Season 1, Episode 1
Written by Joss Whedon
Directed by Joss Whedon
Original Airdate: 20 December 2002

Episode Spotlight

“We’re not gonna die. We can’t die, Bendis. You know why? Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die.”

Malcolm Reynolds

Serenity valley in the year 2512. A group of rebels are fighting for control of the valley against a new Alliance set up by the Central Planets. The rebels are led by a Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, and are losing fast. They need air support. Reynolds is optimistic, and he’s expecting reinforcements any minute. He prepares a fresh attack, with his second in command, Zoe, and begins a new assault against the Alliance troops. Mal is almost killed by a plummeting craft that he has brought down, but he recovers. Jubilant at their brief success, Mal reassures his troops, just in time to be told that their air support is not coming and that they have been ordered to surrender. As Mal watches, the Alliance troops take control of Serenity Valley and Mal’s fight for freedom ends with a hail of bullets.

Six years later… Mal and Zoë, along with Jayne Cobb, blow open a hatch on an abandoned ship in space. Mal is now the captain of a ship, Serenity, a Firefly-class vessel named after the battle six years earlier. Onboard, pilot Wash detects an Alliance ship, the Dortmunder, coming towards them. Detecting Serenity’s illegal salvage during a scan, the Dortmunder prepares to engage, until Wash instigates a procedure which projects a false distress call. The Dortmunder, concerned about the signal, follows it, allowing Mal and his crew to board Serenity and flee with their cargo intact. The Dortmunder takes Serenity’s details and alerts the government. Onboard Serenity, Mal is relieved at their successful theft, but is concerned at their narrow escape.

Opening the cargo, the crew find the food bricks they were hoping for. Mal finds a small problem: there’s an Alliance symbol on the cargo. He orders Zoë to inform their employer Badger of their success, omitting the information about the Dortmunder, and he expresses his concerns that they may have been detected and identified. Mal and Jayne hide the cargo onboard, and the Captain announces that he is planning to take on passengers at their destination, Persephone. The engineer, Kaylee, is thrilled, while Jayne thinks it’s a bad idea.

Zoë knows that something is wrong with the cargo, but her husband, Wash, tells her to relax. He wants a break so that the pair can enjoy each other’s company. Zoë wants to ask the captain’s permission, and Wash thinks they should just go. It’s evident that Mal comes between them. Mal approaches, and wonders whether their ‘ambassador,’ Inara, is returning soon. Wash offers to call her early, but Mal insists that someone earn an honest living.

Inara is a Companion, a perfectly legal prostitute and well-respected in the galaxy. She’s on Persephone, with a client who asks her to stay with him at his side. She declines his offer: she’s had many in the past. When she rejects him, her client insults her. After he leaves, she goes to the front of her room, actually one of Serenity’s shuttles, and confirms that she’s returning and rendezvousing with Serenity soon.

Serenity has docked at Persephone, and the crew prepare for their drop off. Mal takes Zoë and Jayne to deliver their cargo to Badger, while Kaylee is to scout for passengers. One such passenger enters the fray as Shepherd Book is looking for a ship to take him anywhere.

Meanwhile, Mal and company meet with Badger, who tells them that a Firefly-class ship has been detected stealing cargo. Zoë is fuming to discover the Alliance seal, and Badger refuses to pay Mal. He picked the cargo, but is unwilling to take the blame for the theft. Zoë and Jayne take offence at the lack of payment, but are outnumbered. Mal attempts to reason with Badger, who brings up the war that they lost. Badger sees himself as higher up on the social hierarchy than Mal, who he thinks looks down on him. Mal doesn’t care. He is refused his payment, but is allowed to take the cargo to sell elsewhere. Badger sends them to the outer planets, and Mal has to come up with a new plan.

Meanwhile, Shepherd Book is spotted by Kaylee who asks him if he wants to come aboard. Book knows about the Firefly-class, and confirms that he’s a missionary. He doesn’t really care where he’s going, he simply wants to experience the journey. Book makes his payment to get onboard Serenity with a box of an unknown commodity.

Jayne is not pleased about the lack of payment. Mal suggests they go to a moon named Whitefall, to try and sell the cargo to a woman named Patience who has previously shot Mal. Zoë suggests they dump the cargo, but Mal says they need to get paid for repairs and fuel. Zoë is not pleased about Patience, but Mal brings up that the other contacts are either lost or dead, with one hit by the mysterious Reavers, whom Jayne is afraid of.

Kaylee has selected three passengers to come aboard: Book, a doctor named Simon Tam, and a man named Lawrence Dobson. Zoë is apprehensive due to the stolen cargo they’re carrying, but Mal is unconcerned. Inara docks onboard, and with a full house, Serenity is ready to continue her journey, unaware that Simon is carrying a secret in his cargo… a large silver box.

Later, Mal displays the rules. They are to be escorted down to the Cargo Bay and are to keep away from the Bay at all other times. Simon wants the contents of his box, wile Mal tells them that they have been ordered to drop supplies off at Whitefall. Simon is again curious, and is getting on Mal’s nerves.

In the Cargo Bay, Simon checks his possessions, and Book meets Inara. He’s misled by Mal’s description of her when he calls her the ‘Ambassador.’ Inara is insulted when Mal calls her a whore. Mal and Inara clearly have an intense dislike of each other. In the kitchen, Kaylee unpacks Book’s payment and commodity: a box of strawberries. At lunch, Simon questions the Alliance ordering Serenity to Whitefall. Zoë tells them that the outer moons are as much like Earth as possible, but they haven’t got the resources. Jayne offends everyone by suggesting that Kaylee is attracted to Simon, and Mal orders him to leave the table. Jayne clearly is a loose cannon in the crew, and is not to be trusted.

Afterwards, Book brings some supper to Inara, who didn’t attend the gathering in the kitchen. Book claims that it’s from the captain, and the Shepherd makes comments that Mal is a mystery and is deeply concerned with his crew’s welfare. Inara displays some of the same interests in the captain as well.

Wash summons Mal to the bridge. Someone on Serenity has summoned the Alliance to their position: they have a mole onboard. Finding Simon in the Cargo Bay, Mal jumps to conclusions, until Book claims he’s wrong. Turning, they find Dobson holding a gun, and displaying his true identity as an Alliance federal agent. Dobson isn’t onboard for the cargo however, he’s here for Simon and his illicit possessions. Book attempts to defuse the situation, and the tension becomes uncontrollable. Mal is implicated for carrying Simon onboard, and Dobson prepares to take them all in. As they argue, Kaylee enters the room, and Dobson shoots her. Inara races to her side, as Book knocks Dobson out. As Simon rushes to Kaylee’s side, Book protects Dobson from Jayne, who is ordered to simply tie Dobson up. With the Alliance ship moving closer towards them, Mal is torn: he can either deliver Simon to them and let Kaylee die, or run with Simon to save Kaylee’s life. Inara protests and Kaylee’s cries for help change Mal’s mind and they run.

Taking Kaylee to the medical bay, Simon races to save her life, removing the bullet and patching her up. She’s still critical however, and Inara, Jayne and Mal all silently pray for their friend’s survival. Mal is determined to get to the truth about Simon and intends to search the doctor’s cargo. Against Simon’s protests Mal opens the silver box, and finds a naked girl inside. Confused, Mal’s only response is “Huh.”

Mal stares at the girl in the silver box, as Simon insists he go to her side. Mal assumes she’s been bought as a slave, but the girl wakes up, screaming Simon’s name. As he rushes to her side, he identifies her as his sister River.

Explaining to the crew their past, Simon reveals that his sister is exceptionally intelligent. His parents sent her to a school, but after a while, her letters home began to become strange. Feeling something was wrong, Simon went to her, but found it difficult to get her out. Through some underground movements, he discovered that the government had been conducting experiments on her, and got her out with money and luck. As touched as he is by the tale, Mal is more concerned with the Alliance transmission that Dobson sent. They don’t know what the Alliance knows about them, and until Dobson wakes up, they won’t know. Mal orders them to continue with the original plan and to take Patience’s cargo to her on Whitefall. The main priority: keep flying.

When Simon enquires about his fate, Mal lays it down straight: if Kaylee makes it, then River and Simon stay on Whitefall. If she doesn’t, they get off sooner. Book objects to that, calling it murder, but Mal justifies it by claiming that Simon is the reason Kaylee is lying close to death. Inara reminds them of Dobson and Jayne is determined to kill him. They begin to argue about the fates of their passengers, and Inara tells Mal that if the Tams are to be left on Whitefall where they will not survive, then she’s leaving as well. Mal tells her that that’s for the best.

Simon corners Mal and asks him what makes him afraid of the Alliance. Mal punches him for his troubles.

Mal talks to Dobson about the transmission. He wants to know exactly what he sent to the Alliance before Wash scrambled the wave. He leaves Jayne to find out. They know nothing, and Jayne surprises him by telling him what’s in Simon’s box, and discovers that the Alliance considers River a precious commodity and will never stop looking for her. Dobson tells Jayne that River is worth a lot of money and offers to cut him in. Jayne asks whether or not the plan would involve betraying Mal, and smiles when told that it does.

Wash has meanwhile detected a ship heading in their direction, one with a lot of radiation. Wash notes that they’re flying without core containment, which is suicidal, and Mal identifies the approaching craft as a Reaver vessel.

Informing the crew, Mal tells them of their situation and that they should be passing the Reavers in a minute. Everyone is worried: Zoë grits her teeth, and Jayne prepares his weapons. Simon is confused, until, on her way to the cockpit, Zoë tells him that if the Reavers board they’ll rape them to death, eat their flesh and then wear their skin on their clothing, but not necessarily in that order. In her shuttle, Inara pulls out a syringe of some yellow liquid that appears to be a suicide kit. Thankfully, the Reavers pass on by without altering their course.

Mal visits Kaylee, who’s been drugged to suppress the pain. She falls unconscious and her arm droops. In the shuttle, Inara hands Simon some packages for River and he apologises for his part in everything. Mal interrupts and gets into a fight with Inara. There is tension between the two of them and Inara regrets their fight.

Outside the shuttle, Mal tells Simon that he has to deal with the fed, but he doesn’t have enough time. When Simon enquires as to why, Mal tells him that Kaylee is dead. Rushing to the infirmary, Simon finds Kaylee alive and in the cockpit the crew laugh at the joke. Patience hails them and agrees to do business, while the crew believe that she’s planning to ambush them. Jayne suggests they shoot her first, but Mal says no: they will face each problem as it arises. In the holding bay, Dobson cuts himself loose.

On Whitefall, Serenity has landed, and Mal, Zoë and Jayne arrive at the exchange location. Jayne is sent to dispatch any snipers, while Zoë and Mal analyse their unsafe position. Onboard Serenity, Dobson savagely attacks Book, tries hailing the Alliance, fails and arms himself.

At the exchange site, Patience arrives armed with henchmen at the teeth, and Jayne disarms a sniper and aims a gun at Mal with a smile. Patience samples the cargo and throws Mal his money, and as expected, she double-crosses them. Jayne shifts his target and a shoot-out begins between Mal and Patience, with Patience ending up beaten. Mal informs her of the cargo’s location where he’s buried it, and takes the money.

Onboard the ship, River and Kaylee are caught unawares by Dobson. He threatens Kaylee and holds River at gunpoint. As soon as she has an opportunity, Kaylee warns Wash and Simon, but Simon is unable to stop Dobson. Before anyone can do anything, the Reavers turn up, having followed Serenity to Whitefall. Wash prepares to move, and in the cargo hold, Dobson tries to dissuade Simon from killing him. Simon is hesitant, until Mal comes aboard and shoots Dobson dead. Dumping his body on Whitefall, Serenity takes off to evade the Reavers.

Wash gets Kaylee in the engine room, and with Book’s assistance prepares to make a manoeuvre. Inara is ordered off ship along with the civilians by Mal. She protests, but he wins. As the Reavers gain on them, Wash executes a ‘crazy Ivan,’ twirling Serenity around and igniting the gas behind them, damaging the Reavers’ ship.

As Serenity soars out into space, Book laments on his actions and his allowing Mal to shoot Dobson. Inara tells him that maybe he’s in the wrong place – or maybe he’s where he’s supposed to be. Simon and River finally reunite after her years away, and on the bridge, Mal tells Jayne that he knows Dobson offered him a cut. When asked why he didn’t betray Mal, Jayne tells him the money wasn’t enough and comments that when the money is enough, it’ll be an interesting day.

When he confronts Mal about his fate, Mal surprisingly offers Simon a job as the ship’s medic. He claims that life could be easier for him and his sister onboard and Mal is left alone to reflect the last few days.

He’s still flying.