I had never seen
Firefly before....bought the DVD boxed set purely on recommendations from various sci-fi critics on the 'net. So far, I would say it is the best TV show I've ever seen. I'm a HUGE fan of
Star Trek, but Firefly blows ST away...every single incarnation of ST....
The writing on the show is absolutely first rate, and so is the acting, directing, camera work, etc...
So far my favorite line is when River and her brother are captured and brought to a very religious (darn near Puritan...) settlement so that Simon could be the town doctor. Poor River is accused of being a witch due to her mind reading ability, and is sentenced to burn at the stake. At the last second, Serenity zooms in, along with Mal and Zoe, and they take back Simon and River at gunpoint. The elder (or whatever they called him) in charge of the town tells Mal that River is a witch, and she needs to be burned to purge the evil or some such rot; then Mal responds: "She may be a witch, but she's OUR WITCH!".
Classic, just classic.
Anyway, just for the heck of it, here's a nice picture of Inara:
The writing on the show is absolutely first rate, and so is the acting, directing, camera work, etc...I just hope whatever vehicle is used to further the Firefly mythos doesn't get hijacked from the spirit of the original series.
I remember that conceited little pimple Harlan Ellison tried to remake Star Trek in City on the Edge of Forever. He wanted to make Bones a druggy or insane IIRC.
Then there was the Section 31 book that was an explicit attempt by the author to make the Star Trek universe homosexual-friendly.
If Firefly can stick to its original premises, who can tell how far it will go?