Firefly (TV series)/Analysis: Difference between revisions

{{Analysis}}{{work}}

== The [[Anti-Hero]] and Disrespect for authority ==

Everything in [[Firefly]] is set up in an anti-authoritarian manner. In the Civil War analogy we side with the Independents and the Confederacy counterpart against Unity. Inside the ship, Mal is the captain but he doesn't rule the roost by a strict structure or enforcement of the maritime (or.. spacetime?) code of conduct. Instead the crew is held together by a strong sense of [[True Companions]] and Mal beating people with [[The Chains of Commanding]]. Sometimes its the heavy burden associated with the metaphorical chains of commanding, other times its real metal chains.

== Sin is Essential to Humanity ==

In ''Serenity'' in particular, a major theme is that the [[Seven Deadly Sins]] are integral to humanity's nature. The Alliance's villainy is a result of them attempting to control people, force them to act against human nature in the name of eliminating sin. On Miranda, in attempting to create a "world without sin", they removed everything that made colonists human. They not only no longer felt any "sinful" emotions, they no longer felt anything at all, and could do nothing but just lay down and die. Or became Reavers.

== Innocence is the cost of strength ==

Tying in with the "Sin is essential" idea above is this concept of the loss of innocence within the series. A big part of what makes Mal who and what he is happens to be the destruction of his relatively naive beliefs, especially with the crushing defeat at the end of the Battle of Serenity Valley. The loss of that innocence is what sets him free and makes him the man he is now. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a similar loss in River; her innocence is stripped from her in a brutal fashion similar to the loss Mal went through, and like Mal it left her damaged yet more powerful than she was when she went in. At the same time, she's a fragile, psychotic, emotional wreck in spite of her overwhelming physical and psychic power.

== The crew as parts of Mal ==

Inara has been described as Mal's heart, and we can see he gets in a darker, more callous mood whenever she's not on the ship. I submit that each of the characters fill a hole in his being left by Serenity Valley. As far as this editor can discern: Kaylee is his joy and happiness, Zoe his will to fight or to lead, Book his conscience. Simon, as hard as it may be to believe at first glance, is his inspiration and aspiration to great, heroic deeds. River is his curiosity and innocence. Wash I'm not so sure about, he may be Mal's basic motivation - the ability to take action and make decisions. Jayne is what we might politely call his lower urges. Wash may be his sense of humor, [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?|which isn't as lame as it sounds.]] And Serenity herself, she is his wings.

== Opposites attract ==

Each of the couples on the ship are the opposite ends of some spectrum. Mal represents independence and freedom and, in both his resistance to government meddling and his 'go where the wind takes him' spirit, represents chaos and the frontiersman. Inara on the other hand comes from and misses the cultured life of the core planets and supported the unification of the Alliance; she is the least criminal of the crew, and furthermore she lives and works according to a traditional code of conduct, so she represents order and civilization. On the other hand, she essentially works as a prostitute, putting herself up for sale, so she doesn't live a life that is as honest or free as the one Mal leads, although it is more comfortable and glamorous.

Kaylee, always covered in engine grease and with the bluntest way of speaking and maybe least formal education (if Jayne didn't take the crown for both) represents simplicity and unsophistication -and is always the happiest because of it. Simon, on the other hand, represents gentility and sophistication and science, and has a lot of trouble cutting loose.

When Mal lost at Serenity Valley, he lost his serenity, in one sense, but gained it in another. He was no longer calm and content, but had gained a sort of resignation. As time goes on, his serene life on the ship is challenged by others who want to take Serenity. His least serene moment in the entire series—the moment in the film where he threatens to kill the crew—happens when they disguise the ship, so he no longer has Serenity. When the ship is restored, his serenity is restores. And now serenity doesn't look like a real word anymore.