When it comes to fan fervor for favorite television show, no one beats the Browncoats (sorry all you Klingons. Qapla!) And recent news indicates that victory for the rebels may be within reach for the first time in almost ten years of struggle. For those of you who have spent too much time on Alliance planets or are just returning from deep space, Browncoats are the independent survivors of the one-season television show, Firefly.
Within the show Browncoats are essentially confederates that lost a cosmic civil war to the Alliance. In first life (or what some people refer to as “reality”) Browncoats are viewers and fans who have remained faithful to the cause of reviving Firefly from its “canned” grave at 20th Century Fox.
Hold on to your laser pistols, but one of the most controversial cancelations in T.V. history could be returning from the grave. Lead actor for the old show, Nathan Fillion (now Castle), stated over a week ago that if he won the lottery he would buy the rights to the show and start releasing new episodes online. Fine. Actors say crazy things we should all ignore, often. (Sorry all you Browncoats, but he is just an actor and not really a starship captain.)
But, last Friday a former producer of Castle and writer of two firefly episodes tweeted that he would sign on too. Then a producer of Battlestar Galactica and co-creator of Warehouse 13 said she would be in! Are you nerdy sci-fi fans frothing at the mouth yet!?
Browncoats, ravenous for glory and unrelenting in fervor, wasted no time in creating a new website and facebook page both titled, “Help Nathan Buy Firefly.” As of this morning (when I pledged my undying support) the movement had gathered pledges tallying $452,000. That isn’t enough to buy the rights to the show (which Fox will most likely never sell). And certainly not enough to produce more episodes, but it is a lot of money in a short time.
More interesting would be the implications for entertainment if this wild scheme were to work. What would it mean if an actor and a few industry insiders could team with consumers to produce internet television to their own tastes? Television that won’t produce “American Idol” ratings, but has a pre-established faithful. It has happened with music and now books. Cable networks started the trend for T.V., but this… It’s a libertarian dream.
Who knows, if the Browncoats would have fought like this in the year 2511 maybe we would have never lost to the stinking Alliance in the first place!
“Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand. I don’t care. I’m still free. You can’t take the sky from me.” ~ Joss Whedon
Ahhhh! Why won’t Fox sell the rights when they’re not gonna do anything with them?!!!