Libertarian 'Serenity'

by Seth Daniels
by Seth Daniels

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.

Take me out
to the black.
Tell ’em I ain’t comin’ back.
Burn the land and boil the sea.
You can’t take the sky from me.

Have no place
I can be
Since I found Serenity.

~ Theme Ballad of Firefly

"That's what governments are for, [to] get in a man's way."

~ Mal Reynolds, Captain of Firefly-Class Boat Serenity

"The market is a democracy in which every penny gives a right to vote."

~ Ludwig von Mises

Calling all freedom-lovers, libertarians, Austrians, minarchists, and anarcho-capitalists:

Go see this movie, in theaters September 30^th!!!

Let me preface this by saying that I have not yet seen the movie. I have no idea whether it is good or not. But that is entirely irrelevant. By purchasing a ticket to see Serenity – regardless of whether the movie turns out to be a masterpiece or a dud – you are exercising your democratic right to vote in the free market for libertarian-themed media. One Dollar, One Vote!

That said, I fully expect good things from this movie. After all, Serenity is based on the most consistently libertarian TV show I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing (Firefly). What other TV show is set post-Civil War and is told from the point of view of a defeated Secessionist war veteran now-turned free-trade smuggler, struggling to retain his freedom and avoid the long arm of Empire? The civilians in the outlying territories protect themselves with guns, the law is localized, the Federal government is looked on with (at best) distrust, and geishas are cast as honorable capitalist professionals.

The fact that the show is set as a sci-fi space-western is entirely inconsequential. Firefly is libertarian through-and-through. If I had to sum up the plot in one sentence, however: it depicts the adventures of a young Han Solo (from Star Wars) after the Empire defeated the secessionists, but with more involved character development, better acting, and crisper dialogue. It is truly addictive

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the show was literally run into the ground by Fox. Fox relegated the show to the Friday 8PM time slot (no-man’s land), showed the episodes out of order (such that they made no sense), and then cancelled the show mid-season.

By voting with our wallets, we as libertarians have the opportunity to show Fox – and other studios – two things. First, that the show Firefly needs to be resurrected, and second, that the market screams for more libertarian-themed and intelligently-crafted media!

What are you waiting for?

Order or rent the DVD of Firefly, and go see Serenity this weekend!

September 29, 2005

Seth Daniels [send him mail] writes from Boston.

Copyright ©  2005 LewRockwell.com