Whoopee!!!
It's not much of a stretch to say that I learned to read (beyond the Dick and Jane shit) from science fiction. "Serenity" comes at a time when I've been thinking about the interplay of some of the Libertarian values of sci-fi and Hippie culture with the current political culture.
I think a comparative piece on "Starship Trooper" and "Serenity" would be really neat.