In message 
, 
ChrisC  writes
>After being highly recommended to me? I have obtained the entire first
>season of Firefly. I have watched Serenity and was not sure what the
>back story was to this film so although I enjoyed Serenity I was not
>to sure what was going on.
>
>I'm told watching the first season (and only one by the looks of it)
>will help me watch and enjoy Serenity the film even better.
>
>My question is whats this whole franchise about, is there aliens, is
>there space wars? Whats the gist of it without giving away the plot.
>
>Cheers.

No aliens, aftermath of a human civil war - think post US Civil War 
reconstruction. Some psionics and spaceships, but it owes as much to 
Westerns as to SF. I think that if the series had continued and more had 
been made there would have eventually been a fairly complex SF story 
there, but we'll never know now.

Warning - some of the plot threads of the series do not get resolved, 
and aren't mentioned in Serenity; to follow up everything you may need 
to look at some of the Firefly web sites and comics.
-- 
Marcus L. Rowland             http://www.forgottenfutures.com/
LJ:ffutures     http://homepage.ntlworld.com/forgottenfutures/
   Forgotten Futures - The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
   Diana: Warrior Princess  &   Elvis: The Legendary Tours
   The Original Flatland Role Playing Game

In uk.people.sf-fans,  (Marcus L. Rowland) wrote in
<HIn1ygaojQDIFwjp@00.d0.59.f5.d0.2a>::

>In message 
>, 
>ChrisC  writes
>>After being highly recommended to me? I have obtained the entire first
>>season of Firefly. I have watched Serenity and was not sure what the
>>back story was to this film so although I enjoyed Serenity I was not
>>to sure what was going on.
>>
>>I'm told watching the first season (and only one by the looks of it)
>>will help me watch and enjoy Serenity the film even better.
>>
>>My question is whats this whole franchise about, is there aliens, is
>>there space wars? Whats the gist of it without giving away the plot.

There's a touch of "Millenium Falcon" about the ship- slightly seedy trader
trying to make a living, and shading the law as often as not.

Not popular with TPTB, having been on the "wrong" side in the rebellion.

>
>No aliens, aftermath of a human civil war - think post US Civil War 
>reconstruction. Some psionics and spaceships, but it owes as much to 
>Westerns as to SF. 

In fact, the theme tune sounds more suitable for a Western.

>I think that if the series had continued and more had 
>been made there would have eventually been a fairly complex SF story 
>there, but we'll never know now.

Shame it was pulled- I enjoyed the series.
-- 
Marc

The desire to become a politician should bar you for life from 
ever becoming one. (Billy Connolly)