LEEDAVIDT'S BLOG

leedavidt

Brownquotes...Serenity the BDM part 1
Saturday, April 25, 2009


Teacher: Earth-That-Was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed, a process taking decades, to support human life, to be new Earths. The Central Planets formed the Alliance. Ruled by an interplanetary parliament, the Alliance was a beacon of civilization. The savage outer planets were not so enlightened and refused Alliance control. The war was devastating, but the Alliance's victory over the Independents ensured a safer universe. And now everyone can enjoy the comfort and enlightenment of our civilization.
Young River: People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome.
[Simon has infiltrated the facility where River is being held, and questions a doctor on her condition]
Simon: [impersonating an Alliance official] How is she physically?
Dr. Mathias: Like nothing we've seen. All our subjects are conditioned for combat, but River…she's a creature of extraordinary grace.
Simon: Yes…she always did love to dance.
[Simon activates a device, the pulse of which renders all present scientists unconscious]
Dr. Mathias: [on recording] Key members of Parliament have personally observed this subject. I thought--
[recording pauses]
The Operative: Key…members…of Parliament. Key. The minds behind every military, diplomatic, and covert operation in the galaxy…and you put them…in a room…with a psychic.
The Operative: Secrets are not my concern. Keeping them is.
The Operative: You know, in certain older civilized cultures, when men failed as entirely as you have, they would throw themselves on their swords.
Dr. Mathias: Well, unfortunately, I forgot to bring a sword.
[The Operative unsheathes his sword]
Dr. Mathias: I would put that down right now if I were you—
The Operative: Would you be killed in your sleep, like an ailing pet?
[After Dr. Mathias falls onto the Operative's sword]
The Operative: This is a good death. There's no shame in this, in a man's death. A man who has done fine works. We're making a better world. All of them better worlds.
[As Serenity begins a fiery dive into atmo, a panel on the bow breaks off, flying over the cockpit's viewport]
Mal: What was that?
Wash: Did you see that?
Mal: Was that the primary buffer panel?
Wash: It did seem to resemble—
Mal: Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship for no apparent reason?
[Serenity shudders.]
Wash: Looks like.
Mal: I thought Kaylee just checked the entry couplings. I have a very clear memory of it!
Wash: Yeah well, if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn-through, this landing is going to get pretty interesting.
Mal: Define interesting!
Wash: [deadpan] "Oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die"?
Mal: [on the ship intercom] This is the captain, we have a lil' problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight…turbulence, and then…explode. [to Wash] Can you shave the vector?
Wash: I'm doing it! It's not enough.
Mal: Just get us on the ground!
Wash: That part will happen pretty definitely.
Jayne: We're gonna explode? I don't wanna explode!
Mal: Jayne, how many weapons you plan on taking? You only got the two arms.
Jayne: Well, I just get excitable as to choice. Like to have my options open.
Mal: I don't plan on any shooting taking place during this job.
Jayne: Yeah, well what you plan and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar.
Mal: …No grenades.
Jayne: Huh? Aw…
Mal: No grenades!
Zoe: We crashing again?
Mal: Talk to your husband. Mule prepped?
Zoe: Good to go, sir. Just loading her up. [She turns to Jayne as Mal walks off.] Those grenades?
Jayne: Yeah, Captain doesn't want them.
Zoe: Jayne, we're robbing the place. We're not occupying it.
Mal: Kaylee! Kaylee, what in the sphincter of hell are you playing at? We got the primary buffer panel coming right—
Kaylee: Everything's shiny, Cap'n. Not to fret.
Mal: You told me those entry couplings would hold for another week!
Kaylee: That was six months ago Cap'n.
Mal: My ship don't crash. [If] she crashes, you crashed her.
[Leaving the engine bay, Mal encounters Simon in the corridor. Simon stares at Mal.]
Mal: Bit of a rockety ride, nothing to be worried about.
Simon: I'm not worried.
Mal: Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, Doctor.
Simon: This isn't fear. This is anger.
Mal: Well, kind of hard to tell one from t'other, face like yours.
Simon: Well, I imagine if it were fear, my eyes would be wider.
Mal: Hey little one. You understand your part in all this?
River: Do you?
Mal: This is what I do, darlin'. This is what I do.
[Over Simon's objections, Mal has "recruited" River to join the crew on a job due to her psychic abilities]
Simon: Now River, stay behind the others. If there's fighting, drop to the floor or run away. It's okay to leave them to die.
Mal: Doctor. I'm taking your sister under my protection here. If anything happens to her, anything at all, I swear to you—I will get very choked up. Honestly. There could be tears.
[The crew prepares for a payroll robbery.]
Jayne: Shiny! Let's be bad guys.
Mal: How about you, darling, ready to go?
River: There's no pattern to the pebbles here…it's all completely random. I tried to count them but you drove too fast. Hummingbird.
[brief silence]
Mal: Right, let's go.
Zoe: Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed. You can look it up later.
Trade Agent: You all are Browncoats, eh? Fought for independence? Petty thieving ain't exactly soldiers' work.
Mal: War's long done. We're all just folk now.
[Mal opens a small locked safe in the bank, to find it virtually empty. From inside the safe, we see Mal and Zoe peering in.]
Zoe: [sardonically] At last, we can retire and give up this life of crime.
[Mal pulls a secret handle in the vault. The floor retracts revealing a staircase.]
Mal: We're coming down to empty this vault.
Vault Guard: You'll have to give me your authorization password.
[Jayne fires an extended burst from his rifle into the floor.]
Vault Guard: [After a pause] Okay!
[Mal has his gun drawn while having a discussion with the vault guard of the bank he's robbing.]
Mal: The leg is good; it'll bleed plenty and we avoid any necessary organs.
Guard: I was thinking more of a graze.
Mal: Well, you don't want it to look like you just gave up.
Guard: No, I get that.
Jayne: [yelling from upstairs] Mal!
Mal: Every heist he's gotta start yelling my name.
[The crew's Mule is being pursued by a Reaver ship.]
Jayne: [To Mal] Gee, sure would be nice if we had some grenades right now, don'tcha think?!
[Jayne is being pulled toward the Reaver ship by a harpoon.]
Jayne: I won't get ate! You shoot me if they take me!
[Mal aims his gun in Jayne's direction.]
Jayne: Well, don't shoot me first!
[Mal shoots at the harpoon rope.]
[Mal's Mule crashes into Serenity's bay. Simon, who stayed behind, rushes to River asking if she's all right.]
River: I swallowed a bug.
. . .
[Kaylee, who also stayed behind, rushes to Simon]
Kaylee: [to Simon] Are you okay?
Mal: Is he okay?!?

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