I just finished watching Firefly and loved it so much that I immediately wanted to watch it again to catch all the stuff I missed. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely check it out. The space-western series is Joss Whedon at his best.
I fell in love with Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, and not just because he’s played by Nathan Fillion, whom I also have a crush on. “Mal” is like a lost soul on a mission. He bucks all the rules, but at his core, you can tell there’s still a heart of gold there.
I couldn’t help but think of another captain I admire: Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Let’s take a closer look and see how these two compare… or not….
Rules
Mal never follows the rules, and in fact, bought a spaceship so he wouldn’t have to follow anyone else’s rules. That said, Mal lives by his own rules, and if that means delivering a friend’s dead body to his parents or defending a whorehouse against marauders, he’ll go the distance.
Jean-Luc has that whole Prime Directive to follow, the one that states: “No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society.” Not only does Mal interfere with their development, but by the time he and his crew get done with them, there may be no one left to develop their society. Does Jean-Luc bend the rules now and then? Yes, because he realizes that humans are complex animals, and rational thought doesn’t always enter into things.
Spaceship
Mal’s ship Serenity was resurrected from near death and continues to have operational issues, including one nasty incident where life support shut down and the ship nearly became a floating coffin for Mal.
Yeah, I’m sure that’s happened once or twice on the Enterprise, but for the most part, she’s a clean-running ship with a top-notch computer system. Whether it’s Romulans or the Borg in her path, the Enterprise always comes through.
Crew
Mal’s crew on Serenity has issues. Lots of issues. From a preacher with a secret past to a scrappy thief to a whore companion, there’s no telling what sorts of trouble these folks can get into — and usually do. They live fast and hard, and aren’t afraid to take down the bad guys. But they still care deeply for each other, even when they don’t always show it.
The crew of the Enterprise are all highly trained personnel who know the ship inside and out and, for the most part, remain calm and cool under even the most dire circumstances. Sent back in time? No problem, they’ll find a way home. Trapped in the holodeck? They’ll figure it out. Jean-Luc, in particular, always thinks things through with a level head, thanks to the proper balance of work and rest. Everything is very by-the-book.
First Mate
Zoe Washburne is Mal’s second in command. These two go way back and fought together in a war, which is why they trust each other. She’s the level-headed one of the pair, knowing that every problem has a solution. But she always maintains a level of respect for Mal, calling him “Sir” and following his orders to the letter (mostly).
Commander William T. Riker, on the other hand, is a bit more impulsive and emotional than Capt. Picard. Oh, he’s no Capt. Kirk or anything. He doesn’t monologue endlessly or rush into a situation head-first. But Riker has a bit of scrappiness to him, while at the same time always at the ready to take command of the Enterprise, if necessary.
Appearance
Mal is usually a disheveled mess, either from a recent bar brawl, a train robbery gone awry, or an encounter with his ex-wife that led to a knock-down fight. Somehow he still manages to look dapper in his brown coat and trooper boots. You just want to run your fingers through his hair … where was I? … oh, right….
Jean-Luc, on the other hand, is the picture of decorum with his crisp Starfleet outfit and clean-shaven head. He takes proper care of both mind and body, spending quiet time in meditation with classical music and participating in physical exercise like fencing and hiking on the holodeck. There’s no hair to run my fingers through, but let’s face it, Jean-Luc’s more like a father figure to me.
Your turn! Tell me what you love or don’t love about these two captains.
Clacked by Jane Boursaw 
on May 28, 2009 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
I love Mal because he is so childlike – he holds hope for things that are near impossible, he trusts when he shouldn’t, and the look on his face when he sees his ship for the first time (or anytime he sees Inara) is so moving that you just have to love him.
On the other hand Jean-Luc Picard is much more the father figure. I always respected him for never lauding his power over the crew of the Enterprise. Instead he provides guidance and direction, and is always available to even the children of the crew.
So I guess Captain Tight-pants (as we lovingly call Mal where I come from) is more like a big brother, and Captain Picard is more like a father… and I’m okay with that.
While I love the whole Star Trek universe and most of the shows that entails, none can hold a candle to Mal and the Firefly crew! Probably the closest would the Star Trek the original series. Kirk was definitely a flawed character willing to risk ship and crew to get some green skinned alien, or any other, strange.
Still I, like you, absolutely loved Firefly. I was a fan from the beginning and greatly mourned its cancellation. It completely reinforced my opinion that the networks are run by complete MORONS! While drek like Survivor, The Apprentice, and virtually every other reality show remain on the air, and somehow they come up with new ones with even worse premises, we lose Firefly, Space: Above and Beyond, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Reaper, The Middleman, etc.