4. The Crew Of The Serenity - Serenity
People don't like to be meddled with So says, with amazing clarity, a young River in the opening scenes of Serenity, after her teacher poses the rhetorical question ...with so many social and medical advancements we can bring to the independents, why would they fight so hard against us? She continues, ...We tell them what to do, what to think. Dont run, dont walk. Were in their homes, and in their heads, and we havent the right. Or as Mal bluntly puts it: I just want to go my way. As previously mentioned, it is government that often plays the villain in texts with libertarian themes. You will also note that in every single case, the government is well-meaning, benevolent, and acting with the best of intentions - The Alliance in Serenity, being a perfect example of this. They are not corrupt, using government to achieve personal wealth. They dont even seem to take personal joy in being powerful. All they want is peace and safety in the galaxy, but the way they aim to bring this about flies in the face of nature and the human spirit. Late in the film, it is revealed they experimented with releasing chemicals into the atmosphere of one planet, designed to reduce aggression in humans. Doing so, they wiped out the planets entire population, as people stopped working, stopped eating, stopped breeding and eventually just died out; and all with the noblest of intentions. The film is dense with libertarian themes, from the unintended consequences of government action, to the blow-back of foreign invasions, to the hidden curriculum and propaganda of education and above all, mans inherent desire to be free.