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Objects in Space
open-in-new
<p>"Objects in Space" is the 14th episode of the <a href="/facts/Science_fiction_on_television/sxtqpWqe">science fiction television</a> <a href="/facts/Television_program/eooTEhwW">series</a> <i><a href="/facts/Firefly_(TV_series)/qWXYWHHK">Firefly</a></i>. It was the 10th episode to premiere on <a href="/facts/Fox_Broadcasting_Company/yeFeCgGk">Fox</a> during the series' original broadcast and aired on Friday, December 13, 2002, one day after the network announced the show's <a href="/facts/Cancellation_(broadcasting)/606N76Xn">cancellation</a>. </p><p><i><a href="/facts/Serenity_(Firefly_vessel)/hWnwyrEV">Serenity</a></i> encounters <a href="/facts/List_of_minor_characters_in_Firefly/vVUEnqAV">Jubal Early</a>, a ruthless professional bounty hunter who will stop at nothing to retrieve <a href="/facts/River_Tam/JSEDcVIY">River</a>. But River, feeling unwelcome on the ship, takes a novel approach to escaping from the long arm of the <a href="/facts/Alliance_(Firefly)/qtLYSd4a">Alliance</a>. </p><p>The inspiration for this episode came from <a href="/facts/Tim_Minear/URQegha6">Tim Minear</a>, who gave Whedon the idea by merely mentioning <a href="/facts/Boba_Fett/vw5cd7aT">Boba Fett</a>. Whedon expanded upon the suggestion and extrapolated it into the villain of this episode, the "preternaturally cool, nearly psychotic <a href="/facts/Bounty_hunter/Gn59WoVb">bounty hunter</a>" 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. </p><p>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 <a href="/facts/Jean-Paul_Sartre/aRWvzA8U">Jean-Paul Sartre</a>'s <a href="/facts/Existentialism/ylQ1HF6b">existential</a> novel <i><a href="/facts/Nausea_(book)/kHjf88sG">Nausea</a></i>. </p><p>Despite being placed as the <a href="/facts/Series_finale/ofsXCCDG">final episode</a> on the home video releases, it was the tenth episode produced and was intended to take place before "<a href="/facts/Trash_(Firefly)/3uBkjWGm">Trash</a>" and "<a href="/facts/The_Message_(Firefly)/FaV4N6yz">The Message</a>". </p>