Originally posted by: C3PX
I think the Western idea was brilliant, and it was ashame they tossed it out for the film.

You see, that's where I think the movie went most wrong, but in a general sense of the characters living ordinary, tough lives. You claim that introductions were needed, but I believe the series was most brilliant when the characters acted and behaved like themselves. When I got hooked on the series, I jumped into the third episode or so and needed no introductions to the characters because they were compelling, real, and down to earth in their own way. I thought it was awesome. You don't need introductions when you understand that the whole group of characters is comprised of ordinary people just like you and me. They're special in their own ways, just like everybody is, but in a general sense they have desires that everyone identifies with and that's where the show most excelled in my opinion.

If I had advised Joss Whedon, I would have told him not to worry about finishing any big story arcs and not to dwell on lengthy introductions to the firefly universe or the dire history of the main characters. Instead, it should have been a much more reserved and less apocalyptic storyline. One with plenty of action of course, and cool special effects, but one that was self contained for the most part and not complicated. Then, if he had wanted, he could have introduced new back-story hints and such, with the hope of potential sequels. Unfortunately, he was so focused on all of those large scale items that the drama didn't flow correctly (if you ask me) and the main characters didn't seem as authentic (at least not in the ways I remembered him writing them in the past).

Anyways, the western/sci-fi combination was a bit awkward, but the character interaction and the drama were always the pull of the show for me, so I could overlook those problems. And, even then, the combination was a very cool attempt at something different and I really came to love it after a while.