Why Serenity has no lasers
POSTED BY: GreenFaerie
UPDATED: Thursday, December 8, 2005 01:00
VIEWED: 6170
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Before you go "huh?", I just want to say that I have always liked the fact that Serenity has no giant laser guns, missiles, or any weapons attached to her hull.
Realistically, Ithink the reason for this is to avoid getting into trouble with the Alliance and their pesky laws.
But philosophically, I like to think it's because if you use guns, you're asking for trouble.
If Serenity had guns on her, I'd be surprised, and maybe a little disappointed. But I'm not sure why that is. It's OK for Mal, Zoe and Jayne to use guns. Why not Serenity?
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Its like real life, you can own small arms but you can't mount a 5" gun on your boat, without getting in trouble.
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Maybe I wasn't clear. I'm not asking for the practical reasons. That much I have already guessed. I'd like to know why it would "feel" wrong.
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Well, since Serenity is a cargo hauler, she has no real need for weaponry. I imagine that Mal can't afford ship weaponry since it is all they can do to keep her flying & keep food on the table. I also believe that such weaponry would be near impossible to locate. There is also the problem of all the Alliance attention it would draw which is exactly what Mal seeks to avoid. There are certainly very stiff penalties for non-Alliance ships sporting weaponry, especially one captained by a former Independent.
I too would not look at Serenity the same way if she was sporting guns. She just wouldn't feel right, if you get my meaning.
No sense fooling w/ perfection anyway, right? 
__________________________________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
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Maybe it would feel wrong for Serenity to have guns is because she's the crew's home. A kind of haven. It wouldn't feel right if she could blow stuff up. It's a direct conflict with her name, and her purpose. You can't be "serenity" if you're capable of violence...
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Seems to me that the crew could have jury-rigged some sort of self defense mechanism. Between Kaylees' inginuity and Zoe's expertise in weaponry ( along w/ Jayne's pure love of fire power ) they probably could have come up w/ somethin impressive.
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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I think that the main reason why Serenity does not have weapons is because ship mounted weapons are expensive and not particularly effective.
"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam
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I agree GreenFaerie. Serenity is a home, not a battle station.
Stick a gun on her, and she just aint a home no more.
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
Remember, the ice caps aren't melting, the water is being liberated.
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And homes don't like the double post.
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Ships are built on the core planets, the routes between which are well patrolled by the alliance, therefore law-abiding citizens have no need for weaponry. Much the same conditions as where you use your pickup truck or suv.
When you take a vehicle out into the boonies, you may or may not need mounted weaponry. It would certainly cause attention from the authorities (when you return to the core), much like mounting a heavy machine gun on your pickup. Also, guns that could be fired from INSIDE the ship would be problematic to install, maintain and service, and how often can you foresee the need to go outside and sit behind a mounted gun? (Of course, when you know you're going to sail through a reaver armada is one of those times.)
The prudent course is to avoid confrontation whenever possible, or to outrun it, and Mal knows this.
To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks. --Robt. Heinlein
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