Virtual Encounters

The sun beams at the hot military airport where the ship Serenity has just landed proudly. The sight of her, a gray beacon against a blue sky, is marvelous, and I take several pictures. Although her thrusters are in bad shape, she still makes a prestigious impression. I walk past the hangar bay, trying to reach the entrance to the landing field. Passing trees and a bridge, I scurry past the long wall that fences off this site from the rest of the world. A virtual world, that is. Everything around me is composed of bricks of data: the trees, the ship, even my virtual self, “Setsuna”, a gothic-styled young woman with long dark hair. The world does not look particularly realistic in terms of graphics, and getting a feel for the camera takes a minute, but then I peek through the pixels and feel at ease, immersed, perhaps.

The ship, a Firefly class vessel, is abandoned, and so is the hangar bay itself. I pass a sign that explains that this digital property has been on sale since March 2012 (Shuftan, 2012). This disconnected role-playing site at Second Life honored the television series Firefly (2002-2003) for five years. Fans had devoted themselves to building this digital space and socializing in it as if they were actually onboard the starship Serenity, but, ultimately, they had enough and left the virtual world. The role-playing adventures of these fans continue on blogs and other media, leaving this hangar bay as a small reminder of their endeavors and their affect towards Firefly.