Jayne's military background?
POSTED BY: VTbrowncoat
UPDATED: Saturday, May 27, 2006 06:13
VIEWED: 5818
PAGE 2 of 2
I know this thread has kind of died off, but I stumbled upon it and have some info to add:
In the shooting script of The Message, the letter from Jayne's mother reads like this:
"Thank you for the credits you
forwarded, they have helped as Matty
is still sick with the Damplung. He
waves hello, and so does your father.
He is in good spirits and there was
layoffs but the foreman said no one
can weld like a Cobb so he has
employment still. I made you the
enclosed" --
(Jayne digs out the cunning hat)
-- " the enclosed to keep you warm on
your travels. Hope to hear from you
soon, love, mother."
From all I've read in the shooting scripts, the RPG, the SERENITY novel, etc., I get the impression that Jayne grew up on a border planet and/or on a ranch, sort of like Mal. He knows how to herd cattle and ride a horse, and he's got the "frontier" world way of speaking.
I've read in other threads the suggestion that he was abused - someone here mentioned growing up on the streets. I would guess the opposite - that he grew up in a tight conservative family in a rural area. His folks were strict, but you don't send credits home to and get a nifty knitted hat from a family that abuses you, or if you grew up on the streets.
We know Mal comes from Shadow, River and Simon are from Osiris, Zoe grew up on a spaceship, Inara is from Sihnon, and Wash is from Beaumonde. But I haven't found for certain where Jayne is from. If I had to guess, I'd say Boros/Ares, as this planet/moon combo feature both prairie ranchlands and a primary military shipyard (where maybe his family works?).
As to his military background, I can tell you that it's fairly easy for a person so inclined to pick up a lot of military-type experience without being in the military. My first husband was a lot like Jayne - even had a "Vera" (AK-47), lots of knives, weapons, etc. He was never in the military or law enforcement, but had lots of associates who were, and who taught him all manner of things, from explosives to hand-to-hand combat to swat team tactics.
Everyone has a "knack" at something - I think Jayne's just got a knack for combat.
He's also older than Mal and Zoe. I've seen FIREFLY timelines where he's estimated to be about 8 years older (and, of course, Adam Baldwin is older). If Zoe and Mal were in their 20s during the war, Jayne was already into his 30s, and probably already well down the path of thieving and such. I don't think he fought in the war on any side but his own.
~ Flame ~
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I see Jayne as having left home early to go make money to send home. Being not that bright, his best bet was always the general hunting and self-defense skills frontier brats learn young. He may have started off doing legal work, but I'm sure he soon learned he could make a lot more money working on the shady side of the law. I'd guess he knocked around a lot at first, taking contract jobs with bigger gangs and Tongs when he could - and when he couldn't, I'd bet the friends he made were able to give him the basics of B&E and grand theft--, er, shuttle. 
And he could learn all about military-style operations from the bigger gangs on the bigger jobs. I'd bet there's been more than one space station invaded military-style for more profit than the Serenity crew got.
___________________________________________
Hobbes: How come we play war and not peace?
Calvin: Too few role models.
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That's All.
