Firefly (TV series)/Characters: Difference between revisions

This character sheet is for ''[[Firefly]]''.

 

[[File:Firefly_Mal_7870.jpg|frame]]

[[The Captain|Captain Reynolds]] is a [[La Résistance|Browncoat]]--a veteran of the stellar civil war that precedes the events of the series by six years. He fought under the rank of Sergeant for [[The Alliance|the Independents]], the side that lost to [[The Empire|the Alliance]]. He has been left [[Shell Shocked Senior|bitter]] by the Independents' loss; [[Despair Event Horizon|he never quite recovered]] from seeing his ideals crumble around him. Ever since, he has been eking out a living on the wrong side of the law, at the helm of the Firefly-class ship ''Serenity'', defiantly named after the valley where the Alliance's victory was sealed.

 

** The Alliance in general acts as his, to the point that he'll deck you if you accuse him of being in league with them.

* [[Big Brother Instinct]]: Towards Kaylee, their relationship is pretty much summed up in the movie;

'''Mal''': Oh GOD! [[Too Much Information|I can't]] ''[[Brain Bleach|know that]]''! }}

** On a good day, he has a bit of this towards Simon as well. Only on a good day though.

* [[Would Hit a Girl]]: At the end of "Our Mrs Reynolds", and the beginning of "Trash." Hard to feel sorry for the one receiving the fist, though.

 

 

Zoe is also a Browncoat. She was [[The Lancer|a corporal serving under Mal]] during the war against the Alliance. [[Platonic Life Partners|She even now accompanies him]] on ''Serenity'' and still calls him "sir", 15 years later. [[Happily Married|She is married to]] Wash; the [[Plucky Comic Relief|wacky]] pilot of the ship.

 

* [[Action Girl]]

* [[Badass]]

* [[Berserk Button]]: Do not badmouth Mal or his leadership abilities in front of her, and do NOT mess with Wash.

* [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]]: Parodied -- there is just about no lust and even less romantic chemistry between her and Mal, but her husband fears what their long history might mean for such a relationship. They disprove this notion in an almost-kiss that is so damn awkward even Jayne is unsettled.

 

[[File:Firefly_Wash_9245.jpg|frame]]

Wash is [[Badass Driver|the pilot]] of Serenity. Most of the time he is [[Plucky Comic Relief|wacky, playful, excitable, and a bit on the immature side]], though when he needs to be, [[Danger Deadpan|there is no one more focused, calm, and collected]] on the crew. He's a whiz at the controls of a vehicle, and has saved the lives of the rest of the crew many a time.

 

* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: A variant, in that Wash ''himself'' seems surprised that [[Ridiculously Average Guy|a guy like him]] could manage to marry someone like Zoe.

 

[[File:Firefly_Inara_9385.jpg|frame]]

 

* [[Ambadassador]]: Not [[Badass]] to the degree of the rest of the crew, but she has no qualms with holding people at gunpoint and holds her own in hand-to-hand combat.

* [[Tsundere]]: Type B. She is unflappably courteous and kind to everyone she meets...except Mal.

 

[[File:Firefly_Kaylee_5680.jpg|frame]]

 

* [[Ambiguously Gay|Ambiguously Bi]]: Some of her interaction and dialogue with Inara leans slightly this way.

* [[Wrench Wench]]

 

[[File:Firefly_Simon_7409.jpg|frame]]

Simon is [[The Medic|the doctor]] aboard ''Serenity''. [[The Smart Guy|He's an extremely gifted surgeon and a cunning planner]], even though he's [[Adorkable|socially awkward and not exactly streetsmart]]. [[Big Brother Instinct|He cares for his sister River more than anyone or anything else in the world]], and [[Determinator|he is willing to go to extreme lengths]] for her well-being.

 

* [[Overshadowed by Awesome]]: He's a brilliant doctor though River is supernaturally good at everything.

* [[Princely Young Man]]

* [[Promotion to Parent]]: And personal physician, and therapist, and bodyguard, and once even [[Gentleman Thief]].

* [[Sibling Yin-Yang]]: Simon is cooler, calmer, and more disciplined compared to his more sensitive and (for obvious reasons) erratic little sister.

* [[Tall, Dark and Handsome]]

* [[The Strategist]]: Comes up with a complicated but solid plan for [[The Infiltration|infiltrating the hospital]] in "Ariel", which even Jayne admits is excellent.

* [[Undying Loyalty]]: To River. This is one of the most notable things about him as well as his reason for being on ''Serenity'' in the first place.

* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: Kaylee. He is shy about this sort of thing and he is busy taking care of his ''Mei-Mei''. {{spoiler|They do at the end of the [[Big Damn Movie]]}}.

 

[[File:Firefly_River_35.jpg|frame]]

River is the aforementioned precious cargo, and Simon's little sister. She's [[Ax Crazy|stone]] [[Cloudcuckoolander|cold]] [[Psychopathic Manchild|crazy]]. [[Playing with Syringes|With]] [[Super Soldier|good]] [[Psychic Powers|reason]], [[Mind Rape|though]], and she [[Character Development|gets a bit better]]. She's also a [[The Prodigy|prodigy]] [[Gratuitous French|par excellence]], taking to difficult subjects with ease (considering university-level physics to be a "challenge" when she was fourteen, for example). She's enough of an asset to the crew at critical times that it makes up for being [[The Load]] when she's freaking out.

 

* [[Action Girl]]

* [[Ambiguous Disorder]]: Even prior to the experiments. Asperger's? Autism? ADHD? All of the above?

* [[Ax Crazy]]: She has slashed people up in the past, including Jayne, for wearing a [[Mega Corp|Blue Sun]] t-shirt. In the R. Tam Sessions, she murdered her "counselor" with [[The Pen Is Mightier|a pen]].

* [[Berserk Button]]: Do ''not'' mess with Simon.

** In another episode, after she's been yelling loud enough to spook the cattle in the cargo hold:

{{quote|'''River:''' The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds, given adequate vacuuming systems.

* [[Noble Fugitive]]

* [[The Ophelia]]

* [[Protectorate]]: To Simon especially, to everyone by extension. Eventually inverted, with River protecting ''them''.

* [[Psychic Powers]]: She can kill you with her brain.

* [[Reluctant Warrior]]: She may be the most brutal killing machine in the 'Verse, but she sure as hell doesn't want to be.

* [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]]: Notably when rattling off a lot of [[Techno Babble]] while editing Shepherd's bible.

* [[Super Soldier]]: Apparently what the Academy wanted from her.

* [[Talkative Loon]]

{{quote|'''Wash:''' Tell me again how Jayne got knocked out by a 98-pound girl, 'cause I don't think that's ever getting old!}}

* [[Undying Loyalty]]: To her big brother in particular, but also to the whole crew.

* [[You Shall Not Pass]]: Against {{spoiler|the Reavers}} in ''[[Serenity]]''.

 

[[File:Firefly_Book_437.jpg|frame]]

[[The Verse]]'s equivalent of a Christian priest, Book also wandered onto ''Serenity'' in the pilot, just wanting to [[Walking the Earth|walk the 'verse]] a while. Later he wonders if he's on the wrong ship, but then again, he does [[Hidden Depths|seem to know]] [[Badass Grandpa|a lot of things]] that one doesn't find in [[The Bible]].

 

* [[The Atoner]]: It is implied very strongly that his [[Dark and Troubled Past]] was rather sinister and that that was the reason he became a [[Good Shepherd]].

* [[Badass Preacher]]

* [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]]: Though [[The Bible]] is [[Rules Lawyer|somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps.]]

 

[[File:Firefly_Jayne_5096.jpg|frame]]

Jayne is a thuggish, misogynistic, crude [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]. He's not one to leave the back turned near, as he's a bit power-hungry and greedy. What he lacks in delicacy and loyalty, though, he makes up for in strength, size, and fighting prowess.

 

* [[Girl-On-Girl Is Hot]]: Upon learning that Inara will be servicing a female client on board her shuttle, he has only this to say:

{{quote|'''Jayne:''' [[Catch Phrase|I'll be in my bunk.]]}}

* [[I'll Be in My Bunk]]: Also the [[Trope Namer]].

* [[It's All About Me]]: Jayne thinks mostly about himself, and is always happy to take the easy way out. Though he does care about his family and the crew, to some extent.

* [[Token Evil Teammate]]: And he's quite aware that he's not a great guy.

 

 

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]

* [[True Companions]]. [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Especially Inara.]]

 

 

Shows up in the final episode, "Objects In Space." When we first meet him, he proves to be [[Badass|more than a match for Mal and company]], but it isn't long before [[Psycho for Hire|his true colors become apparent]].

 

* [[Warrior Poet]]: In a weird sort of way.

 

One of the few recurring villains (they likely intended more, but dying off after one season does mess up plans a bit) of the show, Saffron is a con woman who specializes in seduction. Introduced in (and as) 'Our Mrs Reynolds'.

 

* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Easily construable as Inara's [[Foil]] and [[Evil Counterpart|opposite]].

 

A crime lord introduced in the second pilot, "The Train Job." Very concerned about reputations, especially his own. He is the second recurring villain of the show.

 

* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: This is Niska's ''modus operandi'' in the series. He strongly believes in the principles of Shan Yu.

* [[Electric Torture]]: When Niska gets busy, he likes to start off with this before getting nastier.

* [[Soft-Spoken Sadist]]: He can be very soft-spoken in the tone of a kindly old man. The fact that he does this while he's [[Electric Torture|zapping the living daylights out of you]], [[Cold-Blooded Torture|cutting off your ear]], or [[Complete Monster|even worse things]] makes him ''utterly fucking creepy''.

* [[Torture Technician]]: What Niska is generally known for.

 

Mysterious duo in search of River, whom she refers to as "two by two, hands of blue."

 

* [[Those Two Bad Guys]]

 

Primary villain in ''[[Serenity]]''. A special agent/assassin of Parliament, sent out to keep government secrets and take care of loose ends. While he technically represents their interests, they are never seen, making him more-or-less the [[Dragon-in-Chief]].

 

* [[Would Hurt a Child]]: [[Knight Templar|If he has to.]]

 

The Academy technician in charge of taking care of River. He is noticeable for an odd encounter with a certain spoiled rich kid who had curious questions about his baby sister. Vaguely related to this was an investigation by a government agent who gave him lessons about the customs of "certain older, ''civilized'' cultures".

 

* [[Torture Technician]]

* [[Utopia Justifies the Means]]

 

The Reavers are a band of roving murderous, feral thugs who terrorize everything and everyone they come across. They are infamous for being [[I'm a Humanitarian|cannibals]], [[Body Horror|self-mutilation enthusiasts, everyone-else-mutilation enthusiasts]], and rapists of both [[Mind Rape|mind]] and [[Rape as Drama|body]]. {{spoiler|They are the survivors of an Alliance experiment to make a planet's population more manageable by using powerful psychotropic drugs on them. This made 99.9% of them [[Gone Horribly Right|catastrophically docile]], and they just [[Death by Despair|laid down and died en masse]]. The remaining 0.1%, however took to the drug just a bit ''[[Gone Horribly Wrong|differently]]'' and became the base savages known as Reavers}}.

 

* [[Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon]]:

{{quote|'''Zoe:''' If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it [[In That Order]].}}

* [[The Horde]]

* [[I'm a Humanitarian]]: They prefer human flesh. Of live people.

and let's not forget ...

 

The ship. Including the bits that fall off.

 

* [[What a Piece of Junk!]]: Serenity may not look like much, but according to Kaylee, "she'll fool ya."