Eric Benson

Project Description

To create a visual timeline of Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity stories. This timeline will be visualized on the space/time locations from the ‘Verse.

This project also became an online timeline and was written about in a peer-reviewed article entitled “Collaborating in Conceptual Spaces: How Data Visualization Facilitated by Javascript Can Improve Interdisciplinary Design Projects” (December 2022). It was also presented at the Slayage 9 Conference (July 2022) in a presentation entitled “The Firefly and Serenity Experimental Timeline: A Digital Tool to Catalog, Connect, and Discover”.

Process & Methodology

To determine the most accurate timeline for works within the “Firefly/Serenity” canon** I first amassed all the printed and digital media considered canon (comics, graphic novels, television episodes, film, and novels), to read and watch. Throughout this primary research, I also referred to the work of others who have also attempted to detail the story timeline of the series.

In the process of trying to place the novels, comics, short stories, and graphic novels on the timeline, there were, in particular the new Boom Studios “Firefly” comics, various levels of uncertainty regarding the accuracy of the placement. To solidify the decisions, I looked at the story dialogue, where the narratives took place in the galaxy, the appearances/non-appearances of characters in the events, and the theories of other researchers and fans.

A connected issue presented by the recent comics by Boom Studios! was the introduction of new planets and moons that do not appear in the Geoffrey Mandel ‘Verse Map, recognized in the Firefly Encyclopedia as canon. For instance, in The Sting, which features Saffron and the ladies of Serenity, the story takes place at a spa on the planet Carolan. This planet is not listed on the ‘Verse Map from Mandel. In other stories, these planets and moons were mentioned (and also not on the map): Bethlehem, Nazareth, Golden’s Bane, Seven Beta Niner, Perdido, and Canterbury. To plot the timeline on the ‘Verse with these “new” planets and moons from the comics, I had to use my best judgments based on where the crew was prior and the time mentioned in the story for travel.

It also should be acknowledged that it is entirely possible that placing these additional stories from the comics, graphic novels, short stories, and novels was not explicitly set in the original story arc for Firefly by Whedon and his writing team. Therefore, the chronological placement of each within and after the television series are educated guesses considering their inclusion might not have been planned out from the beginning.

** Canon was determined by what Whedon and the show writers said was official in interviews in books, online articles, and extras on DVDs/BluRays. It is assumed that the novelization, comics, and graphic novels are canon as Joss Whedon is listed as a consultant.