There is no doubt that when people discuss some of the best space western shows of all time that Firefly is sure to come up on the list. It's considered a classic creation by Joss Whedon and many fans lament that it never got a proper second season, even with the movie Serenity bringing back the cast and crew.
However, the show has always been marred by one particular controversy — the fact that it may have stolen many of its story elements from the animeOutlaw Star. What really makes the difference between a simple homage and outright ripping off ideas? Did Firefly really have that much in common with this overshadowed anime from the 90s? It's time to settle the debate once and for all.
Timelines - Outlaw Star vs. Firefly
While often overshadowed by Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star is considered to be one of the greatest sci-fi anime of all time so it would make sense if Joss Whedon took at least some inspiration from the show. Still, it's reasonable to begin with a simple question: Did Outlaw Star come out early enough to have influenced the production of Firefly?
While some would point out that the manga began serialization back in 1996, there was never an official English translation for the series even after it was made into an anime. This makes it so that the first time Whedon or the rest of the production crew could have seen Outlaw Star was during its original run in 1998 when it was broadcast on TV Tokyo or when the full DVD collection of the series was originally released back in 1999.
Even with Outlaw Star's first run on Toonami back in 2001, there still could have been enough time for it to be used as inspiration for the show since Firefly's first episode airing on September 20, 2002.
Melfina vs. River Tam
When it comes to the debate about where Firefly may have lifted elements of Outlaw Star's story, the similarities between Melfina and River Tam are where it would be most apparent. The two both are sealed away in cargo boxes and are revealed in almost the exact same way and position on both shows (and even as a cliffhanger for their episode directly after a firefight), but that's not even where the similarities end.
Both characters have unusual abilities granted to them in some way by the military powers in their respective universes. The two are also helped out by characters who didn't originally steal them from said government with the promise of finding out the secrets and history behind their pasts as well.
Miranda vs. The Galactic Leyline
Disregarding the fact that the password to get the coordinates to the Galactic Leyline in Outlaw Star is literally "Miranda," there are still even more similarities to the planets where the final moments of each series take place. Both climactic battles in the series take place between three separate major powers of the universe, and both planets are surrounded by a severely ionic atmosphere which did not allow people to see everything taking place in front of them.
The Outlaw Star vs. Serenity
While some have said that both of the ships in the series look similar, this seems like an unfair point to go on; just how different can people design spaceships in general after all?
However, there are other coincidences that are a bit too strange to simply look past. For instance, both ships are considered to be characters with personalities all their own — from Gilliam II to the fact that Serenity is listed as a tenth character in the DVD release for Firefly — but even Serenity's name comes from the anime series as well. In Melfina's Song, she sings "oh serenity" which, given all the other similarities found between the two space-faring vessels, is hard to ignore.
Did Firefly Rip Off Outlaw Star?
Officially, Joss Whedon said that the inspiration to create Firefly came after he read the book The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. While fans of both series have raised questions over the years, it is unlikely that Whedon or anyone else involved with the production of the show will shed light officially on the extreme similarities between it and Outlaw Star.
However, viewers will be able to see the strong stubborn tropes found in both Aisha ClanClan and Jayne Cobb, the mysterious mysticality and incredible fighting skills of Shepherd Book and Twilight Suzuka, the often antagonist relationship of Jim Hawking and Kaylee Frye as engineers on the ship.
Whether Firefly ripped off the ideas of Outlaw Star, was simply inspired by it, or if there was truly just a series of remarkable coincidences between the two shows, it is obviously apparent that those who enjoyed one series should check out the other as there is likely something they will surely enjoy by giving them a watch.