Expanding the refined timeline

POSTED BY: jewelstaitefan
UPDATED: Thursday, December 1, 2016 06:35
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CHARLIEBZ

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 7:55 PM

The May 2511 date for the Battle of Serenity leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Is this date the start or the end? Even if that was the end, I think it still supports your assertion of an August U-Day. As Asarian pointed out, Commander Harken stated that Serenity marked the beginning of the end. So, Serenity didn't necessarily have to be the last battle and the week (or was it 2?) Mal & Co. spent waiting in the Valley was a negotiation for the end of that particular, albeit significant, battle but not the war itself.

I'm curious about the change in episode order. I've heard about this but it doesn't quite make sense. Frankly, I cannot see how HoG could be before Trash & Message. Inara was leaving so why would she care about clients as she was in Trash? Why would she say she "might as well be part of the crew" if she was leaving? Also, Mal and Inara seem to be friendly in the Message which I have a hard time seeing after the emotional events of HoG.

Maybe it was just filming order?

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 7:25 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CharlieBZ:
The May 2511 date for the Battle of Serenity leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Is this date the start or the end? Even if that was the end, I think it still supports your assertion of an August U-Day. As Asarian pointed out, Commander Harken stated that Serenity marked the beginning of the end. So, Serenity didn't necessarily have to be the last battle and the week (or was it 2?) Mal & Co. spent waiting in the Valley was a negotiation for the end of that particular, albeit significant, battle but not the war itself.

I'm curious about the change in episode order. I've heard about this but it doesn't quite make sense. Frankly, I cannot see how HoG could be before Trash & Message. Inara was leaving so why would she care about clients as she was in Trash? Why would she say she "might as well be part of the crew" if she was leaving? Also, Mal and Inara seem to be friendly in the Message which I have a hard time seeing after the emotional events of HoG.

Maybe it was just filming order?

War Stories was filmed 16 Oct.
HoG was filmed 29-31 Oct.
OIS was filmed 12 Nov.
Trash was filmed 27 Nov.

War Stories aired 6 Dec.

Message was filmed 10, 12 Dec.

OiS aired 13 Dec.

Message had additional scenes filmed 16 Dec.
HoG had additional scenes filmed 16 Dec.

The refilming of HoG and Message scenes was to rearrange the sequence. But they were oringinally intended otherwise. HoG had many problems because Fox wanted Joss & Tim to avoid WESTERN themes, and HoG screamed western.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Monday, June 16, 2008 6:18 AM

There has been some recent comments indicating confusion regarding the original sequence of episodes, and the effect on the timeline from those.
I will attempt to clarify these.

The original sequence of Episodes, as filmed, ended with War Stories, then Heart of Gold, then Objects in Space, then Trash, then The Message.

SPACEANJL

Monday, June 16, 2008 11:17 AM

I've always thought that Jayne was already on the ship when Inara rented the shuttle, just from that OMR line, and the line in TJ about Inara being on the ship eight months...

Order that the crew came on board would be Mal, Zoe, Bester, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 7:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SpaceAnJL:
I've always thought that Jayne was already on the ship when Inara rented the shuttle, just from that OMR line, and the line in TJ about Inara being on the ship eight months...

Order that the crew came on board would be Mal, Zoe, Bester, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne.

I have not settled on one way or the other. Your post suggests Inara would be after Jayne, but she's not listed.
The timeline as posted suggests Inara's reported joining (or maybe just leaving Madrassa House, negotiating rental with Mal) is about the same time as Janye's "one year ago" reference, but her actual joining time is later.

Mention has been made about the sequence of flashbacks in OoG as being indicative of joing sequence. However, one glaring out of sequence scene is the purchase of Serenity. This is at the end. And it did not occur after all the crew came aboard.
Another thing to consider: Inara declares she will not be servicing the crew - who was she referring to? She was talking to Mal, she could have specified he would not be serviced by her. Wash has been married, was she referring to servicing him? Or Kaylee, Zoe? If Jayne was not yet aboard, who was she referring to? Maybe it was just a all-encompassing clause or addendum, but it seems she had a reason for stating so.

Anybody notice that Serenity as Mal first sees her seems to be missing at least one Shuttle. I have wondered how long it took to purchase a shuttle compatible with a Firefly. Likely Inara got the "newest" of the 2, and maybe Mal rented it as soon as he got this "spare" shuttle - otherwise it may have been rented before.

I also have not seen mention elsewhere about whether Mal and/or Zoe fought in any action after BoSV. I get the impression this was their last action, held in place or POW from that time until release, but no more fighting for them. Anybody heard anything contrary to this?

SPACEANJL

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 9:02 AM

Serenity OVC seems to indicate that after Serenity Valley, Mal and Zoe would have been held in a camp for a while. I think Zoe might have been released earlier than Mal (hence subsequent career as in 'Better Days'.) Mal was the highest ranking officer left - they probably kept him as an example.

And if Jayne was on Serenity, I can just imagine Inara's reaction to coming face to chest with that leering down at her...

I'm afraid I never really think of Inara as 'crew' - her being on Serenity has more of a feel of a chapter in her life, rather than a whole existence. She lives separately, works separately, and is not terribly happy with the dodgy nature of Mal's business. But that's another post.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Thursday, June 19, 2008 8:23 AM

I finally got caught up enough to check this and verify the May 2511 reference, but it does not state if it is start, end or other of BoSV. Unlikely that a 7 week battle would be referred to as a single month if is the month in the middle of the battle, so likely either the beginning or the end. I would assume the commencement of action.

Quote:
Originally posted by CharlieBZ:
The May 2511 date for the Battle of Serenity leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Is this date the start or the end? Even if that was the end, I think it still supports your assertion of an August U-Day. As Asarian pointed out, Commander Harken stated that Serenity marked the beginning of the end. So, Serenity didn't necessarily have to be the last battle and the week (or was it 2?) Mal & Co. spent waiting in the Valley was a negotiation for the end of that particular, albeit significant, battle but not the war itself.

Operative says BoSV lasted 7 weeks, the last 2 after the Independent High Command had given up. I think this end of the first 5 weeks is the scene we see in the beginning of Pilot Serenity. (because Zoe says command isn't sending air support - or do I understand that incorrectly?)
Harken says the end really started with the end of BoSV, indicating a delay between the end of 7 weeks and U-Day.
If BoSv started the end of May 2511, then lasted through June, and the first 2-3 weeks of July, this would place the beginning of Pilot Serenity at about first week of July. After end of 7 weeks of BoSV, another 2-4 weeks before cease of hostilities, or Unification Day.
The only conflict this creates is the extremely literal "6 years later" subscript from Pilot Serenity, spanning BoSV to 1st day of Pilot and boarding of the Tams. The "6 years later" becomes more precisely 6 years and about 5 weeks. This conflict is small enough to discard until other data comes up - in fact, I think the subscripts only start with "2511" without month reference anyhow - correct? I'll update the top post for this thread.
Anybody disagree or have other data?

p.s. Actually, Zoe already addresses the interim time in deleted scenes of Pilot with Simon - "look up bloodbath" - the soldiers were left on the battle field to die of wounds for weeks while the sides negotiated.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Friday, June 20, 2008 3:59 AM

Zoe states that they lay there dying, both sides, while the peace was negotiated - for a week.
Have to work on that.
Not great clarity on whether that was the peace of BoSV, or the peace of the end of the war, and if that would be the actual Unification day.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 9:24 AM

This timeline is based upon the rewritten and re-shot scenes in Pilot Serenity, as well as the Episode sequence stated by Joss and presented on the DVD set.
There is another timeline now, based upon the originally written Pilot and the original first scene (Battle of Serenity Valley), as well as the originally scripted and shot episode sequence. A link to that has been added to the first post of this thread.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Friday, February 20, 2009 9:57 AM

Updated dates for Jaynestown and Out of Gas, after consulting The Map of the Verse.

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