Firefly/Serenity is truly an excellent collection of stories every sci-fi fan should get to know. I am in a way glad it ended as opposed to todays tv dramas that go on and on and on and the quality deteriorates as the producers have to keep looking harder for more ways to extend the story. I do wish, however, at the very least they could have filmed the 3 season story-arc that Whedon had already finished writing.

Ok who am I kidding.. the show could have gone on forever and I'm sure I still would have loved it

Joss Whedon is the best friend Television sometimes forgets it has. The movies he's worked on are good too; you can often pick out lines of his (they're the funny ones).

I had heard a rumor that the Sci-Fi channel was looking to pick up firefly and move on with the franchise. Any one heard similar?

And yes the show is great, i own both the show and movie on DVD but have yet to finish the show as of yet or even get to the movie..the fact i just bought all 7 seasons of Star Trek TNG on DVD might have something to do with it....

Both farscape and andromeda were awesome. I also liked Enterprise over THG.

Thanks, yes i have TNG on video.

I think i prefer voyager... if only because of Seven's outfit!! But both Ds9 and voyager are brilliant series. The new enterprise series has some spark, the actors are quite brilliant but sadly it has the feeling of a smaller budget behind the scenes compared to it's predisessors.

I watched it in its original airing, on USA or whatever, then again in the (I think) SciFi rebroadcast, and I have the DVD set, with Whedon's commentaries.

According to Whedon, the 2nd scripted/filmed episode, "The Train Job", became the first episode aired after the initial network viewed/accepted the pilot, after it was mostly scripted but before it was filmed. The network was concerned that they needed to hook an initial audience with a higher action story, rather than all the careful setup, background color, and teaser mystery that was the basis of the pilot. Because the change in sequence came before the shooting, Joss was able to insert a modicum of essential background material, but he and the network schedulers then had to find a slot to insert the pilot with its fuller set up story. I think in the initial airing it came third, but I could be wrong.

There are 11 filmed episodes, 2 of which were not broadcast in the initial run.

Though subsequent airings on network and local TV maintaned the same order of airing (I never heard of the pilot being last, though), when the DVD set was prepared/ released, Joss rearranged and re-edited back to the originally concieved order of play.

Incidentally, the Firefly DvD collection set some kind of DVD industry record in the first year of its release. I think it was the largest number of a single-season show ever actually PURCHASED (vs rental, etc) in the year of its release. Whedon credits the success of the DVD set in large part with stimulating the backing and studio interest that allowed the movie to be made.

Don't hold your breath for more Firefly. Whedon has said in post-movie interview that though he still loved the Firefly concept as some of his best work, he was reasonably satisfied with having been able to do the movie and take the story to better closure. If the movie was successful enough to stimulate interest in a sequel form, movie or mini-series fairly quickly, he would consider it, but he was not going to put the rather major effort into keeping it alive that he did between the end of the series and the go-ahead decision for the movie. He also was not attempting to keep the cast on retainer beyond a short period following the movie, as it was too limiting on them and too expensive for him with such a big pool of talent. In the event - the movie did "reasonable" in theater release but about 10-15% below what the producers had hoped for in initial run. It did not stimulate any immediate interest in a further sequel project among the producers/backers, and Joss himself said that he had several other projects that he needed to spend time on. Note that there is further evidence of this in that several key members of the cast, notably Zoe and Callie, are in long term commitments to other shows.

drrider

Enterprise spent a season on a really lame and low budget shows messing around with time travel themes. They lost significant viewership during that season (almost including me and I have seen every star trek episode ever made). Oddly enough, I feel they un-jumped the shark the next season and put out some really fun/good shows...But it was just too late by then; They had lost too many viewers.

"No. Really, I mean it. I accidentally shot Janeway in the back with a disrupter that causes an excruciating death from two feet away." - Defense Purge was heard practicing with himself as he wanders about the V'ger in preparation for an away mission.

You know all these shows mentioned except star trek and firefly are filmed in Canada. I think it pisses the American actors off  

Black and Browder are available now that Stargate has been canceled. From the little I've heard, it might be a "next gen" thing.

Atlantis is a go, and as i understand it, there is a contract in place for at least up to and including a season 6, but we all know how good a contract is.

SG-1 in television form at least, is stopping with season 10. There are two straight to DVD movies that are to tie up the series though. The first of which is to end the story arc of the Ori, and the second is to establish a possible 3rd spinoff where a 9th chevron is located that dials another universe. Apparently Daniel Jackson is to continue through to this new series.

All of this is part rumor still but the Stargate realm seems it might have some more life yet.

Firefly was a great show. I think what I liked most about it (aside from its awesome gritty sci-fi style) was that it really hit the ground running. With the possible exception of the pilot, the writers & the actors all seemed to know what they were doing and what they were about from the get-go. Watching Firefly's all of a half-season, it often seems to me like a show that's gained speed and is in its prime - I practically have to remind myself that it was a show that had only just begun. Even my favorite TV show, Babylon 5, had a choppy first season IMO. Firefly is one of the few shows I've watched whose first season rarely made me cringe.