Age

POSTED BY: browncoat01
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:48
VIEWED: 5998
PAGE 1 of 1

BROWNCOAT01

Friday, June 5, 2009 7:04 PM (P)

I was just wondering, how old do you think the characters on the show are?

Still flyin

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Monday, June 8, 2009 8:48 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by browncoat01:
I was just wondering, how old do you think the characters on the show are?

Still flyin

Derived from the various timeline discussions:
River is 16 in Escape from Institute, then 17 in the Box, and still 17 eight months later in BDM. All from script.
Kaylee is expected to turn 20 in 2517, which includes the Pilot thru Ariel.
Inara is expected to turn 23 in 2517.
Simon is expected to turn 27 on his birthday in Out of Gas.
Mal turns 31 on 20 Sep 2517, which is around Shindig.
Wash is also expected to turn 31 in 2517.
Zoe turns 34 on Feb 15, 2518, which would be between OiS and Trash.
Jayne is expected to turn 40 in 2517.
Book is expected to turn 57 in 2517.

FILLYGIRL

Monday, June 8, 2009 10:23 AM (P)

where did you get that information?

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:54 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by fillygirl:
where did you get that information?

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

Much of that is listed, detailed, or conjuctured in the timelines or timeline threads or timeline discussions, including external links. The argument or discrepancy about Mal's age is included there. That discrepancy lists his birth year as 2468, making him 49 years old in Shindig. Although life expectancy according to Joss is average of 120 years, and therefore Mal's 49 years might only look like he's aged 31 in our time's view, thaqt would mean Book is over a 100ish and Zoe and Wash would only be in their 40's or 50's as well (Gina is older than Nathan and Alan).
Some of the birthdates are included in the Alliance database dossier in the Serenity bluray extras, also derived from other sources.
Some of the ages are based upon conjecture in correlation with the ages of the actors.

River's ages are specified in script. Some fans have disparaged this data in favor of other data sources, subtracting a year from her age. I actually conjured Kaylee as being younger, but not too far off.
Those timelines and discussions are in threads in the Episode Forum.

Are there specific data that you are requesting, or consider in dispute?

FILLYGIRL

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 6:52 AM (P)

just wondering since I have both books and can't find some of that...Thanks

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 7:56 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by fillygirl:
just wondering since I have both books and can't find some of that...Thanks

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

I have the 2 FF Companions and the BDM Companion. Let me know if you have a specific question after you've checked the timeline threads. I'm sure some of the cited references could use more detail. Always nice to have somebody review our work and provide corrections or clarifications.

FILLYGIRL

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:44 AM (P)

I think its me, either I don't understand how to figure it out or I havent seen it yet, I will look again, I seriously doubt that you got it wrong. Why did you say 'our work'? (I must have missed something....which is normal for the blonde.:) )
Thanks

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 9:16 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by fillygirl:
I think its me, either I don't understand how to figure it out or I havent seen it yet, I will look again, I seriously doubt that you got it wrong. Why did you say 'our work'? (I must have missed something....which is normal for the blonde.:) )
Thanks

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

"Our work" is because more than one person has worked on the ideas, discussions, timelines, collections of data, and corrections.
One guy had posted a timeline at that arphax link. I also started a discussion thread, with numerous contributors adding info, pointing out conflicts, and discussion the relative validities of data, and I also posted a thread with the refined timelines where others also provided commentary and corrections. As new sources become available (like MaP of the Verse, White Paper, Companion Books, Serenity bluray extras, etc), the relevent portions of the data stream get revised to the best of our abilities.
I posted the threads because I was interested in the topic, and others have proclaimed an interest in the info, but I am certainly not the sole contributor to the effort.
Again, let me know if you have specific questions.
For instance, if you read the script for Pilot Serenity the scene where the cryo box is opened specifically describes River as being a 17 year old. In the BDM script, the Institute escape scene specifically describes River as a 16-year old. There may also be a reference later in BDM that she is now 17, I don't recall where. Is this the sort of thing you were asking?

The threads I was referring to are:
Timeline based on rearranged sequence of events as presented on the DVD set:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&t=32184

Timeline based upon the originally scripted Pilot and originally filmed and aired sequence of events:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&t=36140

and the discussion leading up to those:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&t=31980

AGENTROUKA

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 10:02 AM (P)

Regardless of canon information and just based on what makes sense to me, my take was always the following for the pilot eppy:

Mal 31 (Born 2486, joined up as a young adult, 25 at the end of the war)
Zoe 30-35 (Around Mal's age, maybe older, NOT younger)
Wash 30-33 (difficult to say, but around Zoe's age, maybe younger)
Jayne 35-42 (Experienced in some ways, not in others, hard to say.)
Inara 27 (Old enough to be experienced and well-known, young enough to be uncertain about her future. No way is she younger than that.)
Kaylee 23-ish (No way did Mal take on a mid-teenager, and she's been on Serenity a while.)
Simon 24-26 (The flashback in "Safe" suggests younger, but he went through medical school and has worked a little since then.. he had to have some time for that.)
River 16 (Canon.)
Book.. uh, no clue. 60-something.

FILLYGIRL

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 10:25 AM (P)

Yea, Rivers age is not very clear, I though she was 17, but like you said there are other references to 16. Lots of work to get it narrowed down.

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

AGENTROUKA

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 11:17 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by fillygirl:
Yea, Rivers age is not very clear, I though she was 17, but like you said there are other references to 16. Lots of work to get it narrowed down.

Actually, River's age is the only one mentioned with some regularity in the series and movie.

Simon mentions she left for the Academy at age 14, he can't get near her for 2 years and is then contacted by the underground movement that helps him get her out. In the movie, she's mentioned to be 17. Since some time passes between the movie and the pilot eppy, I figure she's on the late end of 16 at the beginning of the series and turns 17 some time during it. Though she may actually start the series at 17 and be close to 18 during the movie. It's hard to judge the exact time she spends in the hands of the Academy just by Simon's words.

FILLYGIRL

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 11:37 AM (P)

I can't remember, but what exactly did Simon say about(in'Serenity') how long it took the underground to contact him when he was trying to get River out? I thought it took over a year for them (maybe two years) to help him.(I am at work, can't get to the DVD to watch.)

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

BLUESUNCOMPANYMAN

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 12:29 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Inara is expected to turn 23 in 2517.

Inara LOOKS like she's ready to turn 23. She's older than Mal and younger than Book.

Recall Nandi's comment "You haven't aged" in a manner similar to Galdalf's statement to Bilbo in Fellowship of the Ring.

Sorry JSF, I think we've talked about this before and I recall that you don't hold to my beliefs on the matter. Perhaps you'll reconsider?

WAKEUPSOON

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:33 PM (P)

I've always looked on this for reference: http://www.fireflywiki.org/Firefly/FireflyTimeline
Don't know how canon it is, but its similar to what the others are saying.

~WuS

This is not my signature, I have to write this every time I post.
Smile && Nod, it makes it seem like you know what's going on.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 8:48 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by fillygirl:
I think its me, either I don't understand how to figure it out or I havent seen it yet, I will look again, I seriously doubt that you got it wrong. Why did you say 'our work'? (I must have missed something....which is normal for the blonde.:) )
Thanks

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal

After some rumination, I realized you may have inferred that I was part of the Verse creators, or had worked on or supported the making of Firefly/Serenity. I did not intend such allusions. I have had no part in the creation of these wonderful works.
Because much of the references we've gotten have had some degree of conflict or disagreement with each other, I was interested in ironing out the wrinkles of these contradictory datum as much as possible. This was what I meant by "our work" - merely picking up the crumbs and trying to reassemble the whole works they fell from.

FILLYGIRL

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:48 AM (P)

Well, not exactly, I wanted to know if you had helped, OR if like you said, during posting in threads you and others tried to narrow it down.
I still think Rriver is 17, yes she went to the school at 14, but I do not remember anything about how long she was at school before she sent Simon the letter with the code, to get her out. Also like I posted, it was vague as to how long Simon had to wait for the 'underground' to contact him, and then there should be some amount of time for the plan on how to get her was put together.
Just my take on the info I am aware of....could be wrong...where's Joss when ya need him?????

Chaplain of the 76th Independant Battalion

Do not bother dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

...it's worse than you know...Operative
...it usually is.....Mal