Serenity (Firefly vessel)

Infobox Fictional Spacecraft
name = "Serenity"
colour =Television colour|Firefly

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caption = "Serenity" in orbit
first = "The Train Job" [This is by air date. In the intended series order (as well as the DVD presentation order) the first appearance would have been in "Serenity", while the first appearance in the series' internal chronology is during a flashback in "Out of Gas".] (2002-09-20)
last = "Serenity" (2005 film)
status =
affiliation = Independent
launched = Keel laid: August 2459
decommissioned =
class = 03-K64-Firefly
registry = 404-E-132-4FE274A
maxspeed = (Acceleration) 4.2 g
auxcraft = 2 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Shuttles
1 MF-813 Flying Mule
armaments = 2 Magnetic Grappler Launchers
defense = 6 Self-Powered Transmitter Buoys (aka the “Crybabys”)
propulsion = "Firefly" engine
2 Blue Sun 6V4-178-B31
Trace Compression Blocks
36 RCS Thrusters
range = AU
power = Power
mass = 282,500 lbs (128,140 kg)
length = 269 ft. 3 in. (82.06 m)
width = 170 ft. 0 in. (51.82 m)
height = 78 ft. 8 in. (23.98 m)
(Landing Gear Extended)
primeref = "Official Blueprint Set""Official Serenity Blueprint Set". QMx SER-004. ©2007, Quantum Mechanix, Inc. By Geoffrey Mandel (Graphic Designer, "Serenity") and Timothy M. Earls (Illustrator, "Firefly", Set Designer, "Serenity")]

"Serenity" is a fictional spaceship originally featured in the science fiction television series "Firefly". It has also appeared in film "Serenity", and several comics set within the same fictional continuity.

The ship, which is designated a 03 "Firefly"-class, fits the profile of a light freighter, having a cargo area equivalent to about six to nine semis. The photon-reaction drive in the bulbous rear section of the ship lights up when accelerating, resembling a firefly, hence the class moniker. The engine nacelles can rotate down like a VTOL aircraft. Whenever the ship lands, her wings fold down like the wings of a bird coming to rest. The aft of the ship is outfitted with extenders beside and below the photon-reaction drive to ease the turbulence of lift-off and atmospheric reentry. As she is a run-of-the-mill civilian cargo vessel, "Serenity" has no weapons or defenses beyond the guile and skill of her crew, although in the spin-off movie "Serenity" she is briefly retro-fitted with a 20mm AA Flak cannon.

hip layout

"Serenity" is a 03-K64 Firefly-class mid-bulk cargo transport, serving as a home, transportation, and base of operations for Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew.

"Serenity"'s interior has a triple-tiered configuration. The upper deck houses the cockpit at the front, in the "head". Moving aft from the cockpit leads into a corridor through "Serenity"'s "neck", in which the crew quarters are housed. The starboard quarters house the rooms of ship's mechanic Kaylee Frye (which stands out from the other bunks because of the strings of Christmas lights over the hatch) and captain Malcolm Reynolds, and the port quarters house the rooms for mercenary Jayne Cobb and married couple Zoe and Hoban "Wash" Washburne, the first mate and pilot, respectively, of "Serenity". All of the crew quarters are positioned at a lower level than the corridor connecting them. Some are built such that after opening the hatch someone entering them must climb facing backwards down a ladder in order to access the room. Additionally the captain's quarters has a sink and toilet which fold into the wall, conserving space on the small vessel.

There is a passage in this corridor leading down to the upper cargo bay catwalk. The middle of the top deck, in "Serenity"'s "thorax", is the galley and kitchen, hued in a gentle yellow and decorated in part by Kaylee's stencils of flowers. Aftwards of the galley, deep in "Serenity"'s "abdomen" and accessible through the back of the galley, is the engine room, housing the "Firefly" drive and a great deal of mechanical interfaces. It also houses Kaylee's hammock.

The flight of stairs attached to the aft corridor leads down to the ship's common area, part of which is taken up by an enclosed medical bay. The common area is spacious, and furnished with settees and sofas; the medical bay is (usually) kept clinically clean. Aft of the common area and medbay are the passenger quarters, perhaps higher-quality than that of the crew's. They are heavily influenced by traditional Japanese design, with simulated-rice-paper, sliding doors made of light diffusing plastic. Regular occupants of these quarters include doctor Simon Tam and his sister River, as well as Shepherd Derrial Book.

Forward of the common area is the cargo bay. An open space, two decks tall, it is the largest single room on the ship. Its upper catwalk is accessible via two flights of stairs. The front of the bay houses an airlock; the two inner lock doors slide in from either side, whilst the outer lock door extends down and out, forming a convenient ramp when lowered. There are controls to operate the airlock both within the lock itself, and on the inside of the cargo bay. The outer lock door also has a door-like component in its center, allowing personnel to enter and exit the ship without needing to open the ramp fully; however, for vehicular access or access for large cargo, the ramp must be lowered. There is a second airlock / cargo ramp directly in the center of the cargo area. It is used for a disposal / drop bay, but can be used to lower a small cargo elevator while the ship is hovering.

In "Bushwhacked", we learn through dialog that the "Firefly" transport has "troublesome little nooks," that are favored by smugglers. In that respect, the "Firefly" resembles the "Millennium Falcon" from the "Star Wars" films; both are aging transport models pressed into service as smuggling vessels for anti-hero captains. In the episode "Serenity", cargo 'liberated' from a derelict transport is hidden in these nooks, to avoid awkward questions from the passengers the crew was about to take on.

The cargo bay also houses the "mule", a small local-transport vehicle. In the television series, this was effectively a yellow ATV modified for cargo hauling. This was destroyed in the episode "War Stories" after being set on fire, and was replaced by a hovering vehicle sometime before the main events in the film "Serenity".

The upper catwalk also provides access to the ship's two shuttles. The port shuttle is general-purpose, and used for hauling cargo, escape purposes, or as an alternative means of transportation. The starboard shuttle was rented out to Companion Inara Serra during the television series. Both shuttles are extended out of the ship before launch, and drawn in when docked.

The main defensive device is called the "crybaby". Housed in a Blue Sun coffee can,Cite visual|director=Whedon, Joss|producer=Whedon, Joss|crew=|title=Firefly "Serenity" chapter 2 "Vultures" commentary|date=2004|medium=DVD] the crybaby gives off a radio signal and electromagnetic signature that mimics a spacecraft in distress, requiring scanning pursuers to visually inspect the device to uncover the deception. The crybaby can also be outfitted with small, one-shot thrusters to give it the appearance of being a ship in flight. The crew uses crybabies to get out of trouble with the Alliance on more than one occasion.

"Serenity" is powered by a standard radion accelerator core, providing power to environmental systems and the main drive engine for extended space flight. While entering a planetary system or in atmospheric flight "Serenity" utilizes two Blue Sun drive engines on port and starboard sides in a VTOL configuration, providing vertical lift for landing and takeoff as well as forward thrust.

In terms of set construction, the ship's two decks were constructed across two separate sound stages; constructing the sets in this manner allowed for a more efficient shooting schedule, since the main cast and crew could film as much as they wanted on one 'deck' without having to work 'around' the second unit (since both production units would have an entire sound stage to themselves).

Alterations for the film

The ship "Serenity" underwent some changes for the film "Serenity", most obviously in the internal arrangement of the cargo bay. The entire rear wall has been replaced by a large, circular-patterned construct, presumably a structural link to the large rear engine in the "abdomen". A great deal of bracing has been added to the side walls, which themselves seem to be more circular than the angular walls seen in the series. The bomb bay airlock has been altered, in that the two inner lock doors have been replaced—they no longer open into the cargo bay, but instead lower slightly, then retract sideways into the floor. Finally, the forward airlock has also been replaced. The forward door no longer extends outward into a ramp; rather, it is brought down and "into" the ship, sliding neatly underneath the airlock floor. This is said to have the advantage of allowing the airlock to open fully in more constrained conditions.

The common area of the ship has seen few changes. The only major differences are that the circular structural construct in the cargo bay is mirrored on the forward wall of the common area; additionally, the portside wall is now effectively made out of storage spaces. The medical bay is also retrofitted and painted in a darker color.

On the upper deck, the engine room is now home to a great deal more of piping, tubing, and other mechanical interfaces. The rear corridor is now lower than it was in the series as the stairs in and out of the galley to the rear corridor now lead down into the corridor, rather than up to it, as they did in the series. The galley's octagonal sitting area now has extra bracing, as well as seats with security straps to deal quickly with turbulence and rapid acceleration or deceleration of the ship. The forward corridor, again, has been braced more securely, with heftier-looking support struts. The ladder-doors now open more gently, seemingly outfitted with hydraulics or a cushioning mechanism. The bridge has seen few changes, but the forward flooring section has been entirely removed, exposing an extra cargo-storage section in the nose of the ship, and one of the access doors at the rear of the bridge has vanished.

The exterior of the vessel is also visually different. It has a new paint job, decked out in grayer and bluer colors than the bronzed "Firefly" of the series (many believe this to be deliberate on Joss and Zoe's part, as "Serenity"'s interior and exterior color schemes change throughout the film to reflect the characters and the story). The jet engine cowling has apparently fallen off, or been lost in some other way (dialogue suggests that the ship is in a state of disrepair as of "Serenity", due to the crew's difficult financial situation). Also, the extending rods attached to the engines are shown retracting when the engines turn, whereas in the show they do not. Finally, the strut-like landing legs of the series have been replaced by legs of a more organic design, with better cushioning and claw-like 'toes'.

The reason for these changes is that the sets for Serenity were destroyed after the series was cancelled despite Joss Whedon stating he would use them at a later date (as revealed on the collector's edition commentary for Serenity)

peed

In the series, it was not made completely clear if the method of propulsion used by "Serenity" and other ships was sub-light or faster-than-light. The film "Serenity" implies that all the planets and moons are in one large multi-star stellar system, and production documents related to the film indicate that there is no faster-than-light travel in the "Firefly"/"Serenity" universe. The official blueprints, describe the ship as having a maximum acceleration of 4.2 g, and a maximum range (unloaded) of 400 AU.

Instrumentation

The "Serenity" either has very modest sensing capabilities, is normally operated without active sensing, or has major failures in her sensory suites. One effect of this is that she normally does not notice other ships around her until they are extremely close.

History

"Serenity" is an 03-K64-Firefly class Mid-Bulk Transport, whose keel was laid in August 2459. (This is origin of the "Aught-Three" class Shepherd Derrial Book mentions in the pilot episode.) She was acquired by Mal in 2512, shortly after the end of the Unification War. She is 58 years old at the time of the series. Her name comes from one of the decisive battles of the war between the Alliance and the Independents, which took place in Serenity Valley on the planet Hera. Mal and his first officer, Zoe, both veterans of the Battle of Serenity Valley, wanted to be free of Alliance control and having a ship seemed their best chance. Despite the fact that he lost everything in the Battle of Serenity Valley, Mal named the ship "Serenity" because (as revealed in a deleted scene on the DVD), "Once you enter "Serenity", you can never leave". At the time it was purchased, "Serenity" was little more than a planet-bound derelict. She was still intact, still space-worthy, but her engines were broken and most of her equipment was in sore need of repair. Mal's plan was to acquire a pilot, mechanic, and cook (the last of which was apparently never acquired), and start taking jobs immediately. It took them almost a month to get "Serenity" off the ground, as her first mechanic, Bester, was not as skilled as advertised. Mal was quick to realize how hard it was to find work in an Alliance-controlled solar system, and is not above using "Serenity" for ill-gotten gain if the gain is high enough.

In the film, the crew disguise "Serenity" as a Reaver ship (in order to sneak through Reaver space) by strapping corpses to the bow, causing the reactor core to leak, adding a weapon and pieces of an Alliance ship, and tearing holes in the hull. Zoe expresses extreme disgust when Mal orders the modifications; the ship is their home, and Zoe feels the modifications to be a violation. Later in the film, Wash is maneuvering "Serenity" through an air battle between the Alliance and the Reavers when the ship is struck by a Reaver's EMP weapon. With main power down, Wash is barely able to glide her into a controlled crash landing on the landing strip of Mr. Universe's complex; the landing gear is crushed, an engine pod is severed, and part of the main engine is destroyed before the ship comes to a complete stop.

The crew conduct major repairs and are able to fix the ship, however at the end a piece of the ship flies off as it leaves the atmosphere, echoing the first time the ship is shown in the film.

In other media

* "Serenity" can briefly be seen passing a window during an early scene from the "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries. [ [http://www.eeggs.com/items/44597.html Battlestar Galactica 2004 Easter Eggs - Eeggs.com ] ] Zoic Studios was responsible for the CGI effects on both shows.
*A "Firefly-class" ship appears in one panel of "", as a nod to Joss Whedon's inclusion of a Star Wars craft, the Starlight Intruder, in an episode of Firefly. [Shindig (Firefly)]
* The Mule used in "Serenity" can be seen, along with other vehicles from different films, on the Universal Studios Backlot Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. Because of the size of the Mule, it has to be tilted on its side in order to fit both next to the other vehicles and so there would be enough room for the tram to pass by.
* A cluster of pots arranged - whether by accident or design - in a shape resembling "Serenity" can be seen hanging behind Dr. Horrible in his laboratory in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". [http://doctorhorrible.net/exclusive-jed-whedon-maurissa-tancharoen/151/]

References

* "Firefly — The Complete Series" DVD set ASIN|B0000AQS0F
* DeCandido, Keith R.A. "Serenity". August 30, 2005. ISBN 1-4165-0755-8.
* "Serenity" Movie Official Website - [http://www.serenitymovie.com]

External links

* [http://www.fireflywiki.org "Firefly" Series Wiki Web]
* [http://www.ReasonablyClever.com/lego/firefly "Serenity" rendered In LEGO Bricks]
* [http://www.bytesend-inc.com/firefly/ff/ship/s2.jpgConcept layout of "Serenity"]
* [http://www.firefly-browncoats.com/serenity.html "Serenity"] ship layout