Firefly has many great episodes, but which ones stand out? Is 'Heart of Gold' your top pick or do you prefer 'Bushwhacked'? Let's rank every Firefly episode from best to worst. Check out our list of similar shows too. Created by Joss Whedon, Firefly is a space western drama set in 2517, following the lives of the renegade crew of Serenity, a 'Firefly-class' spaceship. The crew, some of whom fought on the losing side of a civil war, make a living on the fringes of society. Firefly premiered on Fox on September 20, 2002, and was followed by the movie Serenity in 2005 after its cancellation. Vote for your favorite episodes and downvote the ones you didn't enjoy. With so many good episodes, it's tough to choose, so vote for as many as you like.
About this list
- 1
Season 1, Episode 5.
After Serenity suffers a catastrophe that leaves her crew with only hours of oxygen, flashbacks show how Mal and Zoë got Serenity and built their band.
45 - 2
Season 1, Episode 1.
Malcolm Reynolds captains Serenity. He and his crew smuggle goods, needing passengers for more money. Not all passengers are what they seem.
27 - 3
Season 1, Episode 3.
Mal gets married to a naïve, subservient young woman named Saffron as an unpaid job reward. The crew laughs at Mal's awkwardness; Book teaches him about proper behavior, but things go beyond simple.
26 - 4
Season 1, Episode 9.
Serenity takes a job from Simon. They must help him get a thorough diagnostic of River. The reward is looting the vast medical stores of an Alliance hospital on central world Ariel. River's pursuers hunt them, but they get unexpected inside help.
25 - 5
Season 1, Episode 14.
Serenity meets Jubal Early, a ruthless bounty hunter aiming to get River. River, feeling unwelcome, tries a new way to escape the Alliance's reach.
25 - 6
Season 1, Episode 10.
Wash wants a field assignment because he dislikes Zoë's strong ties to Mal. Crime lord Niska uses this moment to get revenge for Mal failing an earlier task.
25 - 7
Season 1, Episode 4.
Returning to a planet where he faced trouble years ago, Jayne finds out he is a local legend. Mal uses this distraction to finish a job, but old business might mess up his plans.
21 - 8
Season 1, Episode 4.
Inara goes to a formal dance and finds Malcolm there, setting up a smuggling job. Mal fights Inara's arrogant date and faces a duel with a swordsman, with only one night to learn how to fence.
19 - 9
Season 1, Episode 11.
Saffron tries to steal a rare antique weapon from a wealthy landowner. Mal forgets to tell him how she found the information needed to break into the landowner's home.
18 - 10
Season 1, Episode 13.
A friend of Inara's, trained by a Companion, runs a brothel and calls Serenity for help. A local boss reveals his plan to take 'his' baby from the girl he impregnated.
14 - 11
Season 1, Episode 5.
Mal must choose which crew members to save when one is badly hurt and two others are taken. Simon finds temporary safety in a remote village, but River's strange senses put the Tams' safety at risk.
8 - 12
Season 1, Episode 2.
Serenity's crew takes a train heist from a crime lord. They steal goods, only to find the medicine is desperately needed by the town.
4 - 13
Season 1, Episode 3.
A Tohoku-class cruiser pulls Serenity in while investigating a spaceship attacked by Reavers. Simon and River must hide to avoid capture. Something is wrong with the attacked spaceship's lone survivor.
3 - 14
Season 1, Episode 12
A former Independence soldier who served with Mal and Zoë returns. A vicious Alliance officer chases him for smuggled goods.
2
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