Trans-U: Ship or Spaceline? by Fastmover

FIREFLY EPISODE DISCUSSIONS

Trans-U: Ship or Spaceline?

POSTED BY: FASTMOVER
UPDATED: Saturday, July 7, 2007 08:25
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Friday, July 6, 2007 8:04 PM

Is "Trans-U" the name of the Reaver ship in the pilot or the name of a spaceline that operated the ship? As I interpret it, it sounds more like the type of ship, but the way Wash says it it could be either. He says, "I'm reading it as an older model Trans-U," which would suggest it's a ship type to which Mal replies, "I didn't think Trans-U still operated," which sounds more like a spaceline that ceased operations.

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Friday, July 6, 2007 8:46 PM

SIGMANUNKI

The combination of the two makes it a brand of a ship. Substitute 'Toyota' for 'Trans-U' and you'll see what I mean.

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Saturday, July 7, 2007 3:42 AM

REDLAVA

I'm thinking that it is the type of ship as well. It looked to be a little smallish to be a cruise liner.

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Saturday, July 7, 2007 4:57 AM

DONCOAT

Another vote here for "type of ship". It just seems to make more sense that way.

However, for what it's worth, the authors of the Serenity RPG disagree. From one of their ship descriptions comes this line:

Quote:
The Polaris Class was made famous by the Trans-Universal Shipping Company before they went out of business in the wake of a war-profiteering scandal.

So by that logic, the Reaver ship was an old Polaris-class cargo liner once operated by Trans-U. You pays your creds and you takes your choice. Of course, if Trans-U operated only Polaris Class ships (and only they bought them), the two words could have become interchangeable, sort of the way some people use "Jeep" for any small truck-like 4WD vehicle.

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I'm pointin' right at it!

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Saturday, July 7, 2007 8:25 AM

06K64

I'd always thought type of ship, too; it was the word "operated" that puzzled me a bit, though. I eventually just dismissed it as evolution of language, but reading the word choice from the subtitles (Trans-U, singular,) in the ep and the bit from the RPG, I'm starting to lean toward the "liner" explanation. Like U-Haul?

But, yeah- you pays your creds...

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