The, “Serenity” is a Firefly Class interplanetary ship. Originally conceived and built as a medium range cargo ship.

Dimensions and Weights:

She is comparable to that of Boeing 747. She is 63 meters long, 40 meters wide and 18 meters tall. Her gross empty weight is 575,000 lbs and her maximum takeoff weight is 945,000 lbs.

Performance and Powerplants:

Primarily powered by 2 wing mounted Smith & Davis SD-2595 (95,000 lb) turbofan and solar induction engines, she can achieve a maximum airspeed of mach 2 (1484 mph) at 1000 Meters EBSL (Earth Based Sea Level,) and mach 30 (22270 mph) at 100,000 Meters (62 miles) EBSL. During the transitional phase from atmospheric to orbital flight the fan blades rotate to collect photons emitted by a solar source to feed the engines keeping the relative thrust ratio comparable to it’s atmospheric rating.

The “Firefly” engine, a Smith & Davis SD-4631 photon reaction drive, was developed on the same principles that drive fusion in a star, (4 1H + 2 e –> 4He + 2 neutrinos + 6 photons.) The reaction produces enough thrust to propel the ship to 643,738 kph (400,000 mph) taking it approximately 16 days to travel 1 AU. (The Astronomical Unit is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, 149,597,871 kilometers.) Although very reliable, this reaction produces large volumes of plasma as hot as the surface of a star. Thermal panels on the outside of the engine dissipate the plasma and heat that builds up during the process typically glowing in a yellowish hue as they cool down.

Handling:

The maneuvering of the ship is handled in two different ways. In atmosphere she has flaps and ailerons that in conjunction with the pitch of the side engines control her direction. In space she uses an RCS, (Reaction Control System,) consisting of Hydrazine fueled thrusters that work in a countered measure. For example if she were to turn nose up, thrusters on the back rear of the ship would fire upwards and thrusters of the front nose would fire downwards pushing the tail down and the nose up. Variations on this, tied into the side engines pitch, produce all her movement in space.

For landing her side engines rotate vertical and vents on the front of the engine open to allow the engine the “breathe” as she hovers.

Gravity:

The Firefly class ships gravity comes from a rotating ring just aft of the ships midsection. It produces a gravity field using the “Peristere Principal,” that also acts as an momentum dampener to allow passengers more freedom of movement during all aspects of flight.

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Emile Edwin Smith
Visual Effects Supervisor
Zoic Studios

Serenity Ship Plans and Models

Full-sized versions of all of these images are in the photo gallery, www.serenityverse.com/images under “Serenity ship plans and models.” Below are only thumbnails of available images. There are also some excellent renderings of Serenity on www.fireflyfans.net.

When I first found Firefly, it helped support me and pull me out of a very dark point in my life, and lately I’ve been finding myself once again clinging to sanity by turning to Mal. That hardened, loving, unbreakable and vulnerable captain has been my inspiration and my strength through some tough times, and this project grew out of one of those times.

Strength and inspiration are funny things; they need to be fed. Sometimes we need to be reminded of those things that keep us going. Thinking about Mal and all the qualities we relate to, love, and draw strength from, I decided to compile a music CD of songs that reminded me of Mal or that represented him in some way. Just adding tracks to a list didn’t seem sufficient; I found myself wanting to illustrate what it was about each song that represented Mal.

That’s how the companion list came into being; listening to the songs, picking out and writing down the lines that reminded me of Mal, and carefully choosing the order of the tracks. In short, turning this into a written tribute and not just a musical one.

I’m still on a quest to find those perfect Mal songs. There are a few tracks that aren’t as “strong” as others, and I wouldn’t mind replacing them. Care to email jetflair@gmail.com if you know of a really good one?

These tracks will all fit on a CD to make a complete album; most of them aren’t too obscure, so you should be able to find them available for download. The songs are predominantly country; It’s not a universally popular genre, but it lends itself to the Western atmosphere of Firefly, and the lyrics tend to reflect many themes of the show including Mal’s cowboy background. It’s where I tend to find many songs that “fit” Mal.

The song lyrics you see on this page were in some cases re-arranged from the order of the actual song; the list and the lyrics are meant to be poetical on their own, not just a list.

I found the song “Renegade” through a Mal fanvid of the same title, set to that song. It’s a beautiful piece of work, and one of the most perfect Mal songs I’ve heard. I highly recommend checking out the video if your internet connection allows it.

Thanks to Sarrava for introducing me to The Mary Ellen Carter…..what a fantanstic Firefly song.

The song “Can’t Stop the World” is the theme to another beloved and short-lived Tim Minear/Nathan Fillion show, Drive. I thought the lyrics suited Mal as well as Alex, Nathan’s character on Drive, so I enjoyed including it in a sneaky little crossover.

Nathan came to visit with fans despite the cancellation of the event, cementing him forever in our hearts as a big damn hero of the truest sort. With a very sincere tip of the hat to a wonderful actor and an even better human being, here is a little essay which now seems to have even deeper meaning.

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What makes Mal so special to us all? There can only be one explanation; the fact that the actor portraying him brings so much depth and believability to the character that we cease to perceive him as a character and begin to relate to him as a person. Not just any person: one that we love, admire and would follow to the ends of the earth. In a much beloved corner of my otherwise realistic brain, he exists and he’s my hero, my inspiration, and my strength. Is he just a well-written character? No. It’s the subtle touches of depth, humanity, humor and love that Nathan imbues him with that make all the difference.

So often, a character becomes a caricature of a human being, defined only by his role in the script: a “Tough, Wisecracking Action Hero,” or perhaps the “Embittered/Reluctant Hero.” These definitions could easily have been applied to Mal were he not played by someone capable of flirting with these conventions before standing them neatly on their heads – and making our hearts stop in the process.

Think of Mal standing at Kaylee’s bedside when she wakes up after being shot. We’ve been watching a frighteningly hard, scary guy, and to see the genuine affection and gentleness in every fiber of his being as he interacts with her is breathtaking. Suddenly, we’re given the ability to relate to Mal through his capacity for love.

If you want utterly believable, watch Mal getting up and staggering away after being shot in Out of Gas, or look at the hurt expression in his eyes as he lies on that grate. I have never seen pain played so convincingly. Watching him pull himself up in agonized stages through tears of pain, hearing that heartbreaking little whimper, seeing him stagger away then stop and collect himself…. dear God that seemed real. Mal is someone we can feel genuine empathy for. Does he just shrug it off? No: it takes everything he’s got to fight through that, just as it would one of us. In some odd way, by doing that, he makes it feel possible that we could be capable of that kind of strength and courage.

Later, we can feel his quiet joy and contentment as he wakes up to his ship and his family, whole and safe. Nathan’s gentle, understated performance, once again, makes what could have been an ordinary scene beautiful and real as he impulsively reaches out to his crew for reassurance with rare, unmasked vulnerability; “You all gonna be here when I wake up?” The soft expression of peace as he drifts off to sleep makes Mal not just someone we admire, but someone we want to protect and care for.

Any man who can blow away his former war buddy without blinking must be one cold individual, right? Sure, up until we hear Mal’s voice crack as he says, “No son, you murdered yourself. I just carried the bullet awhile.” The pure sadness and compassion in his eyes as Tracey dies ring so true that once again, Mal becomes real, rescued from tough-guy clichés as he reassuringly grips the shoulder of the man he just shot and talks to him as his life fades away. And we love him for it, for his mercy and humanity in the midst of such a harsh world. Nathan is willing to give his character that humanity and that vulnerability; his ego isn’t driving him to make Mal a glossy symbol.

We can relate to Mal; he embodies both who we are and who we want to be. Those of us not endowed with the ability to shoot spider webs from our fingertips have an instinctive sense of separation from these fictional heroes. But what about an ordinary, flawed guy who fights his way through life, meeting the obstacles in his path with grace and acceptance? Someone bitter and hurt, who manages, nonetheless, to maintain his humanity, to love and to display loyalty? Someone who doesn’t always win the day, who suffers defeat and loss, yet keeps his sanity and humor? Now that’s someone we can relate to, and someone we can aspire to be. We identify with him and feel for him, share his joy and his pain, his strength and his vulnerability.

The biggest tribute to Nathan as Malcolm Reynolds is that, like a living person, Mal cannot be described in a line or distilled down to a set of defining characteristics. Simply put, Nathan brought Mal to life and gave us the most precious of things: a hero.

I’ve been beat up, held at gunpoint, and been told more than once that I shouldn’t be alive today. Those are the things in life that are supposed to be traumatic, but what got to me was emotional pain. A friend whom I had been loyal to betrayed me. I was demoted, got my crew taken away on a false accusation of lying. I finally met a wonderful man whom I grew to trust with my heart, only to find out too late that he didn’t share my feelings. And that’s where Firefly found my broken little self, holding the world and all the people in it at arm’s length.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds had much to be bitter about, having suffered just about every hurt and injustice it’s possible to subject a man to. He lost a bitterly fought war, watched his men die on the battlefield, and lost his faith in God. He’d been betrayed, tortured, and hunted. Unlike your typical Hollywood action hero, he was affected and hurt by the events in his life.

And so it was that in Mal, I found my first and only true role model. He could have been forgiven for becoming entirely bitter and unwilling to trust or enjoy the company of other people, or for giving up on life completely. Instead, Mal pulled together a family he trusted, loved, and protected. That takes true strength and courage on a level one rarely sees in fiction or real life. He could on occasion be harsh, but what always showed under the surface was that no matter what, his concern and loyalty to his crew always dictated his actions. His example healed my broken heart and my battered soul.

My love for Firefly and for Mal’s character leads to a deep appreciation for the man playing my new hero: Nathan Fillion. Watching him doesn’t feel like watching an actor play a part; it feels like watching a real person I care deeply about. He has the ability, not just to portray something, but to get you to feel it right along with him. When he’s happy, you’re happy. When he’s hurting, you’re hurting. When he’s amused, you’re amused. He has the ability to portray everything from genuine warmth and affection to the depths of pain and despair, not to mention his utterly hilarious comedic talent.

Joss Whedon deserves enormous praise for writing a brilliantly funny and moving show, but Firefly would not have been what it was without Nathan. Not that I know the man in the slightest, but by all accounts he seems like a genuinely nice person (as do all of the wonderful actors and actresses that made Firefly special). I would be truly honored to meet Nathan one of these days, and even more so to get to know him a little. And in the meantime, I’ll be in my bunk. I doubt that’ll ever happen, but it’s a nice feeling to know that the actor who plays my favorite character of all time is someone I can also care about as a person. I’ll be watching from the sidelines, cheering him on in his career, and saying a little prayer here and there for him.

What more could one ask from Firefly? The fact that this beloved little gem was given the chance to go from “failed TV show” to a major motion picture is beyond inspirational, beyond heartwarming. The fact that the creator, the cast, and the fans loved this show so much had all the makings of one of those bittersweet “life’s not fair” stories. The fact that against all odds, there is a movie written and directed by Joss Whedon starring every single one of our Big Damn Heroes playing in my local theater right now is the finest tribute to miracles, love, and perseverance I’ve seen in a good long while.

So to everyone who was involved in bringing us Firefly and Serenity, congratulations, thank you, and my sincerest best wishes.

So I’m driving down the highway the other week, and I get stuck in one of those epic traffic jams. The kind where you step out of your car to look down the line of traffic, and all you see are more vehicles, with nary a tantalizing glimpse of the catastrophic wreck that caused the whole mess.

It was one of those where people start passing messages from the back of the line: “What happened? How long are we going to be here?” and by the time the telephone-game style answer gets back to you it sounds something like “the road caved in on top of the mall – we won’t be moving for at least 5 hours!” At that point you learn not to ask trivial little questions like “since when did they build a shopping mall under the highway?” You just surrender to apathy and record-breaking lateness.

I carry a portable DVD player (not one of the fancy built-in ones, but the kind you plug into the cigarette lighter) around in my car. I also had my inseperable companions, my Firefly DVDs. So, naturally, having given up my once hopeful dreams of actually getting to my destination, I hauled out the DVD player.

What with the frustrated little packs of motorists prowling up and down the line, this move attracted some attention, followed by more than a little envy. You don’t want to cross drivers on the hunt, I know this much. So, charitable individual that I am, I invited them to gather ’round and watch with me. Of course, you, my fellow browncoats, have already cottoned to my big and evil plan. My open-armed kindness came at a price. They were going to have to watch Firefly! Mine is an evil laugh!

I opened my door and propped up the DVD player, and about 5 people gathered around to watch as I started playing Out of Gas. Now, we all know what happens when a crowd of people gather during a roadside crisis……they generate a powerful electromagnetic field that attracts every person within shouting distance. Before I knew it, at least 15 people were gathered around my car, straining to watch Firefly on my little 8″ screen!

Did I mention I live in Oregon? About halfway through the episode, it starts to rain. Hard. Before I know it, I have 5 complete strangers and 3 children packed into my very compact car, and heads sticking into literally every window. I’m not sure it’s possible to comprehend what a comical sight this was without being there. Not a single one of them contemplated actually stopping watching and returning to their own vehicles for shelter.

We watched the entire episode. Then the comments started. “How could this possibly have been cancelled?” (If I recall correctly, this question was asked exactly 397 times, more or less.) “That Captain is an awesome actor” “What’s the name of that guy in charge of the ship? I need to see everything he’s done.” “The Companion is hot!” “What do you mean there wasn’t even a full season?” “You said there’s a movie out on this? I’m watching it tonight!” “Where did you buy your DVDs? I need them!” “Are they starting the show again?” “Incredible story, that should have won an Oscar.”

After the main group had trickled back to their cars, several of the women stayed behind to chat (in reality, I know they just didn’t want to risk spoiling that lovely little bout of pneumonia they were working on). There was “appreciating” of Nathan. There could be drooling. If traffic hadn’t spoiled the party by rudly starting to move again, I am relatively certain we would have watched Trash on the spot.

Awards and ratings are all very well and good, but what bigger tribute could you have to a TV show than the ability to induce complete strangers who have never heard of it before to gather in the pouring rain in the middle of the freeway, straining to catch every second?

Heeheehee………a whole pack of accidental converts. An enjoyable and damp time was had by all.