The Battle of Serenity Valley

POSTED BY: ManiacNumberOne
UPDATED: Sunday, February 1, 2004 21:11
VIEWED: 10931
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MANIACNUMBERONE

Thursday, October 23, 2003 5:06 PM

It irks me to think about the Browncoats losing the battle for Serenity Valley. I think and think, and the more I do, the more I realize that they shouldn't have lost that battle. They were winning!
(during the pilot) Mal had taken out a bad-ass ship with the big, mounted, enemy gun and gone back to cover. He gets the news from Zoe that their forces aren't coming in as planned and instead they are telling the troops to lay down arms. Why I ask? Too hot? I don't believe it. So there were some ships landing with more troops, that's not a big deal. Why didn't the Angels come in? Does anyone think that they may have been sold out by their own side.

-------------------------------------------
Inara: Who's winning?
Simon: I can't really tell, they don't seem to be playing by any civilized rules that I know.
-------------------------------------------

SARAHETC

Thursday, October 23, 2003 5:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ManiacNumberOne:
Does anyone think that they may have been sold out by their own side.

That's really interesting to think about. Zoe relays the message that command thinks it's too hot. What kind of information would they have that Mal and Zoe didn't have in the trenches?

After that, it cuts to shots of craft landing. Do you think those are the Angels, or more troop transports or are those the dignitaries, come to sign the treaty? I always thought they were the Angels--the first wave of surrender from the Browncoats, since we heard, or were meant to assume that they were on their way to the battle.

And to what extent do you suppose the war kept up after that? In Bushwhacked, Commander Harken says, "Independents suffered a pretty crushing defeat there. Some say that after Serenity the brown coats were through. That the
war ended in that valley." To me, that's always indicated that they treaty wasn't signed on Hera at Serenity Valley, but that the Browncoat higher ups quit trying and lower-echelon heroes like Mal and Zoe couldn't keep it up.

You come up with the best topics, Maniac.

I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

ZAPHODB

Thursday, October 23, 2003 5:56 PM

This is a scene from the original un-aired Serenity pilot. It doesn't clear up any questions, but it does offer a bit more information on the battle.

SIMON
Serenity.

Up comes the dictionary definition, and below that, SERENITY, BATTLE OF. He touches it and a paragraph forms with photos next to it.

SIMON (cont'd)
Read.

As the book reads, in a soft female voice, the images fill the page. Planets, banners, then images of battle and carnage, the aftermath of which we saw in the flashback.

ENCYCLOPEDIA
In the war to unite the planets, The
Battle Of Serenity was among the most
devastating and decisive. Located on
Hera, the valley was considered a key
position by both sides, and was
bitterly fought over.
The Independent Faction, with sixteen
brigades and twenty air-tank squads,
held the valley against Alliance
forces for almost two months, until
superior numbers and a brilliant deep-
flank strategy by General Richard
Wil --

ZOE
What does it say under 'bloodbath'?

Simon turns off the book, seeing Zoe in his doorway.

SIMON
I'm was just trying to --

ZOE
We're not in there. The book, I
mean. We're not generals or
diplomats, we didn't turn the tide of
glorious history or whatever that
thing is supposed to spew.

SIMON
You know what they say: History is
programmed by the winners.

ZOE
Nearly half a million people lay dead
on that field at day's end, about a
third of them 'winners'. Can you
imagine the smell? Can you imagine
piling up the bodies of soldiers --
of friends -- to build a wall 'cause
you got no cover? Blood just kept
pouring out of them, you'd slip in it
half the time, find out bloodbath is
not just a figure of speech.

SIMON
Mal was there with you.

She enters, sits across from him.

ZOE
He was my sergeant. In command of
thirty-odd grunts -- five days in,
there were so many officers dead he
commanded two thousand. Kept us
together, kept us fighting, kept us
sane. By the time the fighting was
over he had maybe four hundred still
intact.

SIMON
That's a hell of a --

ZOE
I said the fighting was over. But
you see they left us there. Wounded,
and sick, and near to mad as can
still walk and talk. Both sides left
us there while they 'negotiated the
peace'. For a week. And we just kept
dying. When they finally sent in
Medships, he had about a hundred and
fifty left, and of our original
platoon, just me.

She stands.

ZOE (cont'd)
Mercy, forgiveness, trust... Those
are things he left back there. What
he has now is the ship, the ship
and us on it. You get Kaylee through
this and I think he'll do right by
you. He won't kill unless he's got
no other option.

SIMON
What if he tells you to kill me?

ZOE
I kill you.

SIMON
(grim smile)
Just getting the lay of the land.

She starts to go.

SIMON (cont'd)
If that battle was so horrible, why'd
he name the ship after it?

She considers the question.

ZOE
Once you've been in Serenity, you
never leave. You just learn to live
there.

I think is scene is also one of the deleted ones that are going to be on the DVD set.

STILLSHINY

Thursday, October 23, 2003 6:09 PM

oh my freaking WOW, was never aware of this. Thanks for sharing. Put a lot of stuff in perspective. Gorram it I want my DVD's now!!!!

You think I look good now, wait till you see me in my new "Browncoat T-shirt"

ZAPHODB

Thursday, October 23, 2003 6:37 PM

Your welcome. A clip of the scene is (was) up at the official site. Actually you can check it out here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/firefly/spoilers.htm
It's under History Lesson.

BARNEYT

Thursday, October 23, 2003 7:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ManiacNumberOne:
It irks me to think about the Browncoats losing the battle for Serenity Valley. I think and think, and the more I do, the more I realize that they shouldn't have lost that battle. They were winning!
(during the pilot) Mal had taken out a bad-ass ship with the big, mounted, enemy gun and gone back to cover. He gets the news from Zoe that their forces aren't coming in as planned and instead they are telling the troops to lay down arms. Why I ask? Too hot? I don't believe it. So there were some ships landing with more troops, that's not a big deal. Why didn't the Angels come in? Does anyone think that they may have been sold out by their own side.

It would be a nice idea... but as Mal said, they were out-numbered and out-gunned. Mal's platoon may have been scoring some wins but the planet was being overwhelmed by Alliance ships. It was far more than just a few more troops being landed - those were gunships if I remember correctly, firing down onto the planet.

That deleted scene from the pilot sure adds more reasons for Mal's loss of faith after the war. I can see why it was taken out of the pilot (it explains a bit too much all at once), but it's a good scene.

---
"I think the right place to start is to say, fair is fair. This is who we are. These are our numbers." Mr Willis of Ohio - The West Wing

SENZO

Thursday, October 23, 2003 8:06 PM

Quote:
ENCYCLOPEDIA
In the war to unite the planets, The
Battle Of Serenity was among the most
devastating and decisive. Located on
Hera, the valley was considered a key
position by both sides, and was
bitterly fought over.
The Independent Faction, with sixteen
brigades and twenty air-tank squads,
held the valley against Alliance
forces for almost two months, until
superior numbers and a brilliant deep-
flank strategy by General Richard
Wil --

Richard Wil...kins???

This is why I love being a fan of Joss' work. Always little gems of coolness just for us.

--Senzo

Sheriff: “A man can get a job, he might not look to close at what that job is. But a man learns all the details of a situation like ours, well, then he has a choice.”
Mal: “I don't believe he does.”

ZAPHODB

Thursday, October 23, 2003 8:13 PM

Some fans have put forth the suggestion that the good Shepherd Book is actually General Richard Wil-. It's an interesting concept.

MANIACNUMBERONE

Friday, October 24, 2003 4:09 AM

I didn't think that the incoming ships were the Angels, Sarah. I presumed that they weren't coming at all. I wish I knew for how much longer the war persisted after that point. Does anybody know the firepower capability the Angels were supposed to have? Were they a match for the incoming ships that we see in the pilot.

STARRTAGG

Friday, October 24, 2003 6:23 AM

I do not think that the Independants were sold out. Think back on the Civil War and remember that the North finally defeated the South through numbers as well as through some lucky decisions. That is how some wars have been won. It is unfortunate, but that has been case in some circumstances. Of course I could be wrong.

Do you think I'm a complete back birth!

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