That ain't roses I'm smellin

POSTED BY: zzetta13
UPDATED: Sunday, May 7, 2006 12:56
VIEWED: 5720
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ZZETTA13

Thursday, May 4, 2006 3:17 AM

Ok here I go. Maybe some of the space experts here can clear "the air" a bit for me.

Alright, we're in deep space. On a Transport way out in the black. I know theres air flow and all but seems to me after a while, being bottled up, that the smells of "Serenity" ain't so sweet.

Theres one scene where Inaras taking a sponge bath, a sponge bath, sorry I got stuck on that part. But what of the rest of the crew. Its not like I'm seeing any big bathtubs or shower stalls. Hows the air stay fresh on that bitty boat? Engine grease, med lab smells, cooked food and thats not counting body odor, I have been in a gym b4 and Jayne works out on a regular basis.
And what about the cattle?

IMO, sponge baths by the entire crew just ain't gettin it. There has to be some sort of bathing or cleaning area on the boat somewhere I would think.

Anyone got ideas?

ZISKER

Thursday, May 4, 2006 3:18 AM

RPG book shows a shower

One day.
One plan.
One army of Browncoats.

On June 23rd, we aim to misbehave.
http://www.serenityday.org/

Little or no free time, but want to help?
Help Spread the Signal: http://www.geocities.com/browncoatsignalcorps

VINTERDRAKEN

Thursday, May 4, 2006 3:21 AM

They have a airrecycling system that is run by the engine and thats what keeps the air fresh, smelly on the other hand, might happen
And yes, there is a shower, check the RPG if youve got it.

You can’t stop the Signal.
Keep spreading the word about Firefly!

RMMC

Thursday, May 4, 2006 3:24 AM

I'd guess using dry chemical bath. on a ship, water would be at a premium. Inara is the only one on board who'd actually be able to afford the luxury of bathing with water while out in the black.

****
RMMC

PHOENIXROSE

Thursday, May 4, 2006 4:11 AM

Zoe does say that she "wouldn't mind a real bath" which tells me there aren't real baths (or showers) on the ship, no matter what an RPG book might say. They must have a way of bathing (sponge bathing would conserve a lot of water) because they're generally very clean with shiny hair, but showers would waste a lot of water. Remember Mal used only the minimun water needed when he washed his hands. Chemical bathing makes sense, but I bet there's sponge bathing as well, either every other day or right after a chemical bath, or the chemicals might start to eat away the tender flesh. I know my skin would go crazy if that's all it had. Nasty rashes.
As for keeping the air fresh, that's a good question. The air cycling system might have filters to clean out the smells, but it probably wouldn't smell like springtime on the ship regardless. You can get used to smells, though, if you're around them enough. I bet it mostly smells like metal, some sweat, that kind of thing. But certainly metallic and greasy and maybe dusty.

*************************************************
One summer.
One mission.
One legion of Browncoats.

Starting June 23rd, we aim to misbehave.

VINTERDRAKEN

Thursday, May 4, 2006 4:18 AM

Never said there were any real baths either. Just said there is a showerroom. Also, not sure wether they actually use water there, there are alternatives to it.

You can’t stop the Signal.
Keep spreading the word about Firefly!

ZZETTA13

Thursday, May 4, 2006 4:23 AM

RMMC, that is one of the things I thought about before posting. I mean the water thing. Seems like any ship considered a transport vessel would understand that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" as the saying goes. Even if God isn't allowed on the ship.

Water tanks the size they would have to be for everyones needs would be enormous. I would think that unless you made a rest stop on some moon every few days that H2O might get a little on the low side.

Chemical baths sounds very pliable.Water used only for cooking and medical applications. Course I never noticed but there could be a Glade plug-in in the dinning area or outside Jaynes bunk

Z

ROCKETJOCK

Thursday, May 4, 2006 4:40 AM

This is one of those areas where Joss made a decision for dramatic reasons that don't hold up too well scientifically. In space vacuum distilation would make recycling waste water cheap and easy, for one thing. For another, the human metabolism actually produces water, as a by-product of resperation--in a closed system, you'd end the journey with more H2O than you started with...

Let's assume, though, that whatever recycling system Serenity uses, it's a less than totally efficient lowest-bidder-contract model, probably aging and leaky. Shower facilities would be communal, probably in the sick bay, with usage limited to avoid strain on the recyclers. For day to day, you get by with sponge baths. And when you do take a shower, it's a "Navy Shower" (Wet down, turn water off, soap up, wash soap off--two minutes of actual water flow, three max. Ghod, I hated water hours aboard ship...)

Boy, they probably look forward to planetfalls, where the ship gets hooked up to external water, and everybody can finally sluce off. Inara especially probably can't wait for a nice, long soaking hot shower, with scented soaps, and conditioning oils...

I'll be in my bunk...

"Water, water everywhere, so let's all have a drink!" -- Homer J. Simpson

NUCLEARDAY

Thursday, May 4, 2006 11:03 AM

Sounds like the whole "chemical bath" thing makes the most sense to me with what I remember from the series. Not that there's a whole ton of info to go on there, of course :)

Obviously, it's treacherous trying to read too much into the science behind Firefly, but that seems to make sense. We get the idea that water must be pretty scarce for some reason or another on board the ship. Sure, Inara gets her sponge baths, but... well, there's a pretty compelling reason for why Inara gets to have a sponge bath on occasion

Far as the potential smell onboard goes... I bet it might get a tad 'heady' on Serenity. I'm sure the cockpit chairs have built up quite a bit of 'character' by now, for example. You can see some of crew at times tidying up and such, I'm sure you learn pretty quickly on Serenity that anything not stowed away gets broke real quick. but I don't recall any scenes of Inara bustling through with a vacuum cleaner, either :)

Anyways, my two (and a half) credits.

________________________________________________
You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. (Or if Kaylee asks me nicely...)

GEEKUSA

Thursday, May 4, 2006 11:12 AM

There is a shower/bathroom located across from the infirmary. You see Book leaving it in Objects in Space, I believe, with his arms laden with toiletries including towel. Whether they actually have a real shower/bath or if it's a chemical one is up to speculation, but it's present. Considering that Mal uses the sink in Serenity the pilot, I think it might be more like the Navy showers. Unless either the mysterious door on the bridge or the forward corridor leads to another bathroom, the passenger dorm one is probably a communal shower.

...course, that's just my general speculation.

"Knew it...probably...saw them cops...and...turned...tail..."

"Can't...sentence...properly."

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