Browncoat is a slang term from the space western TV series Firefly (and its big-screen "sequel", Serenity) for a member of the Independent Faction, which lost to the Alliance in the Unification War. It is also a nickname for fans of the series.

FICTIONAL MEANING
In the series, Browncoats were named after the simple, brown dusters they wore as uniforms. The simplicity of their gear was greatly due to the fact that technology and resources were scarce on the Outer Planets. Conversely, the Alliance's soldiers were called "Purple bellies", because of the purple-tinted body armor they wore on their chests. Both these terms seem deliberately chosen to echo the "Greycoats" and "Bluebellies" of the American Civil War.

FANS
The nickname for fans of the Firefly series was floated initially on the Official Firefly Forum on October 4, 2002 and spread to other fan sites and eventually adopted by Joss Whedon.

The original fans first organized to try to save the series from being cancelled by Fox Broadcasting Network. Their efforts included raising money for an ad in Variety magazine and a postcard writing campaign to UPN. While unsuccessful in finding a network to pick up the series, support for the show led to a release of the series on DVD in December of 2004. The strong sales of the DVDs have been largely attributed to word of mouth by Browncoats. Ultimately enough interest was shown to convince Universal Studios to take on the production of a feature film. This feature film, Serenity, had numerous early screenings to existing fans in an attempt to create a buzz and increase ticket sales when it was released widely.

Many comparisons have been made between Browncoats and Trekkies. Both television shows were cancelled and subsequently turned into movies due to strong fan bases. Both groups also have an associated language: where Trekkies have Klingon, Browncoats have Mandarin Chinese mixed with a future form of English, new words and ones recalling the Old West. One example is "gorram", which is a modified form of "god-damn".

These fans are also sometimes known as "flans" (IPA /flæn/ - rhymes with American-English "fan"). This originated from a slip of the tongue by actor Nathan Fillion during an interview, at an 'In Good Company' premier on December 28 2004, when talking about Firefly fans.

And I wanted to say "Hi" to all the Firefy flans in— "flans"? I wanted to say "Hi" to all you Firefy flans out there. You flans are the best flans a… actor could ever hope for. Keep being a good flan!

SHINDIGS
Regional browncoat groups often have local group meetings and parties, which they call shindigs. The name is a reference to the " Shindig" episode of Firefly. Shindigs can range from small monthly meetups to larger parties, but typically do not involve celebrity guests.

BROWNCOAT BALL
The Browncoat Ball is an annual event that is held in a different city each year. While the specifics change from year to year, they normally include a daytime event to highlight the host city and an evening dinner/dance ball reminiscent of the Shindig episode of Firefly. Unlike most conventions, which center mainly around celebrity panels and dealer floors, the Browncoat Ball is primarily an excuse for fans to get to know one another on a personal level (thus, ironically, returning to the spirit of the original fan-run science fiction conventions).

FLANVENTION
Flanvention was the first large Firefly/Serenity fan convention, held in December 2005. The convention was held at the Burbank Airport Hilton and Convention Center.

FLANVENTION II AND BROWNCOATS' BACKUP BASH
The Browncoats Backup Bash was a fan-run event held the weekend of December 8 to 11, 2006 to replace the Booster Events convention Flanvention II which was canceled the evening before it was due to take place. The event took place at the Burbank Airport Hilton and Convention Center.

The Backup Bash (nicknamed B3 by the Browncoats who attended) was predominantly organized by a sector of the Browncoat community called The California Browncoats. There was a wave of response when news of the cancellation of Flanvention II spread and Browncoats sent in their well wishes and made donations through PayPal, raising over $4500 USD toward a back up event.

In addition to support shown by fellow fans, the event was also attended by numerous star guests, both from Firefly and Serenity and other related television shows, some of which were due to appear at the original Flanvention II event, and others who simply showed up to show support.

Firefly and Serenity guests included: Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Mark Sheppard (Badger), Nathan Fillion (Malcolm Reynolds), Christina Hendricks (Saffron), Alan Tudyk (Hoban Washburne), Jonathan Woodward (Tracey), Greg Edmonson (soundtrack), Robert Lee (Fruity Oaty Bar guy), Ron Glass (Shepherd Book), Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra), Michael Fairman (Adelei Niska), Yan Feldman (Mingo), Shawna Trpcic (costume), and Tim Minear (co-writer and co-director).

Joss Whedon related guests included: Robia LaMorte (Jenny Calendar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer), James C. Leary (Clem in Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Camden Toy (Gentlemen, The Gnarl, and Uber-vamp in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Clare Kramer (Glory in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) Clare Kramer was also responsible for opening her Hollywood based restaurant La Cantina months in advance in order to provide a venue for the Browncoats on the Saturday night.

Other guests included: Michael Muhney (Don Lamb in television series Veronica Mars) who came both as a "token celebrity" according to his Livejournal blog "Rack of Lamb" , as well as a spokesperson for BE Charitable, a charity organization affiliated with Booster Events.

BROWNCOAT CRUISE
The Browncoat Cruise is a 5-day cruise for Browncoats with possible celebrity guests that is scheduled for December 2007.

CAN'T STOP THE SERENITY
The 2006 Can't Stop The Serenity screenings for Equality Now were held in 47 cities around the world, raising more than $65,000 for the women's rights advocacy group. Organizers in fifty cities have committed to holding CSTS screenings in 2007.