For me the initial moment of conjunction was in season 2 (I think), an episode called “Scar.” There is a “hall” scene at the end of that episode that really reminded me of Beowulf, when Starbuck recites a litany of the dead.

And they’re drinking of course.

I am going to edit this now to state something along the lines of “television and film examples.” I really hadn’t intended to say anything more than that, because I think that the issue I want to raise is how the literature intended for “mass consumption” often removes those elements in favour of the shiny standard. Which doesn’t quite get through with my horribly general statement. What I’m clearly learning is that I should have Firefly fans edit all of my papers.

As for extremely unique, you’ve discovered my terrible flaw: adding extra words that I don’t particularly need. Baddd habit. Which will now be edited.

Thank you for reading, and for commenting. I really appreciate it.

Edit: To address some of the things over at Whedonesque that I can’t due to closed registration:

Saje:

“Class actually crops up a surprising amount in sci-fi given how US led the genre is (though it’s fair to say the ‘verse has one of the better thought out “class” systems – and short as the series was Joss also had more time than most films/books do to explore it).”

What I think does make Firefly (Or ‘the verse’ of course) unique is that its class system is the very definition of its environment. I would argue that some of the examples you provide (Which were edited out for space, I’ll have a link to Whedonesque above shortly) are definitely examples of the representations of class, but in the end the class struggle doesn’t necessarily define the core conflict of those particular works.

Also, while I am all for the distinction that science fiction need not include space and aliens to be science fiction, I think I’d be hard-pressed to define Armageddon as science fiction (although I know that you weren’t really intending on that being your most serious example). While the others all have elements of class structure, I don’t feel like class conflict was as integral to their makeup; that being said, as I haven’t seen Babylon 5 or some of the other examples provided, I cannot claim to be able to cover all these bases. And I ignored Battlestar Galactica too, but only as a time issue and to save something for my thesis.

“The realm of science fiction is a world in which idealist systems of governance and society have been the relative norm.” Not in the literature. In The Space Merchants, the US government is a puppet and real power lies with the advertising industry, which wants to turn everyone into morons so it can sell more products. Authors as different as Heinlein, LeGuin and K. S. Robinson have depicted revolts of colonized worlds against oppressive governments. H. G. Wells, a Socialist, imagined a future of class division so extreme that the human race becomes two species. 1984 and Brave New World are dystopias about totalitarian governments.

A nitpick: “extremely unique”? As an honours English student, I’m sure you know that there are no degrees of uniqueness. A thing is unique or it is not.

Keep up the good work.

Kudos to you, fellow Browncoat!