By McGuire Raines

Summary

FIREFLY/SERENITY Firefly/Serenity is about a crew that comes from a

variety of backgrounds to survive, fight, and
deliver justice amidst a cruel universe that is
controlled by the government.

Major issues

The show encourages people to consider major

themes like leadership, heroism, responsibility,
consequences, power, teamwork, trust, family,
gender, what it means to be civilized, ethics,
respect, community, human rights, sacrifice, hope,
and faith/belief.

How it challenges viewers

It challenges us to think about these issues by

taking us out of the present and putting us into a
future world so that we can seek to put aside
bias mindsets.
“’I Aim to Misbehave’: Masculinities in the ‘Verse” by David Magill
Main Points
1) Magill defines Mal’s code as
taking care of your crew,
protecting the weak & needy,
and exercising lethal violence
with restraint. (p. 80).
2) Mal provides a stark contrast
to the Alliance and the Reavers,
which illuminates his qualities.
(pp. 82-83).
3) Mal demonstrates how to lead
by teaching his crew his
masculinity that combines
freedom with ethics. (p. 83).
3 one-sentence
Quote
statements
Magill claims that gender is
“Whedon’s depiction of Mal ultimately
socially constructed and argues
suggests that the crisis among men is not
that Mal’s ethical manhood is
a crisis of masculinity but a reaction
the most effective in the way
against masculinity’s unacknowledged
that he leads others. If
links to power” (p. 79).
manhood is more than just the
This is important to Magill’s argument
physical strength and the
because it shows that masculinity is
unacknowledged link to power,
more than just the power that is linked
then the ethical code is what
to position as the common role of men.
defines masculinity. This
It is primarily about having an ethical
encourages readers to rethink
code that lifts up the community around
what they see as being a man
them.
and to seek out an ethical code
that will allow them to support
the community around them.
 “A Tale of Two Heroes” by Shanna Swendson
Main Points
1) Shanna Swendon defines the
mythological hero as someone who is
on a mission, steps out of their
comfort zone and faces danger to
complete that mission, and
experiences forever transformation in
the process. (p. 67).
2) When faced with challenges both Mal
and Simon react with sarcasm,
stubbornness, and a hint of
recklessness to protect those they
are responsible for and to accomplish
their goals. (p. 70).
3) Through Simon, Mal learns how to
believe in something outside of
himself, and through Mal, Simon learns
how to trust family again, which helps
him focus more on himself. (p. 77).
Quote
“They’ve each faced their own
“Serenity Valley” of sorts, a time
when they were disappointed and
betrayed by something or someone
they believed in, and when they found
out that they really were all alone in
the universe” (p. 72). This quote
highlights the similarity between Mal
and Simon, but more importantly, it
sets up the story for how they must
deal with these problems, thus
developing their stories into ones
that are mythologically complete. It is
also important to readers because
most everyone can relate to a
“Serenity Valley” in their own lives
and hearing their stories can inspire
people to make change possible.
3 one-sentence
statements
Shanna Swendson shows how both Mal and
Simon measure up to a true mythological
hero and argues that though they have
some differences, their similarities qualify
them both as the heroes of the show. This
article speaks to what it means to be a
hero and a leader, which is very important
because the world needs these heroes and
leaders to give hope and support to the
communities around them. This article
challenges the idea that heroes and leaders
always have a firm grip on their own lives
because it shows how Mal and Simon were
both in the process of making themselves
into better men throughout the series and
yet they manage to lead others, even
before they become completely changed
men.
“Girls, Guns, Gags: Why the Future Belongs to the
Funny” by Natalie Haynes
Main Points
1) Haynes points out that the
ultimate gender-lever is not guns
or brains, but jokes. (p. 29).
2) She shows how women have
rarely been used for delivering
funny lines and how this is a
serious problem because jokes
make you like a character. (pp. 29-
30).
3) She argues that Firefly depicts a
feminist world in which everyone
gets to be funny, and even suggests
that Zoe may be a greater feminist
icon than Buffy (pp. 34-35).
Quote
“Making someone laugh is
an exercise of power – for
just a second, you have
total control over
someone else’s emotional
state” (p. 34). This quote
highlights the power of
humor. At a glance, being
funny does not seem like a
display of power but it can
stand head-to-head with
both physical and
intellectual power.
3 one-sentence
statements
Natalie compares Buffy the Vampire Slayer
to Firefly and puts them into
conversation with other films to show
how Firefly creates a world in which
men and women are equally funny and
thus powerful. Laughter is one of the
greatest joys in life, and it is important to
acknowledge that both men and women
are capable of this great power. This
article challenges readers to meditate on
the power of humor and rethink the way
they view feminism, although they may
not agree with every point.
Faith/Belief
Why faith/belief matters &
how it relates to my life
In the opening scene of “Serenity”, Mal prays
for God to deliver them from defeat (S1E1).
At this point, Mal merely believes in God
because he sees it as a way of getting the
things that he wants. Thus, Mal loses his faith
whenever God does not deliver him from his
Examples
enemies. He does not realize that God uses
our brokenness to draw us closer to Himself
and that “…for those who love God all things
work together for good, for those who are
called according to His purpose” (Romans
8:28 ESV).
Faith/belief matters because it provides the
foundation for an individual’s life and how they react
to the world around them. It provides a motivation
for why someone does what they do. For me, it is
God’s gift of grace that enables me to have faith in
Him and His Word.
The series circles back around to this theme
in the movie Serenity with the death scene of
Shepherd Book. With his dying words Book
tells Mal, “I don’t care what you believe. Just
believe. Whatever you…” (Serenity).
Everyone must choose something to believe
in because some things just take faith to
believe it is true. Everyone clings to some
sort of absolute truth, which though there
may be evidence, cannot be proven. So, they
must simply believe and that’s why belief is so
powerful.
 Sacrifice matters because it is the highest form of
Sacrifice love. Sacrifice can mean laying down one’s life for
another, but it can also mean laying down time,
Why sacrifice matters & how it relates
effort, and/or even money. For me, I try to take up
to my life
my cross every day and sacrifice my time and
energy for those that I love and for my community
in general.

In “Out of Gas”, Mal not only stays

with the ship, but also endures a
In “Jaynestown”, a young boy sacrifices his life
bullet wound to the side as he
for Jayne, the “hero” of their town (S1E7).
seeks to save his crew (S1E8). This
Afterwards, Jayne tells Mal that it doesn’t make
determination to help his crew,
sense. This is what sacrificial love does. I see Examples
even when it means sacrificing his
this as a perfect example of what Christ did for
body physically and mentally, is
us in giving His life though we are sinful and
inspiring to me. This shows the
don’t deserve that love.
love that Mal has for his
crew/family.

Why Firefly/Serenity Matters
While the show was cancelled in December of 2002
with the movie being released in 2005, Firefly/Serenity
continued to maintain a fanbase. This fanbase lives on
in part because the series highlights major issues that
are still prevalent today. It features characters with a
variety of different background coming together to
form a family. For a country that has been called the
“Melting Pot”, the idea of coming together to work as a
team is very important. America can also relate to the
Firefly crew because it also had to stand against
authority that was infringing on their human rights.
Today, American society still grapples with how to use
power, how to be a true leader, and how to respect
others, even though they may have differing opinions.
Though it may look a little different in 2517, the
problem that stands in the way of solving these issues
is sin. Although this world is full of sin, Serenity leaves
its audience with a very important and positive note.
Love is what keeps this world going and it is the one
thing that we can never give up on. With this positive
note, I would recommend this series to a friend or
family member because it inspires people to think
about major issues, while at the same time, keeping
viewers on the edge of their seat.