Out of Gas
Encyclopedia
"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
After Serenity suffers a catastrophe that leaves her crew with only hours of oxygen
, flashbacks show how Mal and Zoe acquired Serenity and assembled their motley band.
dead in space; her interiors in disarray and completely devoid of occupancy. The one exception is Captain Malcolm Reynolds
, who falls to the floor of the cargo bay, bleeding from a stomach wound. The episode then launches into its varied flashbacks; though the events are presented here in strict chronological order, one era per paragraph, readers should be aware that the episode's narrative moves between all three eras (and paragraphs) on a regular basis.
The first era visited is the gradual assembly of the crew: Mal welcomes Zoe Alleyn aboard his new purchase, a Firefly-class transport, and quotes the words of the man who sold it to him: "You buy this ship, treat her proper, she'll be with you the rest of your life." "That's because it's a death trap," Zoe replies. Nonetheless, Mal declares his intention to renovate her, make her spaceworthy, and assemble a crew. The first two to join the team are Hoban Washburne, an accomplished pilot with an accomplished mustache which bothers Zoe, and a laid-back mechanic named Bester. On a layover for repairs, Bester brings a young woman to the engine room for some illicit coupling; this woman, Kaylee Frye, soon replaces him as engineer when she shows an instinctive rapport with the ship's engines, diagnosing during sex a technical problem Bester couldn't fix while paying attention. The next recruit is Inara Serra, who uses her status as a Companion (and the legitimacy it confers) to bargain for a 25% discount on the rent. She also insists that Mal never call her a "whore" again (an ironic reference to the fact that he calls her this at least once an episode). The final member is Jayne Cobb, a dumb but competent tracker and enforcer whose partners are cheating him out of his fair share; he defects with enthusiasm when Mal offers him a bigger cut of the payoff, and his own bunk.
The second timeline concerns events leading up to Mal's predicament. The crew has assembled in Serenity's mess hall for dinner, including a birthday cake for Simon. Sudden alarms precede a wash of fire blasting down the corridor from the engine room; Zoe makes a diving leap to save Kaylee from flames, while Mal hurries to the bridge, seals off the ship's upper levels, and vents the lower decks (and the fire) out the hangar bay. Zoe has been gravely injured by her daring rescue and must be revived with a shot of adrenaline to the heart; Wash is shaken by his wife's condition, but Mal exerts his authority to keep him focused. Kaylee, meanwhile, discovers that the engines, as well as both primary and secondary life support, are offline; the problem is the "port compression coil," a part she mentioned as being in poor condition as far back as the pilot episode
and which has since given out. At Mal's insistence, she attempts to fit it back onto the engine, but even he can see the part is damaged beyond repair. This leaves Serenity with only a few hours of oxygen
left (though, as River helpfully reminds Shepherd Book
, "We'll freeze to death first"). Thus, Mal makes the decision to abandon ship. The other eight crew members are to take the ship's shuttles and fly in opposite directions, hoping to flag some help, while he stays put in case somebody answers their distress call more directly. Wash rigs a big red button on Serenity's helm, which Mal can push to call everyone home again.
Mal settles in, eventually being woken by an answer to the distress call. He and the captain of the other ship bargain for a new compression coil, but when the captain sees that Mal is telling the truth, he shoots Mal and decides to commandeer Serenity for himself. Mal turns the tables by grabbing a nearby gun when their backs are turned, leaving him in the condition seen in the episode's opening: on the floor of the cargo bay, bleeding from a stomach wound.
Mal goes to the infirmary, where he fortifies himself with a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. He then proceeds to the engine room, where he manages to get the port compression coil installed correctly, thanks to Kaylee's earlier demonstrations. Finally he staggers up to the bridge, but is unable to press the big red button before blood loss takes him. As Mal hears the voices from the various flashbacks, he gradually comes to in the infirmary, where the crew is bustling about. A supine but conscious Zoe welcomes him back to awareness. She takes responsibility for ignoring his orders and returning to Serenity, and promises not to do it again. As Mal drifts off again, he asks if "you all gonna be here when I wake up?", and Book assures him that they will.
The episode closes with, chronologically, the most remote flashback, in which Mal is still contemplating which ship to buy. The used-vehicle salesman is in mid-pitch: "You buy this ship, treat her proper, she'll be with you the rest of your life... Son. Hey, son, you hear a word I been saying?" Mal has not; he has turned his back on the salesman and the flashy yellow rocket-like vehicle he is trying to sell, and is staring, instead, at the final and most important member of his crew: a broken-down Firefly-class transport, abandoned at the edge of the lot...
took the big red "recall" button from the Firefly set and presented it to Joss Whedon, telling him that if Whedon managed to get the series renewed, he could press it to call the cast back.
Also according to the commentary, Gina Torres
(Zoe) was written out of the bulk of the episode because the filming took place just after her marriage to Laurence Fishburne
and they were away on their honeymoon.
Tim Minear
credits David Solomon's expertise as a director with the success of the episode's daring three-timeline structure.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
created by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
. 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
After Serenity suffers a catastrophe that leaves her crew with only hours of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, flashbacks show how Mal and Zoe acquired Serenity and assembled their motley band.
Synopsis
The episode opens with SerenitySerenity (Firefly vessel)
Serenity is a fictional Firefly class spaceship appearing in Joss Whedon's Firefly television series and related works. Set in the 26th century, the series revolves around nine characters, which form the crew of the small transport ship, as they try to make a living through various legal and...
dead in space; her interiors in disarray and completely devoid of occupancy. The one exception is Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and main protagonist in the Firefly franchise. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity...
, who falls to the floor of the cargo bay, bleeding from a stomach wound. The episode then launches into its varied flashbacks; though the events are presented here in strict chronological order, one era per paragraph, readers should be aware that the episode's narrative moves between all three eras (and paragraphs) on a regular basis.
The first era visited is the gradual assembly of the crew: Mal welcomes Zoe Alleyn aboard his new purchase, a Firefly-class transport, and quotes the words of the man who sold it to him: "You buy this ship, treat her proper, she'll be with you the rest of your life." "That's because it's a death trap," Zoe replies. Nonetheless, Mal declares his intention to renovate her, make her spaceworthy, and assemble a crew. The first two to join the team are Hoban Washburne, an accomplished pilot with an accomplished mustache which bothers Zoe, and a laid-back mechanic named Bester. On a layover for repairs, Bester brings a young woman to the engine room for some illicit coupling; this woman, Kaylee Frye, soon replaces him as engineer when she shows an instinctive rapport with the ship's engines, diagnosing during sex a technical problem Bester couldn't fix while paying attention. The next recruit is Inara Serra, who uses her status as a Companion (and the legitimacy it confers) to bargain for a 25% discount on the rent. She also insists that Mal never call her a "whore" again (an ironic reference to the fact that he calls her this at least once an episode). The final member is Jayne Cobb, a dumb but competent tracker and enforcer whose partners are cheating him out of his fair share; he defects with enthusiasm when Mal offers him a bigger cut of the payoff, and his own bunk.
The second timeline concerns events leading up to Mal's predicament. The crew has assembled in Serenity
Serenity (Firefly episode)
"Serenity" is the two-hour series pilot for the American science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. However, Fox executives were not satisfied with this as a pilot, and so instead, "The Train Job" was created as a second pilot and was the first episode of the series aired....
and which has since given out. At Mal's insistence, she attempts to fit it back onto the engine, but even he can see the part is damaged beyond repair. This leaves Serenity with only a few hours of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
left (though, as River helpfully reminds Shepherd Book
Derrial Book
Derrial Book is a fictional character played by Ron Glass in the science-fiction/Western television series Firefly and its sequel movie, Serenity...
, "We'll freeze to death first"). Thus, Mal makes the decision to abandon ship. The other eight crew members are to take the ship's shuttles and fly in opposite directions, hoping to flag some help, while he stays put in case somebody answers their distress call more directly. Wash rigs a big red button on Serenity
Mal settles in, eventually being woken by an answer to the distress call. He and the captain of the other ship bargain for a new compression coil, but when the captain sees that Mal is telling the truth, he shoots Mal and decides to commandeer Serenity for himself. Mal turns the tables by grabbing a nearby gun when their backs are turned, leaving him in the condition seen in the episode's opening: on the floor of the cargo bay, bleeding from a stomach wound.
Mal goes to the infirmary, where he fortifies himself with a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. He then proceeds to the engine room, where he manages to get the port compression coil installed correctly, thanks to Kaylee's earlier demonstrations. Finally he staggers up to the bridge, but is unable to press the big red button before blood loss takes him. As Mal hears the voices from the various flashbacks, he gradually comes to in the infirmary, where the crew is bustling about. A supine but conscious Zoe welcomes him back to awareness. She takes responsibility for ignoring his orders and returning to Serenity, and promises not to do it again. As Mal drifts off again, he asks if "you all gonna be here when I wake up?", and Book assures him that they will.
The episode closes with, chronologically, the most remote flashback, in which Mal is still contemplating which ship to buy. The used-vehicle salesman is in mid-pitch: "You buy this ship, treat her proper, she'll be with you the rest of your life... Son. Hey, son, you hear a word I been saying?" Mal has not; he has turned his back on the salesman and the flashy yellow rocket-like vehicle he is trying to sell, and is staring, instead, at the final and most important member of his crew: a broken-down Firefly-class transport, abandoned at the edge of the lot...
Continuity
- In this episode, the ship is crippled by the failure of the catalyzer on the port compression coil. Kaylee mentioned that this part needed fixing twice before: in "SerenitySerenity (Firefly episode)"Serenity" is the two-hour series pilot for the American science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. However, Fox executives were not satisfied with this as a pilot, and so instead, "The Train Job" was created as a second pilot and was the first episode of the series aired....
", when she asked Mal to buy a new compression coil for the engine, and in "The Train JobThe Train Job"The Train Job" is the second episode of the American science-fiction western television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon, although it was the first to be shown...
", when she complained that "somebody won't replace that crappy compression coil". In "SerenitySerenity (Firefly episode)"Serenity" is the two-hour series pilot for the American science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. However, Fox executives were not satisfied with this as a pilot, and so instead, "The Train Job" was created as a second pilot and was the first episode of the series aired....
", Kaylee alludes to the compression coil as a "nothing part, till you don't got one"; a sentiment repeated by Mal to the salvage crew when he is hailed. In the trash-yards of "ArielAriel (Firefly episode)"Ariel" is the ninth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.Hard up for cash, Serenity takes on a job from Simon: break into an Alliance hospital on central world Ariel so that he can get a thorough diagnostic of River and the crew can loot the valuable...
", Wash can be seen finding a catalyzer and throwing it away.
- At the end of the episode, Jayne questions the genuineness of the incense in Inara's shuttle. In SerenitySerenity (film)Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
, Inara tricks The Operative with a flashbang disguised as incense.
Production details
According to the DVD commentary, Alan TudykAlan Tudyk
Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in the Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Hoban...
took the big red "recall" button from the Firefly set and presented it to Joss Whedon, telling him that if Whedon managed to get the series renewed, he could press it to call the cast back.
Also according to the commentary, Gina Torres
Gina Torres
Gina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...
(Zoe) was written out of the bulk of the episode because the filming took place just after her marriage to Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
and they were away on their honeymoon.
Tim Minear
Tim Minear
Tim Minear is an American screenwriter and director. He was born in New York, grew up in Whittier, California, and studied film at California State University, Long Beach....
credits David Solomon's expertise as a director with the success of the episode's daring three-timeline structure.
Guest actors
- Steven Flynn as Captain, who comes to the aid of a disabled Serenity and attempts to commandeer the ship
- Ilia VolokIlia VolokIlia Volok or Ilia Volokh is a notable Russian-born television and movie actor. Volok appeared in more than ninety films and TV shows.-Life and career:Volok was born in Kiev where he graduated from a high school and became a professional athlete...
as Marco, a bandit whom Jayne once worked with. - Lyle KanouseLyle KanouseLyle Kanouse is a stage, television, and movie actor, born in Fort Worth, Texas. He once taught at Miami University in Ohio.-External links:...
as Salesman, the businessman who originally sold Mal the ship. - Dax GriffinDax Griffin-Career:Griffin is known for his role as Tim Truman on the NBC serial Sunset Beach from January 1997 until November 1999. He had one more appearance in the series finale in a dream sequence. He also played assistant district attorney Justin McCoy on All My Children in 2003.Griffin joined the cast...
as Bester, Serenity's original mechanic.
External links
- "Out of Gas" at Firefly Wiki