| "Objects in Space" | |
|---|---|
| Firefly episode | |
 River holding the "object" | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 14 |
| Directed by | Joss Whedon |
| Written by | Joss Whedon |
| Production code | 1AGE11 |
| Original air date | December 13, 2002 (Fox) |
| Guest appearances | |
"Objects in Space" is the 14th episode of the science fiction television series Firefly. It was the 10th episode to premiere on Fox during the series' original broadcast and aired on Friday, December 13, 2002, one day after the network announced the show's cancellation.
Serenity encounters Jubal Early, a ruthless professional bounty hunter who will stop at nothing to retrieve River. But River, feeling unwelcome on the ship, takes a novel approach to escaping from the long arm of the Alliance.
The inspiration for this episode came from Tim Minear, who gave Whedon the idea by merely mentioning Boba Fett. Whedon expanded upon the suggestion and extrapolated it into the villain of this episode, the "preternaturally cool, nearly psychotic bounty hunter" Jubal Early. Whedon has said that if he were forced to pick one piece of work to represent his entire body of work, he would pick this episode.[1]
River's and Early's tactile and spiritual connection with physical objects reflects an existential experience in Whedon's youth and his subsequent study of Jean-Paul Sartre's existential novel Nausea.[2]
Despite being placed as the final episode on the home video releases, it was the tenth episode produced and was intended to take place before "Trash" and "The Message".
- ^ reddit AMA (April 10, 2012)
- ^ DVD commentary for "Objects in Space", chapter 3.