Out of Gas (25 Oct. 2002)

When Serenity's life support system fails, Mal orders the crew off the ship - but he stays behind.

Director:

David Solomon

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator), Tim Minear

Stars:

Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Nathan Fillion	...	Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds
Gina Torres	...	Zoë Washburne
Alan Tudyk	...	Hoban 'Wash' Washburne
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara Serra
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne Cobb
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee Frye
Sean Maher	...	Dr. Simon Tam
Summer Glau	...	River Tam
Ron Glass	...	Shepherd Book
Steven Flynn	...	Captain
Ilia Volok	...	Marco
Lyle Kanouse	...	Salesman
Dax Griffin	...	Bester
Roderick McCarthy	...	Lacey #1 (as Roderick L. McCarthy)

Storyline

On Simon's birthday, Serenity's engine stops turning and an explosion knocks out auxiliary life support, severely wounding Zoe. With few options, Mal orders the rest of the crew off the ship, but he stays behind hoping for a miracle. The story is told in multiple time frames shifting from Mal's time alone on the ship to the events prior to the crew's departure. Flashbacks to Mal's initial meetings with many of his crew members are also a part of the narrative, showing how and why Mal and Zoe decided to buy the old Firefly-class ship, as well as revealing it wasn't love-at-first-sight for Zoe and Wash when he was hired as the Serenity's pilot, as well as how Inara charmed her way into letting Mal rent out one of the Serenity's shuttles for herself, how Mal met the mechanic/engineer Kaylee in a compromising position, and how the crew met Jayne who was an tough, but dumb, interplanetary bandit.

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Plot Keywords:

life support | flashback | birthday | oxygen | husband wife relationship | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Previously, Kaylee had been complaining about the "crappy compression coil." It was the compression coil finally blowing that crippled Serenity.

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Goofs

Kaylee has just put Simon's birthday cake down on the table when the explosion happens, but in many subsequent shots of both the table and the floor in the dining room, the cake is nowhere to be seen.

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Quotes

Mal: You got much experience with a vessel like this?
Kaylee: I never even been up in one before.
Mal: Wanna?

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Connections

Referenced in Firefly: Ariel (2002)

User Reviews

Out of Gas

I am not usually a fan of flashback episodes. My initial reaction is traditionally a roll of the eyes and get out my crafts. But not this one. I say it has to do with AMAZING EDITING!!! It truly is the best flashback episode I've ever seen and is my favorite Firefly episode. After reading a previous comment, I have to say that I agree. It would have been an amazing final episode. I highly recommend that anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi show catch this one on DVD or reruns. Then watch Serenity. We've gotten several people addicted to the series after the fact and all of them are disappointed that it was canceled so early on. I keep my fingers crossed that it will come back. The chemistry of the cast from the get go is enjoyable.