10 unforgettable Firefly zingers.

The start of the new fall television season has made me a little nostalgic. Nostalgic for shows I wish were still in the line-up. At the top of the list has to be Firefly. The futuristic space western aired in September 2002 and was cancelled before the end of that first season. It was arguably one of the best written TV series of all time. So, join me in my trip down memory lane with ten of my favorite bits of Firefly dialog.

  1. Mal to the bandits:  “if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I will end you.”
  2. River to Jayne: “I can kill you with my brain.”
  3. River to Zoe about Book’s hair: “You see, the snow on the roof is too heavy, you see, the ceiling will cave in. His brains are in terrible danger.”
  4.  Zoe to Mal about River: “Sir, I know she’s unpredictable, but I don’t think she’d harm anyone.” And Jayne reminds them: “Butcher’s knife!” and Zoe says: “Anyone we can’t spare…”
  5. Jayne pretending to read from Simon’s journal: “Dear Diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Dear Diary, today I was kidnapped by crazy settlers. It was the best day ever.”
  6. Mal about Constance: “I believe that woman’s planning to shoot me again.”
  7. Wash: “I’ve been in a firefight. Well, I was in a fire. Actually, I was fired from a fry-cook opportunity.”
  8. Wash about River: “Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science-fiction.” And Zoe’s reply: “We live in a spaceship, dear.”
  9. Mal to villagers about Jayne: “Y’all see the man hangin’ out of the spaceship with the really big gun? I’m not saying you weren’t easy to find, but it was kind of out of our way and he didn’t wanna come in the first place. Man’s lookin’ to kill some folk. So really it’s his will y’all should worry about thwarting.”
  10. And finally, there is a whole set of lines from Objects in Space that we will count as one:
    Jubal Early (about River): “Where’d she go?” And Simon replies: “I can’t keep track of her when she’s not incorporeally possessing a spaceship. Don’t look at me.”
    Mal to River: “How come there’s a guy on board and how come you’re all of a sudden the ship?”
    Simon to Jubal Early the bounty hunter: “Well, my sister’s a ship. We had a complicated childhood.”

There are tons more great lines from this one season wonder. Which ones are your favorites?

21 thoughts on “10 unforgettable Firefly zingers.”

  1. New follower here, and I agree with everything you’ve said here. No other show I’ve watched comes close to touching the dialogue of “Firefly.” Thanks for the list. I think I need to go rewatch the series and “Serenity.” Again : )

  2. Well, yes. A bit out of context, but well written as always. I believe the producer of that show was Josh (Phonetically spelled) Whedan. Also did Buffy the Vampire slayer.

    • Hi Lee! I’m a big fan of Joseph Hill Whedon, nick named Joss.

      He also created Dollhouse, another series I wish had survived, but died after two seasons. Signature lines: “I try to be my best” and “did I fall asleep?”

      He created/wrote Buffy the series and wrote the origional Buffy movie, another one of my favorites. Memorable lines: “Great! My secret weapon is PMS.”

      • And of course there’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog” which Joss wrote with his brothers and Maurissa T. (can’t recall her last name, but she’s done other work with him). Masterful dialogue in everything he touches, really.

        I hadn’t realized he wrote the original Buffy movie. That explains why I like it so much : )

  3. Oh…my favorite sci fi series…EVER! Thanks for making me smile and smile and smile. I think Malcolm, Jayne and River have some of the greatest lines in the history of television and movies.
    Think I’ll re-watch my DVDs!

  4. I love this zinger list! Firefly is one of my fave tv shows and I still wish it was on the air. I’m tempted to have a FF marathon myself to relive some of these great moments. 🙂

  5. I didn’t watch Firefly when it was on the air, but I caught it on DVD and LOVED IT!!!! Do you watch Castle? In one episode Nathan Fillion dressed up for Halloween as a space cowboy. *laugh*

    I couldn’t get in to Dollhouse.

  6. I’ve never even heard of Firefly. Where the heck have I been? The dialogue sounds excellent and I wish I’d seen the short-lived series, too, so I could lament its demise with you! Actually, had it survived one season I probably would have discovered it.

  7. I could quote this show ad nauseum. I adore it.

    In my everyday speech though, I have adopted “Shiny”. And “Faster. Faster would be better!” is one of many favourites from the movie.

  8. I never saw FireFly but now reading your blog…. I want to see it! Always the good stuff gets canceled but we can have endless seasons of hoarders and fat people sweating…people who can’t dance and people who can’t sing and people who just screw up their lives and the lives of everyone around them. I mean there is a show about tatoo’s for calamity’s sake!!!! dang it. life just ain’t fair. OH And Sab got me the first season of True Blood for my birthday since we can’t get it on T.V. and everyone I love seems to adore the show.

  10. Firefly was Brilliant and Joss Whedon is my great and terrible god. 🙂
    “I can kill you with my brain” is one of my favorite quotes!

    I am also huge fan of Jane. Of of my favorite quotes is when he’s bitching about not getting paid,” “Ten percent of nuthin’ is…let me do the math here…nuthin’ into nuthin’…carry the nuthin’…”

    • Love, love, love the nuthin’ into nuthin’ line bit. Thanks for that one!

      Also,Jayne talking about Vera, “she’s my very favorite gun.” And from the movie, ‘I don’t want to explode.”

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