7 Hidden Firefly References In Totally Unrelated Shows
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, “Movie Monsters of the Deep.”
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
One of the most tragic sci-fi TV cancellations of all time is undoubtedly Firefly, which was plagued by problems that included being placed in an unpopular slot on TV and having its episodes aired out of order, confusing prospective fans. By the time people discovered the series through DVD sales and a growing cult following, Firefly had already been canceled, which would set up a surprising legacy that has continued to keep the series in the conversation, with the upcoming Firefly revival the result of years of campaigning by fans and actors.
It is common for shows to hide Easter eggs relating to other series the actors have appeared in, and shows starring Firefly actors are famous for doing so. Now, the space opera’s influence has grown to the point that even totally unrelated shows have referenced it. Sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and Community feature characters lamenting its cancellation by name, while one of Big Mouth‘s more surreal scenes involves a character writing unusual Nathan Fillion fan fiction. People who have not seen Firefly will miss the tributes here, but they will give fans nostalgia.
Dollhouse
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Central to Firefly‘s larger story is the mysterious River Tam, the child genius whose mind has been altered by experimentation, turning her into a bioweapon. River spends much of the series struggling with her identity and seemingly in a world of her own, but occasionally she comes out with a brilliant and quotable line that keeps the rest of Serenity‘s crew on their toes. Visiting Jayne Cobb after he tried to betray her, River sweetly warns him, “I can kill you with my brain.”
Firefly‘s legacy has overshadowed another great Joss Whedon sci-fi TV show that was canceled too soon, with Dollhouse starring Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Echo, an “Active,” who can be programmed with different skills. When Echo looks through the file of Bennett, another character, she remarks that she could “kill you with her brain.” Bennett is played by Summer Glau, who plays River Tam.
The Killing
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Joel Kinnaman stars alongside Jewel Staite in the crime drama The Killing, in which Kinnaman plays Stephen, a struggling homicide cop and former drug addict, while Staite plays Caroline, his girlfriend and a District Attorney. Staite’s more polished role in The Killing is a drastically different character from her role in Firefly, where she plays the mechanic, Kaylee Frye, who has a talent for working with machinery and an almost-telepathic connection with Serenity.
Kaylee is the friendliest and most optimistic member of the crew, but she does not accept insults to Serenity, making the brief Firefly reference in The Killing funny for fans of the iconic space Western. Stephen has the word “serenity” tattooed on his chest, to which Caroline remarks that it sounds like “a stripper’s name.” When Stephen says that he should get it removed, Caroline is quick to tell him not to, finding the tattoo “hot” after all, which is the kind of comment Kaylee would make.
Stargate SG-1
One of Stargate SG-1‘s funniest episodes, “200,” drops a meta Firefly reference that is likely to only be picked up by fans who know the legacy of the show as well as its storyline and characters. The characters are reviewing options for a feature film adaptation of the in-universe parody of their lives, when Dr. Jackson asks, “who makes a movie out of a series that only lasted three episodes?” Teal’c responds, “it allegedly performed well on DVD.”
Jewel Staite appears in Stargate Atlantis, where her character’s love of strawberries mirrors Kaylee’s.
Firefly aired 11 out of its 14 episodes before the show was canceled, but despite this short run, the movie Serenity was filmed to wrap up the main storylines, giving Firefly a proper ending. “200” is packed with meta scenes, with the nod to Firefly being subtle but unmistakable. The overwhelming success of the DVDs, which featured the complete series in the episodes in their intended order, convinced Universal Pictures to buy the rights from Fox and allow Serenity to go ahead.
Battlestar Galactica
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Of all the Firefly references in other TV shows, one of the best is a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment that appears to set Battlestar Galactica and Firefly within the same universe. When Laura Roslin visits her medical team in Caprica City, the view through the window shows a variety of space traffic, with ships landing and taking off. One of these is the unmistakable shape of Captain Mal’s iconic Serenity. As these are two sci-fi TV shows with great spaceships, this crossover is a split second of very welcome fan service.
Battlestar Galactica‘s Firefly scene is an even more significant moment than simply a tribute from fans. Animator Jarrod Davis and CGI supervisor Lee Stringer worked on both TV shows, with the cameo being Stringer’s idea, while Davis made it happen. Battlestar Galactica incorporates details and influences from several different ages in human history, from the Biblical Age to WWII, but the futuristic and very meta Firefly scene adds yet another layer to the show.
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Of all Archer‘s seasons, season 10 is one of the most memorable. Titled Archer: 1999, the series places the familiar cast of characters into a space Western setting. With Firefly being one of TV’s definitive space Westerns, it is hardly surprising that any venturing into this genre would draw comparisons with the show. That said, Archer includes a direct nod to Firefly, with Ray Gillette taking on the role of a courtesan very similar to Inara Serra, albeit treated with less respect than she is given.
When interviewed by Den of Geek, Archer’s producer, Marcus Rosentrater, acknowledged the reference. Questioned about the many character redesigns in the season, he pointed out parallels with Stargate SG-1, the Alien franchise, and Firefly, saying “Ray is somewhat modeled on Inara from Firefly” and later confirming that Firefly was a show he and the team were inspired by that season.
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TV’s spy comedy Chuck often references Firefly, as its main star, Adam Baldwin, played the show’s resident mercenary and fashion icon, Jayne Cobb. In the episode “Chuck vs. The Sandworm,” he asked, “what’s he going to do, kill me with his mind?” repeating River’s threat to Jayne, and later in the series finale, his character, John Casey, repeats Jayne’s line, “we’re just happy to be doing good works, ma’am.” The show also featured Summer Glau (River) in a guest role, with the writers clearly enjoying the opportunity to put in Firefly Easter eggs.
Adam Baldwin’s Firefly callbacks do not just appear in a few well-chosen lines, as some of Chuck‘s funniest scenes include terms and phrases popularized by the space Western, with Casey describing things as “shiny,” a slang term the Firefly characters use to mean “good” or “attractive.” As some fans of the show incorporated terms like this into their everyday speech in the same way Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s “Buffyspeak” was used, people familiar with Firefly could spot and appreciate these moments instantly.
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Having played one of the best characters in Firefly, Nathan Fillion is famous for incorporating tributes to Captain Mal and Serenity in many of his TV shows. Castle references Firefly many times, including showing Castle dressing up as Mal for a party. Finding him spinning a gun wearing the entire outfit, Alexis asks what he is supposed to be, and when Castle replies, “a space cowboy,” she reminds him that he wore that outfit five years ago. As Firefly had been off the air for five years at that point, it was another clever layer to the joke.
This is far from the only time that Castle includes Easter eggs for Firefly. When Castle goes to a sci-fi convention, there are multiple references there, he uses Firefly slang like “shiny,” explains he learned Mandarin from “a show I used to love,” and when another character asks him if he has heard of the Serenity, referring to a spa, Fillion gives the perfect fourth-wall-breaking look toward the camera.
Firefly is a sci-fi TV series set in the year 2517 and centered on the ragtag crew of the spaceship Serenity. As humanity spreads out a new star system, Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew navigates conflicts and alliances while pursuing their own interests across lawless territories.
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