drives the show forward. Mal and Zoe might have lost their war, and the whole crew might be a band of law-breaking outcasts, but they'll keep pushing on as long as there is sky.
Great post Josh and thank you! As I was reading it, it was as if I could hear things clicking in my head. The more I'm understand and learn about this show the more I like it.
As for the western theme, yes, I get it now. They are on a new fronteir, like after a war. This makes complete sense to me especially after reading where Whedon got his inspiration for the show. Likewise, I didn't find the music annoying, just out of place when we watched it Tuesday.
This was a really good post to read, Josh. It makes me think of how humans have adapted to life in the last few centuries. Everything is always evolving. I could see this as a very realistic future because of everything currently going on in the world...humans are expanding their territory, and how long will it be until there really is nothing left?
Very thought-provoking post!
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