So the whole “no TV” thing had prevented me until now from catching Joss Whedon’s new sci-fi series “Firefly“, an error I’ve finally rectified. This makes me hopelessly late to the ball — the thing started airing in September — but I figured I’d formally register my approval. It’s not as relentlessly clever in the flying-zingers sense as Whedon’s more famous “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” but quite good. Actually kind of cool to see a genre show set on a stripped down cargo ship, instead of some whizbang prototype fighter or the Galactic U.N.’s flagship. Gene Roddenberry originally pitched Star Trek as a “western in space;” Whedon seems to have taken the notion rather more seriously than the Rodman. Check out the strangely infectious theme song for a bit of the flavor. (Click on Firefly & it’s under the episode “Train Job.”) Alas, that’s not the only link. Like the shortsighted network execs who cancelled the original Star Trek after only three seasons (the initial ratings weren’t so hot; it grew a huge and freaky cult only a few years later), Fox has decided not to order any more episodes. Still, there’s a fair chance that another network will see that a potential winner’s being dropped (say it with me — the market will solve, the market will solve), and to encourage them to see the light, some fans have organized a campaign to help convince networks the show’s worth investing in. I may even invest in a TV if it gets picked up again.