Firefly. Deleted Scene #2

Simon learns about the name of the ship

[@cameronsteele5120]

I understand cutting for time but "Once you've been in Serenity you never leave. You just learn to live there." is such a great line. It needed to be in there

[@kathleenrickard4293]

Simpatico

[@WilliamKing-hf8lc]

You can check in any time you want....

[@whatbringsmepeace]

Amen!

[@o-wolf]

It seems like a really silly line clumsily repurposed from Hotel California tbh.. I can see why they cut it

[@SanLong88]

"Once you've been in Serenity, you never leave" I don't think the writers knew how true that phrase would become.

[@cathipalmer8217]

I always believed that because Mal lost so many of those he was trying to care for throughout that battle, that that was why he bought himself that little world that he named after that battle, and so fiercely protected all those he brought into it.

[@Hiraghm]

Maybe he should name the ship "Firecreek"... *Johnny Cobb* : [ _to Whittier, who is reluctant to give him a gun_ ] Search for a place where there are no bruises and tie it up with a ribbon, and tell yourself that what's inside is the sum total of your life, and what I didn't see was the day a man decides not to face the world is the day he better step out of it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGjIqYZpga-hobs

[@timothyhines7845]

"Only the dead have seen the end of war. Those who have seen it and lived will forever know its sight."

[@kaylaConspriacy]

500 hundred years and they still haven't fixed that broken computer voice.

[@bdfunke]

I take comfort in that.

[@Madiba100]

Sounds like Prof Hawking's wife

[@jallenecs]

This is my favorite scene in the pilot. Not my favorite deleted scene, my favorite scene. Yes, there are flaws But it has character depth, emotional depth, and it illustrates Mal in a way that I didn't get from the pilot itself. I understand why they cut it, the pacing shift would have been weird, and there was not really anyplace else to put it. But damn! What a great scene!

[@SSIronHeart]

"What if he tells you to kill me?""i kill you" no hesitation no regrets. Mal will arm you and let you fight. But zoe.. one word and your gone.

[@Skye_Writer]

Explains a lot about Mal's attitude in the first/pilot episode. Fox wanted a "more jolly" captain according to Joss Whedon, so he had to make some changes to Mal. What Zoe says here about Mal leaving trust, mercy, & forgiveness behind in Serenity Valley does not fit with the Malcolm Reynolds we came to know and love later in the show, so I can see why it was cut. But I agree this shows how it affected Zoe, too, & really helps explain why she is SO loyal to Mal. Should have been used somewhere.

[@SpSot]

If Mal was as exactly Whedon wanted, he would be a sociopath with severe unaddressed PTSD issues and we currently got plenty of sociopaths these days in public view traumatizing everyone. And I am not sure how the viewers would like him and instead of it being talked as a series that was never given a fair chance to flourish, it could have been forgotten or maybe liked by those obsessed with the "bad boys" of a story.

[@dustinshadle732]

there was a cut scene of mal trusting in his cross, religion. thats where his belief in a higher power died as well. my father came back from vietnam the same way. sometimes fox holes create the athiest

[@GamerNxUSN]

It's also his story of reclaiming those things.

[@jimbintz206]

This backstory most fans would not know illustrates Mal's original character. If not for the network's meddling, Mal would have been harder, more bitter, more of a graphic novel antihero.

[@Jshaw71]

I think what Fox lacked wasn't the psylogical profile of Mal, but the historical profile of Mal...

[@honeyberry2000]

Wow.., amazing scene. I see why it was cut but I wish it wasn't. I like the details. It makes Mal make more sense and Zoe's devotion to him as well. You don't just follow war buddies unless you have a bond that is unique to the two of you. Also Serenity...Now I get it.

[@andrewhazlewood4569]

This scene - wow. I've been a fan for many years and only just saw it. The quality of the material left on the cutting room floor is far greater than the best scenes in many shows.

[@Crlarl]

This is the perfect example of why "show, don't tell" is important.

[@KS-xk2so]

I'd agree.... but there are some gems in this scene I wish they'd used elsewhere. Especially that "you just learn to live there." line.

[@JonesLetLoose]

"What if he tells you to kill me?" - "I'll kill you." That says a lot about the relationship between Mal and Zoe. I kinda like it.

[@ValentineMichaelSmit]

Without hesitation - before he even finishes the question. Yes. Yes it does.

[@ltmundy1164]

Toffie: How do you properly describe shared PTSD? Zoe/Mal didn't often wrestle with their demons. Think they learned to snuggle with them.

[@50srefugee]

But for all that, Mal would still not give the order if he had any other choice. Zoe is more than a weapon to Mal, so very much more, but she is indeed a weapon he will not hesitate to use, comes the time.

[@StormsandSaugeye]

"Once you've been in Serenity you never leave. You just learn to live there" resonates with me. Especially after my own time in the Military

[@jamesbaxter5081]

My god just switch Serenity with war, and that sums up life after combat, you cant really get over how it truly hearts you, you just except it and try to put up a good front for longer, and longer but you never truly forget.

[@jacksoncutts3319]

Don't see why that was cut. Gives more depth to mal and Zoe doesn't get enough screen time anyway.

[@thepablorz]

I would speculate that there were two reasons: first, because it's unnecessary exposition, making the mystery a little more concrete than it has to be, and second, maybe they felt it was a little too much? Especially spelling out the personalities, its not the shows style. Anyways, I'm writing this in response to a 5 year old comment, so I'm not really expecting a reply, more of just joining the conversation since a few people have been commenting about it...

[@johnsmith4589]

@@thepablorz ...or at the time, that made sense. Now, the show has become something “more?”, maybe? This scene would work just fine, now...

[@arntunateBrusselsSprout54]

I still can’t believe so many people have never heard of this show. Definitely one of the best sci-fi series I’ve ever watched…bar none.

[@HordrissTheConfuser]

Great writing, great acting, but there's a very good reason this was cut, besides timing. It lays too much out too soon. Finding out about the war through snippets of dialogue makes for a much more engaging series than scenes which only exist for exposition.

[@galendulac]

This should definitely have stayed in.

[@bjlewis5431]

This scene, and the personal truths it reveals, along with all the facts needed to truly understand them, their mindset, Serenity...and the true meaning behind the name of the ship, and its impact on their lives and choices.. This scene should never have been cut, not only does it better reveal aspects of Zoe's character, but also a real sense of her loyalty to Mal...makes it real, beyond just a convinient plot point of the story. This single scene did FAR more to make their war, and the impact of it all... just surviving it & continuing on to 'just learning to live there' SO much more real for me than any other part that was shown. Even across all the war fight scenes, from their 'goin' duck hunting' in serenity & shooting down the skiff, to Zoe keeping Tracy from getting shot while eating beans & the subsequent enemy advance... None of these ' actual war scenes' gave me anywhere near the real feels, or the sense of their truly having lived it, and of learning the truth about them, and their lives...and its subsequent development of their characters, than this superb single scene did...it truly summed up SO MUCH, and all re-told to us from someone who was actually there...it doesn't get any more real than that. This scene was far more real 'WAR' than any of the others depicted even came close to...and it could, and probably should've, replaced them all.

[@LeoAutodidact]

"Official" version vs. 'What we who were there saw, with our own eyes,' I know which I figgur t' be closer to the truth. It's usually easier for the powerful to deal with the survivors if there aren't too many of them! Mal and Zoey are 'inconvienient' reminders of past policy failures.

[@kurumais]

that might be my favorite scene in the whole show

[@j.griffin]

BOTH Sides left BOTH sides...

[@ReaverLordTonus]

Notice at the end it dropped the name of the Alliance General who won the battle? First time I saw this scene I actually suspected for a moment that Shepard Book was that General. When he told Simon to check out the name, he already new the history behind it, because he was there. This origin would have fit perfectly with all the mystery surrounding Book's character. Zoe's description of the carnage would be the reason Book became a Shepard, he sought Penance for what he had done. When the alliance scans his ID card and suddenly he gets special treatment when moments before they would have let him die, they probably saw that he was an alliance citizen, former high ranking officer, and a decorated War hero.

[@adajanetta1]

Ask at your local comic book store for The Shepherd's Tale. It is Book's backstory. You are wrong, but not entirely.

[@martinacosta3821]

Firefly is so goddamn good that you have to watch at least once a year every year

[@bradleylovej]

These are the facts

[@bluebeard6189]

I've watched this entire series at least a hundred times. If I figured it's the greatest program to ever been on television

[@heywoodyablowme845]

This was actually a great scene.

[@purplespeckledappleeater8738]

How did this scene get cut? Wow! That was powerful. The feels...

[@bdletoast09]

Because of studio interference. This scene is closer to Whedon's vision of the series' tone and Mal as a character, but the Fox wanted the series to be more upbeat so they toned down the darkness of the character.

[@hellstrike5366]

I cannot believe this scene ended up on the cutting room floor!

[@timengineman2nd714]

BTW: the "pistol" she carries is known as a "Mare's Leg" (Made popular for awhile by Steve McQueen's TV show called: "Wanted: Dead Or Alive"

[@alysiamerdavid-wasser9165]

DAMN! 😮 This explains the film DVD commentary where Joss notes: "And Mal kills another unarmed man." (3x total.) That has been an itch i couldn't scratch every other day for 2 yrs! (Yes, i'm addicted to the film.)

[@patrickmccormack7891]

So, I've given a serious think to the talked about reboot. Serenity's crew is to be depicted as cartoon characters and voiced over? Really! Nah...will not do. That may appease some folk, but will cause yearning for our Firefly family. Zoe is a woman warrior and I'd feel differently if she's made lines on a screen. How much respect do we give toons? Don't get me wrong, the story should continue. Growing old is part of that story. No sensible reasons to skirt the aging process. Am hoping you feel the same. Resonating between my ears is, "No power in the verse can stop me."

[@JasonAguirre]

I am 100% good with the older actors coming back. What these studios don't understand is that we don't need 20-something eye-candy; we need compelling story and deep relationships with history. I haven't dug into the comics too hard but I like the idea of Mal as a planet side sheriff.

[@Hiraghm]

Nowadays, we have the technology to deepfake everybody. You could have the entire crew as it was then, looking like they did then. "Serenity - made with Unreal Engine 5"

[@philp1398]

I always liked this scene. They never should have taken it out. It explains her loyalty to Mal

[@whatbringsmepeace]

So glad I saw this. Great character building and world building.

[@jvc110u]

I love this scene it's so powerful.

[@jeramahia123]

They all hated Simon at this point. That's why they cut it out.

[@BlazingOwnager]

Damn, never saw this scene but it fills in some major character moments. Thanks for uploading it, 13 years ago..

[@OmDzable]

This should have been kept in. Great scene and very educational xD

[@tellege08]

Siri is that you? an Ai that lasted into the future? A spot in Firefly? Cool!

[@SpSot]

Or Firefly predicted Siri?🤔

[@dunringill1747]

Such a powerful scene.

[@ComradeBucket]

I find it hard to believe that someone as smart as Simon wouldn't have known about the battle. It seems like it was one of the most important parts of the war, and it had only happened pretty recently. Even if Simon's not into his history, you'd think he would have known about that at least. I'm glad they cut it.

[@shanemcnelis7711]

While Mal and Zoe were fighting in the war, Simon was studying in whatever medical academy he attended to become a doctor. Knowledge has nothing to do with being smart. The dumbest person in the world can know something that the smartest person in the world doesn't.

[@419chris419]

Smart but not entirely aware of the indoctrination that was put on the citizens who weren't brown coats.

[@BewareTheCarpenter]

Simon should have known, but keep Zoe's speech in.

[@KD--sj8eo]

Simon does seem a bit more rounded than a typical doctor.

[@Fredministrator]

All those deleted scenes would have been great for flashbacks in later episodes.

[@reverendmothercheryl2276]

This scene should have been left in. Anyone who suffers from PTSD, for whatever reason,

[@Hiperruimteindustriee]

This is what taught me how bad war truly is, not some person talking in third person about war, not some unknown refugee on the news (though now I see the tragedy there too), but a character I know, at least enough to emphasize with, telling about how her friends died, in gruesome war.

[@pirobot668beta]

I am so glad they cut this scene. Mal is not an expositional sort of character; they show enough about the battle in snippets to nail down the event and what it did to Zoe and Mal. Still, her final line should have found a way...

[@MegaAstrodude]

@2:38, This reminds me of hearing about how my father showed a movie in his math class once during the last day of school about the Battle of Gettysburg and the students didn't even know what the Civil War was! They actually asked why some soldiers wore blue uniforms and others wore gray and why they were fighting. How could you not about know that a battle of this scale? Even in the future, people don't know their history. I hope they finally learn how to add fractions.

[@adajanetta1]

Add to that. The Pilot was set about six years after the end of the War. And the War ended in Serenity Valley. Six years. And a brilliant well educated man like Simon is unaware of the battle.

[@corberus3119]

@@adajanetta1 the alliance is very controlling of information especially about the war

[@Hiraghm]

This should never have been cut.

[@dajosee]

That was AMAZING

[@wotmate]

I know we'll never get any more episodes, but I would love to see a directors cut off firefly and serenity.

[@duskyevenings884]

I can't believe those last lines weren't fit in somehow...powerful stuff...

[@johnmacleod9507]

These were good writer's and somehow it is not realistic that a veteran would talk like that to someone they just met, I think they knew that. The more interesting aspect is the sheer devastation of the battle 500,000 dead probably twice that wounded, fewer for the Independents, a 1/3rd Alliance given the firepower advantage that is not unrealistic at all. The scope of the war now becomes Verdun or the Somme not Gettysburg. I am not sure how this could have worked in well, but the background it gives is simply amazing. It might have worked better as an introductory to an episode.

[@duskyevenings884]

@@johnmacleod9507 Great point about her saying all that to Simon. Might have worked as a bed(room) conversation with Wash?

[@DutchKC9UOD]

Great scene

[@djVOME]

That was beautiful.

[@emilywilliams1170]

Simon: “Hey Siri”

[@abigails4088]

"once you've been in Serenity, you never leave... you just kind of learn to live there" as both a literal, and metaphorical statement... that statement hurts so much to really process. ---if you've ever survived a seriously traumatic event, that PTSD feeling... it's a very apt description if you supplant the ship with your trauma. ---if you've found "personal peace" and ever lost it... your mind can refuse to let go of that... I lost SERENITY in mid 2020 and like Mal I can't pull myself out of that place, empty now as it is...

[@michelewilla]

I like this scene a lot.

[@Tamashi88]

I think this was an awesome scene but, as said before me, too heavy for the first episode. And I think it wouldn't have worked later - unless another person did the looking - by the second episode it was too late for Simon, i think.

[@NoName-ym5zj]

It'd be awesome to get Firefly full cut or something, with all the deleted scenes put back in the show. Better than nothing since we can't get a continuation.

[@imkluu]

@MagDuke Agreed, Zoe's point of view is just as important. I really liked this scene.

[@Golgafrinchamdent]

Arghhh... so PISSED this was cancelled after one glorious season!

[@andrewrother3311]

That scene should not have been cut.

[@nancyhammons3594]

Sometimes I think the people who make films and series delete the wrong scenes. This seems to me to be important.

[@jumpinjax2]

You're welcome on this ship....god ain't.

[@angelahughes5783]

This should have been kept in for sure.

[@solomonkane223]

Another powerful scene that ended up on the cutting room floor...

[@kinsmed]

This changes everything I thought about Zoë. It really needed to be in.

[@Gryffilion]

"God? Whose flag is He flying?"

[@emmahodgson3782]

I wish so much they hadn't cut this scene.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Yeah ... once upon a time - I took this personality test for a Firefly web site - you answered a bunch of questions and the test matched you with which ever character it thought you were most like. It matched me with Zoe and I thought "I've got no problem with that.". .

[@DAYBROK3]

i have both the series and the movie. brown coat.

[@j.griffin]

@FireFan3 Considering that tangogoldenhorse that responded is from Canada, I'd say form your own opinions... Slavery is too often made out to be THE issue of the Civil War. The main problems for the South stemmed from concerns of "taxation without representation"- same as the Revolution. They felt isolated and under tyranny. Slavery became the issue that inflamed those concerns and brought on War. Like many, I am against slavery... but also tyranny. "History is programmed by the winners".

[@snbforever]

That swallow 💀

[@thinkpadBentnoseTheBlind]

Damn near shed a tear . Why the flying frak would they delete that scene. that could have been a whole episode really with flash backs.

[@Sensual_Tortoise]

This should've stayed in. It would've made kaylee's "he prayed over me once" line and mal's punch make more much sense and this is killer backstory

[@FireflyFanatic3]

@tangogoldenhorse (cont.) it's the winning sides that decide that and they write history. These people aren't really any different from anyone else. They're real people living difficult lives on the edge, trying to survive, and the government is trying to rope them in and make them follow their rules, when all they want is to be free and to live their own lives. I'm not saying they were right or wrong ... just that everything we learn is biased because history is written by the winners

[@rurallife2514]

That shouldn't have been cut. Maybe Joss was saving it for a later episode, to better flesh out key characters after we knew them a bit? Otherwise, I'd have cut out most any lines spoken in Chinese to make room. The reference to "get Kaylee through this" makes me think it was from the episode Serenity. If so, cutting Shepard Book's conversation with the other pilot would have been a good choice. It's not a bad scene, but meaningless to the plot.

[@kranktank]

@chukmaty ''" it would be lame, like Twilight."

[@zippadeedooday]

Wow.

[@kranktank]

@chukmaty Mostly I only take issue here with Zoe suddenly becoming overly forthcoming on her history, and with a stranger. Simon's pocket tablet pc with access to textbook-like history records, well, we sort of have that already now. Having the information read aloud by the computer voice while Simon splashes around in his sink is awkward though.

[@cathipalmer8217]

Maybe she was just acting to prevent an issue between Mal and Simon. Maybe she already saw it coming that Mal would invite Simon and River into his tiny 'verse and was trying to smooth the passage.

[@x.davidwilliams83]

Huzzah

[@wishta7]

How have I never seen this? Why was it removed? For time? BS! Wow!

[@timengineman2nd714]

Shepard Book is to Firefly what Friar Tuck is to Robin Hood and the Merry Men...

[@brucekaraus7330]

THIS was deleted? Why in the name of all that is right would this be a deleted scene? It was awesome.

[@noxluxe8674]

Meh, I can see why this was cut. Way too much exposition. Still, it's pretty important information pertaining to the main character's background, and it'd have been cool for the series to introduce it in a more organic way further down the line.

[@sethaldarith6778]

Where are these scenes located? Are they on a DVD or Blu-Ray release?

[@retepyam5858]

This is the first time I have seen this 25/07/2019 and hells teeth this is powerful really powerful. Wish it had been kept in. But then again wish we had 9 seasons one for each main character.

[@ltmundy1164]

Too revealing. Too early. Too dark. Too soon.

[@retepyam5858]

@@ltmundy1164 Too true, probably thought they would have the 9 seasons I wished they had and was revealed at some point later. Still the best show in the Goram Verse.

[@ltmundy1164]

@@retepyam5858: Ain't. It. Just.

[@heatherjohnston6383]

@@ltmundy1164 So what you're saying is that it would have fit in perfectly with the pilot?

[@ltmundy1164]

@@heatherjohnston6383: See original post. Maybe later. But. Not just yet. Episode had enough ground to cover as the pilot/introduction to the series. This is baggage that doesn't require refrigeration: Cold enough to last without spoiling. Simon is still trying figure out the dynamics of Serenity's entire crew, much less seeking to understand Malcolm's personal mindset.

[@possibly_a_retard]

Good choice for cutting. In the end, I enjoyed piecing this all together rather than getting a lame info dump in the first episode.

[@eeJOKERee]

yup fully agreed with you mate

[@Bropann]

First episode? This was in the movie, not an episode. That means that anyone who was a fan already could have already 'pieced it together'. But if someone was not already a fan but went to see the movie they would have an understanding that only this scene could give them. Was it just a bit lame? Yes. And for the reason you gave - it was an info dump. Gut not out of place in the movie. Only out of place if it had indeed been in the first episode on TV.

[@bryceagnew4509]

Why was this ever cut???

[@j.griffin]

I suppose if Joss had known back then how things were going to turn out, he would have tried harder to keep this scene in. Just my opinion,of course.

[@Selana]

why did they cut this?

[@BadWolf739]

Where is this suppose to be in the first episode?

[@paulbeauregard1598]

always remove the best parts of any show is on the cutting room floor sigh

[@maobolongaita]

@kaylaConspriacy Its GLaDoS. Thats why the Alliance is so passive aggressive and homicidal.

[@RonanMacQuarrie]

Is that GLADoS?

[@jallenecs]

and did I mention, Zoe is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. When she's standing in front of the door, at 4:20 ... wow. Just wow; you can't take your eyes off her. I'm a straight chick and I still think she's just stunning.

[@JamesVermont]

It makes sense that they cut this scene. It spells out what happened in Serenity a little too clearly. There's a rule in screenwriting called "show don't tell" and by that rule this scene was probably cut. Throughout the season we're shown and given smaller glimpses of the people Mal and Zoe became because of the battle of Serenity as opposed to having an admittedly well written and interesting scene tell it to us. Great scene, but glad it was cut.

[@thatguyinelnorte]

Should never havevdeleted that scene.

[@BadWolf739]

It's good but it's too long for something that could be inferred by the watchers.

[@BlueEyedCubTN]

Sometimes the words need to be said. Hearing this from Zoe instead of Mal is the best choice. As a student of history myself, this cut scene fills in holes in the overall story. This was too important to be cut.

[@quitequiet5281]

Sigh...

[@j.griffin]

@FireFan "Divide and Conquer" is a central concept in social engineering. "Politically correct" is neither political nor correct. In more aggressive settings,it has been referred to as "The Party Line". Back to your statements,I agree- after the U.S. Civil War, most everybody had it rough,also. Mostly,slaves were not much better off because prejudice and circumstance remained largely unchanged in spite of "Emancipation". Suddenly, they had to fend for themselves unprepared. Hard times.

[@fernandochavez4312]

Yeah, well I live in Oakland. East side. And I sure as shit ain’t gonna name my ship that when I make it out.😁

[@gravity031]

I would have rather had found out about Serenity Valley from scenes like this than the silly battle sequence at the beginning of the pilot episode. Aside from the awful 1990s computer generated voice from the encyclopedia, I thought this sequence was superb and wish that it had been included in the original.

[@lansean9]

I wonder if this was TOO MUCH of a great scene, gave too much away. JK Rowling rewrote Harry Potter 12 times because in each version she kept giving away too much of the plot in the first book.