I bow to your geekiness 
Cow-smuggling?
They were in the wrong part of the system for beagles.
Seriously, just watch the show. It’s one of those rare things that really is as cool as everyone says. 
I too caught the series for the first time on hulu.com.
I hate that it was cancelled (not like me watching it on first-run would’ve saved it though.)
I watched it first when I was living with people who heavily disliked anything SF, so my first glimpse was halfway through Jaynestown. That had me hooked enough to buy the box set and enjoy it properly.
I just saw Firefly for the first time a month or two ago.
It made me so angry I wanted to find a Fox executive and punch them 500 times in the stomach.
So my advice, don’t watch Firefly, because it will just piss you off that all you can watch is the first half of the first season.
Lucky!
I agree with those who want more past out of Book. Also, why the Blue-Hands on the feds? I need to know!
Luckily there are comics that might lead to some answers eventually…
What we really need is for HBO to get involved. They are the only ones on cable with the budget and willingness to let the creator do what he wants, think Rome and Deadwood. Plus we’d get more profanity, sex, and violence. It’s a win-win. I’d be happy with any kind of stories in the Firefly setting.
If all you guys had watched it from the start, even Fox might have kept it running.
[Tracking shot - exterior Serenity - shuttle window - pan in, as we see]
Kaylee: Inara! It’s time for my next lesson.
(Her eyes widen as she sees Inara, clad only in a black leather bikini that couldn’t have hurt the cow much.)
Inara: Kneel, slave!
I don’t know, sometimes limits can help a show thrive. I thought one of the cleverest things about Firefly was how it circumvented profanity rules by using invented slang and borrowed Chinese words. Just having the characters shout “Fuck” all the time wouldn’t have been nearly as fun.
You might want to consider waiting to watch the movie for another month. On June 20th and 21st, in several major cities, there will be a fundraiser screening of Serenity to raise cash for Equality Now, Joss’s favorite charity. Tons of Browncoats show up, doorprizes are given away, and you might even get a celebrity appearance.
It started in Portland three years ago, but it’s everywhere now. If it’s at all close to you, you ought to go. It’s a blast.
I liked the quote from the movie:
Mal: You’ll have to tell me about that sometime.
Book: No. I don’t.
Joss basically saying, “You’ll find out when and if I decide to tell you…don’t ask me about it.”
Oh, yay! I don’t get legitimate reasons to post this link often, but it’s such an amazing speech, everyone should see it. Twice.
Joss Whedon speech to Equality Now! (warning: YouTube link; you have to get through about 1:50 of Meryl Streep first.)
Okay, okay, okay. Stop it! I’m going to go watch an episode now.
Uh… I’ll be in my bunk.
By the way, I watched one. I think it was the first one. Started REALLY slow and a crappy theme song, but it ended okay. I don’t see what inspires the mass fellating of Joss Whedon yet, though. I’ll watch some more.
For me, part of the show’s charm is the good (as in witty or funny) dialog. It’s not as full as cliches as some scifi shows.
I’m guessing you started with the first aired episode, not the actual pilot episode–which was the last to air.