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.