Why Whedon Wrules

Ok, just a very important point to make about Joss Whedon's success with the Firefly series and also with his more recent work with NPH.

Mal's crew and the entire universe took place in a time frame that is only extended from ours. There is no gamble on intelligence in space, there is only the inevitable point to work with that 'Humans will continue to change'

This, has always been, our best feature. We are evolving right in front of our eyes and compared to Star Wars or any other popular franchise it rules out things we have little chance of accomplishing and it really exaggerates what technology we have today.

River is a super hero. We have grown up in a society that would like to see the super hero, and would do many things for it.

Including taking away that super hero's rights and freedoms to accomplish it.

The show just asks these rhetorical questions of the audience. It questions the morallity of the human race by staying focused on just one species. No BORG here to write for. This is why it's good. And this is why the fans are so focused on it.

This point can be further extended to his later work with Dr. Horrible. No super powers. Nothing that we don't make ourselves. No free rides.

This really connects to the modern human experience. Without even really drawing the focus to that fact. It just points out the obvious to the newer generation.

In the background it also really illuminates the fact that the human decisions being made are still human. The technology involved changes the game a bit, but the human decisions are always flawed in some way, Dr. Horrible's inventions are his undoing.