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Apparently, no force can stop the embattled freighter Serenity from flying the cosmos.
Not a television series being cancelled after one season. Not a feature film flopping upon release. Not even a defiantly plainspoken star, or a showrunner deemed persona non grata.
The Hollywood Theatre has announced that on Aug. 24, it will be hosting Firefly Fest, a screening of two episodes from the cult sci-fi TV series Firefly. It’s a major boon to the series’ fans (who call themselves Browncoats, after the show’s rebellious heroes). While the 2005 sequel movie Serenity has played on the big screen many times, it’s somewhat controversial. On the other hand, the two episodes that the Hollywood is screening, “The Train Job” and “Out of Gas,” are considered indisputable classics.
In “The Train Job,” the space-faring rogue Capt. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his crew of miscreants as they attempt to rob a high-tech train racing through an alien desert. And in “Out of Gas,” a wounded Reynolds attempts to keep his beloved ship from falling to pieces, leading to a poignant reflection on how his misadventures began.
Firefly has a storied history. After just 14 episodes, Fox cancelled the show in 2002 in response to low ratings, but a ferocious fanbase latched onto the series’ mix of futuristic thrills, Western-movie archetypes and clever wordplay, paving the way for Serenity.
Last January, Firefly fans were forced to reckon with yet another controversy regarding the show’s creator, Joss Whedon. An article in New York magazine recounted multiple allegations of Whedon’s inappropriate behavior, much of it connected to his tenure on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Fillion recently stirred some backlash when he suggested not only would he be open to returning to Firefly, but that he would collaborate with Whedon again. “By his own admission, that guy’s a work in progress and I appreciate that,” Fillion said on Inside of You, a podcast hosted by actor Michael Rosenbaum (best known for playing Lex Luthor on Smallville). “I would work with Joss again in a second.”
Tickets for Firefly Fest are $8-$10 and are now on sale on the Hollywood Theatre’s website.