Wearing a Browncoat

I was a freshman in college.  I heard about a show called Firefly from a friend.  I was warned up front that the show was cancelled after only 14 episodes.  I was hesitate to watch it, until he began to describe the show.  He told me it was a "Space Western", and I was sold. 

Joss Whedon's Firefly, follows a group of 9 main characters on a Firefly-class cargo ship called Serenity.  The 9 characters could not be more different from one another.  There is the former soldiers, the educated doctor, his mentally disturbed sister, a prostitute, a mechanic, a pastor, a pilot, and a mercenary.  All of these various characters, for one reason or another have decided to become a part of the crew.  The world has just gone through a civil war between the Alliance and the Independence.  The Alliance won, instating a corporate, authortiarian government across the galaxy.

The captain of Serenity, Malcom Reynolds, once fought for the Independence.  The Independent soldiers all were known as "The Browncoats" because of the long, brown jackets they wore.  Malcolm or Mal is a man who has found himself on the losing side of war.  Not only has he lost the war, but he has lost his faith in God. 

Firefly delves headfirst into religion.  Shepherd Book, is the equivalent to the protestant pastors we know today.  Inara is a "companion", essentially a prostitute with Buddhist-like beliefs.  Simon Tam is the A+ medical student, who is an atheist.  Mal encounters all of these beliefs at once, which makes for some interesting clashes between characters.

 I grew up in a small, conservative town in the desert.  I was raised believing in God, and that Christianity was the truth.  I left for college and made a lot of friends, with various backgrounds.  I encountered situations, and traveled to countries that tested my beliefs. 

After my freshman year, I took a trip to study abroad in Egypt.  During my stay in Egypt I saw my religious views change.  I saw similarities in Christianity and Islam, and I saw how they affect society and government policy.  More importantly, I saw how it played a role in my Egyptian friends.

One of my Egyptian friend's, Memo, was affected the most.  Memo is gay.  That was when I started to ask the tough questions.  Is God real?  Is the correct religion Christianity?  What about Memo?  What about my other friends? 

 Years later, I was going to watch a fan screening of Serenity at a small theatre.  The week before my roommate and I decided to re watch the Firefly series.  I related to Mal.  I felt an inner pain.  I was at conflict with my parents, just like he was at conflict with Shepherd.  Mal's bitterness toward God was obvious in this exchange between Shepherd Book and Mal:

Shepherd: Captain, do you mind if I say grace? Mal: Only if you say it out loud. 

I hate that the show was cancelled.  It had the potential to dive deeper into religion and God.  Regardless of what could have happened, Firefly helped me look deeper into my faith.