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In the Firefly television series, the Alliance is a powerful government and law-enforcement organization that controls a large sector of colonized "core planets." A few years prior to the show's timeframe, the Alliance fought a civil war against the independent worlds that wanted to break away from Alliance jurisdiction. The war raged for many years, causing heavy casualties on both sides. In the end, the Alliance won, and an armistice was signed, thus ending the war.
The Alliance operates a massive fleet of starships resembling huge floating cities.
Alliance ground troops wear uniforms and armor similar to that worn by the Mobile Infantry in the movie Starship Troopers.
The Union of Allied Planets & Anglo-Sino Alliance
Note: since the Alliance has been referred to as both 'Anglo-Sino Alliance' and 'Union of Allied Planets', perhaps both descriptions are true: the Anglo-Sino Alliance was formed on Earth (before the planet was abandoned) and later took to the stars, where all the human colonies were unified into the Union of Allied Planets.
History
After Earth's natural resources were used up generations ago, mankind abandoned the planet (which now exists in myth and legend as "Earth-That-Was"), and moved out into the stars. But, mankind held onto the tenets of culture and civilization in the exodus, carrying with it those things both material and spiritual that make us human.
Relatively little is known of the early history of the Alliance (such as the exact date of the exodus from Earth, and whether or not the Alliance itself was formed before or after Earth was abandoned). The only real facts we know are that the show takes place in the year 2517, and the civil war occurred a few years earlier.
The Alliance flag, seen in the original pilot episode, is a blending of the United States and People's Republic of China flags.
At the Battle of Serenity Valley (the final battle in the civil war), the Alliance suffered heavy casualties much as the Browncoats did. Survivors from both sides were stranded on the battlefield until the Alliance was able to send a fleet of medical transports to the rescue.
The day that the civil war ended is known as "Unification Day" and is celebrated as a holiday throughout the system. Alliance military officers like to drink a toast to Unification Day and enthusiastically encourage others to join in the festivities.
Universe
The two worlds that make up the "core planets" are Sihnon, a mostly East Asia-themed planet, and Londinium, a world with mostly American and Western Europe influences.
The Alliance seems to have some elements of a monarchy; in the first episode, Malcolm Reynolds (Serenity's captain) said "I'd like to be king of all Londinium" and many of Inara Serra's customers are Lords.
It appears that this Alliance was a melding of the dictatorship of the People's Republic of China and the democracy of the United States.
The two worlds making up a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious universe.
It is a government run by bureaucratic rules and a Corporate state mentality ex.Blue Sun, kind of powerful corporate conglomerate, like Coca-Cola to Microsoft.
Due to the melding of American and Chinese influences in the Alliance, most people in the Firefly universe are equally adept in speaking both English and Chinese (some characters on the show speak Chinese at times, and the spaceship Serenity has some signs in Chinese).
The Alliance seen by today
The Alliance is not particularly evil, totalitarian or dictatorial. It only seems that way because most of the show's regular characters are pirates and smugglers trying to stay away from Alliance control.
For example, if there had been a Star Trek series told from the point of view of the Maquis, a similar situation would arise...the United Federation of Planets would be painted as a villain when they clearly are not one.
Post-Imperialistic...Dual Hegemony.
"Alliance Rewards Those Who Reward Themselves" (banner depicted in Dead or Alive-unaired script)
"We're fighting the just cause. Independent thought, independent dreams, independent lives. It's a thing worth dying for." (Declan-Dead or Alive unaired script)
External links
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