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Despite the ratings troubles, how do you feel about Firefly?

Baldwin: It's my favorite TV show. It's the only show that I can think of going now that I can watch more than once and you pick up new stuff. There may be some comedies out there, like Curb Your Enthusiasm, if you want to go back and live some comedic moments. But Firefly is such a complex show and the dialogue is so unique that you miss things the first time round. And it's just not formula. It has some formulaic equations buried in there, but doesn't everything steal from Shakespeare? And didn't he steal it from somebody back in ancient Greece, too? Not that we're stealing anything. "Good actors observe others, while great actors steal." You might as well steal from the best.

Baccarin: It's very unique, the new-frontier kind of thing. It makes it real. There's room for a lot of imagination, and a lot on Joss' part to create this new world for us. I'd have to say the whole idea of it, the newness of it, [surprises me]. Just how creative the whole process has been with creating this new world and the people that I'm working with. There's a huge collaboration, and that's what makes it so great.

Glass: I wanted to do an hour-long show, and I wanted to something that was dramatic and sometimes funny and humorous, as well. I'm just delighted to have this opportunity to be a part of this project.

Baldwin: It has all those layers for people who choose to delve deeply, but it's also quick and entertaining for those who aren't. What I love are the historical references. Hopefully, young people will read more books, and it will cause them to think a little longer, than just react to pretty pictures. They're actually going to have to pay attention to what we're talking about and what the allegory may be to some Civil War battle. It's fabulously complicated, with wonderfully diverse characters, and the dialogue is historical allegories. It's hysterically funny at times.

It's the most fun job I've ever had. I've had lots of fun on other jobs, but this by far has the potential for the longest run, and the character of Jayne sure is full. We have great sets. We have terrific words and a fun cast, and a great dedicated crew. My heroes are the camera crew and the electricians. They work such long hours. The main camera guy—a lot of it is hand-held camera work—has that 55-pound camera on his shoulder 12 hours a day. Allen Easton, my hero.

Minear: I think it's interesting, and I really hope that we're success a in keeping all those balls in the air. I think so far we have been. And that's very exciting.

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The pilot will finally air on December 20. What's it about?

Minear: The two-hour pilot "Serenity" covers how Simon, Book and River got on Serenity.

Baldwin: I've delved into the message board world just to see what people are saying. They're very devoted, but a lot of people have downloaded the pilot because there's a copy running around out there. But I would recommend you don't do that because it is just a rough cut. It's not the finished version. There's still more footage that will be added to the final pilot, so if I were you, I'd wait.

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