You Call Him a Survivor — He’s Not.

The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity. 

Whedon pitched the show as :

“nine people looking into 

the blackness of space 

and seeing 

nine different things.”

Mal's been telling his story. 

Harken's not buying it.

HARKEN

Reavers?

MAL

That is what I said.

HARKEN

You can't imagine how many times men in my position hear that excuse. 

"Reavers did it."

MAL

It's The Truth.

HARKEN

You saw them, did you?

MAL

Wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if I had.

HARKEN 

No, of course not.

MAL

But I'll tell you who did. 

That poor bastard you took off my ship. 

He looked right into the face of it. 

Was made to stare.

HARKEN

"It"?

MAL

The Darkness. 

Kind of Darkness you can't 

even imagine. 

Blacker than the space it 

moves through.

HARKEN

Very poetic.

MAL

They made him watch. 

He probably tried to turn away, 

and they wouldn't let him. 

You call him A Survivor? 

He's not. 

A Man comes up against 

that kind of will, 

the only way to deal with it, 

I suspect — is to become it.

He's following the only course 

left to him. 

First, he'll try to make himself look like one. 

Cut on himself, desecrate his flesh and then, 

He'll start acting like one.

A Man can Get a Job, He Might not Look too Close at What That Job is.

In folklore, three parts often represent 

The Past, The Present, 

and 

The Future.

However, it also used to be interpreted as a Cycle of Life: 

Life, Death, 

and Rebirth. 

PARADISO - NIGHT

MAL and ZOE are driving the cargo back.

MAL

We'll have to drag 'em from here. Leave 'em just off

the street. We'll notify the Sheriff when we're in 

deep, deep space.

SHERIFF

Why not tell him in person?

CUT TO:

SHERIFF and his men coming up from over a slight rise. MAL looks shocked, ZOE looks resigned.

SHERIFF (cont'd)

Got word of a ship not far out, came lookin'. Didn't

expect to find you comin' back.

It's clear now that the SHERIFF and his men are armed and prepared to use those arms if need be.

MAL

Didn't expect to be comin'.

The Sheriff's crew inspects the cargo.

DEPUTY

Nothin' missing.

SHERIFF looks at MAL, smiles, and looks down in disbelief.

SHERIFF

You were truthful back in town. These are tough

times. If a man can get a job, he might not look

too close at what that job is. But a man learns

all the details of a situation like ours, well,

then he has a choice.

MAL 

(looking stone-cold serious)

I don't believe he does.

A look of understanding passes between them.

SHERIFF 

(to crew)

Get these crates back to town. Make yourselves useful.

EXT. SERENITY - NIGHT

CROW is on his knees, hands tied behind his back

MAL

Now this is all the money Niska gave us in advance.

You bring it back to him, tell him the job didn't

work out.

(Crow spits) 

We're not thieves--but we are thieves. Point is 

we're not takin' what's his. Now we'll stay out of 

his way the best we can from here on in. You 

explain that that's best for everyone, okay?

CROW stands.

CROW

Keep the money. Use it to buy a funeral. It doesn't 

matter where you go, or how far you fly. I will 

hunt you down, and the last thing you see will 

be my blade.

MAL

Darn.

MAL kicks CROW into the engine intakes. Horrible crunching sounds happen. A second one of Niska's henchmen is brought bound before him.

MAL

Now this is all the money Niska gave us in advance.

HENCHMAN

Oh, I'm good. I speak for everyone. I'm right 

there with you.

The Battle of Serenity Valley

Captain Malcolm Reynolds :

We're close to gone out here. 

We get a job, we got to make good. 

Pvt. Zoe Washburn :

Sir, I don't disagree 

on any particular point. 

It's just... 

In The Time of War, 

we would've never left 

A Man stranded. 

Captain Malcolm Reynolds :

Maybe that's why we lost. 

“ Production came to an end 

on Buffy, Season 3 [1999], 

and over my Summer vacation,

I was reading 

The Killer Angels, 

about 

The Survivors of Gettysburg, 

and it immediately made me think 

of The Millennium Falcon.

You know, 

as most things do.”

— Joss Whedon

EXT. SERENITY VALLEY - NIGHT

We come into the middle of a battle. 

Soldiers are yelling and running, gunfire everywhere, 

stuff blowing up but good.

Camera focuses on a soldier in the silhouette 

of an explosion, running and dodging fire. 

He hits the dirt for cover. 

We PUSH IN and see that it's Mal. 

His face is dirty and he's breathing hard.

Mal's up again and running 

to rejoin his company in a makeshift foxhole.

RADIO OPERATOR

Sergeant, Command says air support is holding 

till they can assess our status.

MAL

Our Status is that we need some gorram air support.

Now get back on line and tell 'em to get in here.

ZOE

That skiff is shredding us, sir.

RADIO OPERATOR

They won't move without 

A Lieutenant's authorization code, sir.

Angry, Mal walks over and rips off the badge 

from a dead Lieutenant's uniform 

and gives it to the Radio Operator.

MAL

Here, here's Your Code -- 

You're Lieutenant Baker.

Congratulations on your promotion. 

Now get me some air support!

(to Zoe)

Pull back, just enough to wedge 'em in here. 

Get your squad to High Ground, start picking 'em off.

ZOE

High ground is Death  with that skiff in the air.

MAL

That's Our Problem. 

Thanks for volunteering.

(to Bendis)

Bendis, give us some cover fire. 

We're going duck hunting.

The foxhole is rocked by a huge explosion. 

Mal's group of soldiers are looking 

pretty young and scared. 

Time for a morale boost:

MAL

Just focus!

(beat)

The Alliance said they were gonna 

waltz through Serenity Valley 

and we choked 'em with those words.

We've done The Impossible 

and that makes us mighty.

Just a little while longer, 

Our Angels are gonna be  soaring overhead 

raining fire on those arrogant cod,

so you hold!

(yelling)

You hold! Go!

His soldiers take up their positions 

to lay down cover fire while Mal and Zoe 

prepare to take down the skiff.

ZOE

Really think we can bring her down, sir?

MAL

Do you even need to ask?

Mal pulls a necklace out from under his shirt 

and kisses the cross.

MAL

Ready?

ZOE

Always.

Mal takes off. 

Zoe prepares to follow, 

sees that no one's covering Mal.

ZOE

Bendis? Bendis!

She sees Bendis huddled across 

from her, scared stiff.

ZOE (cont'd)

(angrily)

Rut it.

Zoe grunts and stands up, laying cover fire for Mal as he moves down the hill. 

After a moment, she follows Mal down The Hill, 

taking cover with him behind some boulders. 

Mal fires into the bushes, 

causing the soldier guarding a bigass gun 

to move out of his cover and return fire. 

Mal shoots him dead.

Mal activates the bigass gun's targeting system 

while Zoe covers him. 

Mal locks a target on the skiff that's been 

killing them in the battle and fires. 

He makes a direct hit and stands back 

from the bigass gun.

MAL

Yeah!

(manly grunt)

Then Mal realizes that the skiff is outta control... 

and headed right for him. Oh, shit. Mal starts running.

MAL

Zoe!

Mal and Zoe run as the skiff hits the ground and plows past them, exploding. Mal and Zoe hit the ground flat on their backs. Mal starts laughing. Zoe looks long-suffering.

ZOE

(entering foxhole, to Bendis)

Nice cover fire.

MAL

Did you see that? 

Green, what's our  status on...

Mal trails off as he realizes Green is pretty damn wounded, 

possibly deader than a dead thing.

MAL

Zoe.

She looks up. Mal points. 

Zoe moves to check Green. 

Mal moves to sit near Bendis.

MAL (cont'd)

Hey, listen to me. Bendis, look at me! 

Listen, we're holding this valley no matter what.

BENDIS

We're gonna die.

MAL

We're not gonna die. 

We can't die, Bendis.

You know why?

(beat)

Because we are so very, very pretty. 

We are just too pretty for God to let us die. Huh? 

Look at that chiseled jaw. Huh? 

C'mon.

There's a roaring sound overhead. 

Zoe is listening on the radio.

MAL (cont'd)

If you won't listen to me, 

listen to that. 

Those are Our Angels comin' 

to blow The Alliance to The Hot Place.

(to Zoe)

Zoe, tell the 82nd --

ZOE

(stunned)

They're Not Coming.

(beat)

Command says it's too hot. 

They're pulling out.

 

We're to lay down arms.

Mal's stunned, in denial. 

He looks at Bendis.

MAL

But what's...

Slowly, Mal stands and peeks over the top of the foxhole. 

His face is lit from their air support rising and retreating. 

Bendis stands next to him. 

Mal's in shock, watching 

His Last Hope pull out of The Fight.

Beside him, Bendis is hit by Enemy Fire 

and Falls. Mal doesn't notice.

PUSH IN on Mal's bloody face. 

On the disbelief.