Today, September 20, 2002 Firefly premiered on Fox Network.

Firefly-for those of you who have yet to be amazed by it-was, well, amazing. A great and short-lived series about space smugglers in the year 2150-something, led by a sarcastic captain with a heart of gold. Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, played by Nathan Fillion is (in my humble opinion) one of the best scifi characters out there. It’s a shame Fox didn’t want to support the series due to its budget. I’d say it’s one of Joss Whedon’s best efforts; Engaging, clever, action-packed and very sci-fi. The mix of cultures and worlds, space and cattle, swords and guns, was original, unique and entertaining.

The show garnered a large following post-cancellation. In fact, in 2013, TV guide placed it at #5 on their list of shows that were cancelled too soon. I’d have to agree with them. Though I’d put it at number one, maybe number two. Hell, Even Nathan Fillion joked about buying the rights and bringing it back… You know, if he had the money.

Fortunately, many fans were able to receive some resolve when the film, Serenity, released in 2005.

If you haven’t seen either of these (Firefly or Serenity) I’d suggest watching the series first. You’ll get a lot more out of the film that way.

You can go buy it on Amazon here. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you won’t be disappointed.