War Stories (Firefly)

"**War Stories**"
"War Stories"
Firefly episode
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 10
Directed by	James Contner
Written by	Cheryl Cain
Production code	1AGE09
Original air date	December 6, 2002
Guest appearances
	Michael Fairman as Adelai Niska; Katherine Kendall as The Councilor; Rolando Molina as Bolles; John Dunn as the torturer;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Ariel"	Next →; "Trash"
	List of episodes

Last updated October 16, 2023

"War Stories" is the tenth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.

Plot

On Serenity , as Simon reviews the data he collected on his sister, Shepherd Book looks over his shoulder, musing about a "warrior-poet" named Xiang Yu. Book cites one of Yu's quotes that suggests that the way to truly learn about someone is to torture them, and wonders if this was the purpose behind the brain surgery done on River. Simon disagrees, believing there was a specific goal the unknown surgeons were hoping to achieve. Elsewhere, crime lord Adelei Niska is torturing one of his men, also alluding to Xiang Yu. He is interrupted by a man who informed him that Mal's ship has been spotted nearby. Eager to take revenge on Mal for being the only man to ever cheat him on a deal, Niska orders that he be captured.

Back on Serenity, Kaylee playfully chases River around the cargo bay for an apple she stole, despite Jayne having contributed a crate's worth to the ship's stores. Once she takes hold of the apple, Kaylee claims that "no power in the 'verse can stop me." Amid the noise, Inara urges Mal to respect the privacy of her imminently arriving client, a local councilor of some political importance. Mal agrees to do so, as he prepares to depart on a "milk run" to sell off a shipment of stolen medicine.

Later, Zoe and Wash puzzle over Jayne's generosity as they eat the apples, Wash munching it, and Zoe slicing it with a knife. Kaylee asks why Zoe and Mal always cut up their apples, and Zoe tells a war story about the time Alliance troops gave their unit apples packed with hidden grenades that killed members of their platoon. Wash sardonically embellishes the story, visibly annoyed by the close friendship between Mal and his wife. Mal vetoes Wash's idea to improve their profit from the medicine sales by bypassing the local middlemen, then begins cutting his own apple. Wash is surprised by this, and is furious to discover that Zoe herself had agreed with Mal's decision. He angrily tells Zoe that there is no room for "two husbands" in their marriage.

As Mal prepares to leave, Wash purposefully sabotages his shuttle's controls, demanding the chance to accompany Mal instead of Zoe. Mal reluctantly agrees. In her quarters, Inara massages the councilor, while remarking that when she chooses her rare female clients, she does so because they are extraordinary in some way, and hints that the councilor's gift is allowing Inara herself to relax and serve her own needs as well as the councilor's. At the exchange, Mal's contacts are killed by a sniper team, and he and Wash are tied up and taken off-planet. Zoe, Book, and Jayne go to look for them, and quickly deduce from the evidence that Niska was responsible.

On Niska's skyplex, Mal and Wash are tortured with an electroshock device; Mal deliberately provokes Wash by discussing his marital problems in order to keep him from passing out. The crew pools all of their money and gives it to Zoe, who goes to see Niska and tries to buy Mal and Wash's freedom. Niska says there is only enough for one man, and Zoe chooses Wash, leaving Mal behind to be tortured to the brink of death. Zoe gets Wash back to Serenity, and organizes a rescue mission with the entire crew, except for Inara and River. As the others fight their way through the skyplex, Kaylee is cornered near the Serenity, too frightened to shoot back. River finds her, takes Kaylee's gun, closes her eyes, and kills all of her attackers without hesitation, scaring Kaylee.

Seeing his abductor distracted, Mal gets up effortlessly despite the hours of pain he's endured and proceeds to beat a terrified Niska before his torturer interferes, allowing the crime lord to escape. Zoe, Jayne, and Wash arrive and gun down Mal's attacker, saving his life. Back on the ship, Inara's former client provides Simon with the expensive medical technology needed to treat Mal's injuries. As Wash sits down to a bowl of "wife soup", Mal surprises him by declaring that he must sleep with Zoe to deal with any lingering sexual tension between them, causing Wash to abandon his meal so he can spend time with his wife. Back in the cargo hold, Kaylee stares at River with a look of fear on her face, no longer wanting to play with her.

Continuity

The opening scene, where Simon is prodding through River's brain scans and Book speaks of Simon's great heist, refers to the entirety of the previous episode, "Ariel". Before Niska intervenes, the crew is in the process of selling the stolen medicine from "Ariel".
River's sharpshooting skill becomes a point of contention in the episode "Objects in Space" as well as the feature movie Serenity .
Jayne's apparent generosity, buying a large amount of fresh fruit for the crew, is alluding to guilty feelings about his betrayal of Simon and River as well as Mal in the episode "Ariel".

Related Research Articles

<i>Firefly</i> (TV series) American space Western television series

Firefly is an American space Western drama television series, created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as an executive producer, along with Tim Minear. The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship. 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."

Serenity (<i>Firefly</i> episode) 1st episode of the 1st season of Firefly

"Serenity" is the two-part series finale and the original intended pilot for the American science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It was the first episode produced for the series and premiered on Friday, December 20, 2002 on Fox. With studio executives unsatisfied with the episode for the series premiere, the show's second episode, "The Train Job", was re-written and produced as a second pilot to be aired first. The episode shares its name with the 2005 feature film Serenity, which serves as a continuation to Firefly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Reynolds</span> Character from "Firefly"

Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Firefly franchise. Mal is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Mal is a former Browncoat sergeant and the captain of the "Firefly-class" spaceship Serenity. The character was named at No. 18 in TV Guide's Greatest Sci-Fi Legends list in 2004.

"Bushwhacked" is the third episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.

"The Train Job" is the original series premiere and second episode of the American science-fiction western television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It was the second episode produced and aired on Friday, September 20, 2002, on Fox. The episode was written by Whedon and Tim Minear as the second pilot to the series following Fox after executives were unsatisfied with original pilot "Serenity", which later aired as the series finale. According to the 2003 DVD commentary, Whedon and Minear had only two days to write the script.

"Safe" is the fifth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.

"Shindig" is the fourth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.

"Our Mrs. Reynolds" is the sixth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.

"Jaynestown" is the seventh episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.

"Ariel" is the ninth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly, created by Joss Whedon.

"Out of Gas" is the eighth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It differs stylistically from the rest of the series, in that it tells its story alternately in three timeframes: events in the present, events in the near-past that led to the present, and events in the past that led to the formation of Serenity's core crew.

"Trash" is the eleventh episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It is the first of three episodes that were not broadcast in the original 2002 Fox run.

The Message (<i>Firefly</i>) 12th episode of the 1st season of Firefly

"The Message" is the twelfth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It was the fourteenth and final episode produced during the show's production, but was placed before "Heart of Gold" and "Objects in Space" on the home video releases. "The Message" was the second of three episodes along with "Trash" and "Heart of Gold", that were not broadcast in the original 2002 Fox run and later aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 15, 2003.

Heart of Gold (<i>Firefly</i>) 13th episode of the 1st season of Firefly

"Heart of Gold" is the 13th episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It is the last of three episodes that were not broadcast in the original 2002 Fox run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Objects in Space</span> 14th episode of the 1st season of Firefly

"Objects in Space" is the 14th episode and series finale of the science fiction television series Firefly. Serenity encounters Jubal Early, a ruthless professional bounty hunter who will stop at nothing to retrieve River. But River, feeling unwelcome on the ship, takes a novel approach to escaping from the long arm of the Alliance.

<i>Serenity: Those Left Behind</i> Comic book

Serenity: Those Left Behind is a 2005 three-issue comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics. It was written by Brett Matthews with Joss Whedon credited for story, illustrated by Will Conrad, and colored by Laura Martin.

Firefly is an American space Western media franchise created by Joss Whedon and produced by Mutant Enemy Productions. The franchise includes the TV series Firefly, the film Serenity, and other media.

Derrial Book is a fictional character played by Ron Glass in the science-fiction/Western television series Firefly and its sequel movie, Serenity. He is a Shepherd, and provides frequent spiritual advice and perspectives for the crew of Serenity.

<i>Serenity: Leaves on the Wind</i> 2014 six-issue comic book miniseries

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind is a 2014 six-issue comic book miniseries published by Dark Horse Comics, based on the 2002 science fiction television series Firefly, and the 2005 feature film into which it was adapted, Serenity.

References

Espenson, Jane; Glenn Yeffeth, eds. (11 March 2005). Finding Serenity: Anti-heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's "Firefly". Dallas, Texas: Benbella Books. ISBN 1-932100-43-1.
Rhonda V. Wilcox; Tanya Cochran (20 May 2008). Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Joss Whedon's Worlds Beyond: Science Fiction on the Frontier (Investigating Cult TV Series). I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84511-654-5.
Joss Whedon (1 Sep 2005). Serenity: The Official Visual Companion . Titan Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84576-082-3.
Joss Whedon; et al. (25 August 2006). Firefly: The Official Companion: Volume One. Titan Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84576-314-5.
Joss Whedon; et al. (25 August 2006). Firefly: The Official Companion: Volume Two. Titan Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84576-372-5.
Joss Whedon (December 9, 2003). The Complete Series: Commentary for "Serenity" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.

External links

"War Stories" at IMDb
"War Stories" at Firefly Wiki

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.