Serenity Monologues

The crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture telepath River.

Way I remember it, albatross was a ship's good luck, 'til some idiot killed it.

Yes, I've read a poem. Try not to faint.

Oh, God! I can't know that!

Ah Hell... I'm a fan of all seven. But right now... I'm gonna have to go with wrath.

But it ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flying is? Well, I suppose you do, since you already know what I'm about to say.

Love. You can learn all the math in the 'Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

We'll pass through it soon enough.

Doctor, I'm takin' your sister under my protection here. If anything happens to her, anything at all, I swear to you, I will get very choked up. Honestly, there could be tears.

This record here's about twelve years old. Parliament buried it and it stayed buried until River here dug it up. This is what they were afraid she knew. And they were right to fear. There's a universe of folk who're gonna know it, too. Someone *has to* speak for these people.

I don't murder children.

Why? Do you even know why they sent you?

So me and mine gotta lay down and die… so you can live in your better world?

This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then - explode.

I'll take the shuttle in closer. Zoe, ship is yours. Remember, if anything happens to me, or you don't hear from me within the hour... you take this ship and you come and you rescue me.

I mean it. It's cold out there. I don't wanna get left.

I know she meant to kill me 'fore the Doc put her to sleep, which how exactly does that work anyhow?

I've staked my crew's life on the theory that you're a person, actual and whole, and if I'm wrong, you'd best shoot me now…

Or we could talk more.

Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse… but you take a boat in the air that you don't love… she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down… tells you she's hurting before she keens. Makes her a home.

You had a gorram time bomb living with us! Who we gonna find in there when she wakes up? The girl? Or the weapon?

You knew he was gonna leave. We never been nothing but a way station to those two. And how the hell do you know what he feels? He's got River to worry on, but he still could've shown you. If I truly wanted someone bad enough, wouldn't be a thing in the 'verse that could stop me from going to her.

Come a day there won't be room for naughty men like us to slip about at all. This job goes south, there well may not be another. So here is us, on the raggedy edge. Don't push me, and I won't push you. Dong le ma?

I've never credited the Alliance with an overabundance of brains and if you're the best they've got...

I got no answers for you, Inara. I got no rudder. Wind blows northerly, I go north. That's who I am. Now, maybe that ain't a man to lead, but they have to follow. So you wanna tear me down... do it inside your own mind. I'm not trying to tear you down. But you fog things up. You always have. You spin me about. I wish like hell you was elsewhere.

This is how it is. Anybody doesn't wanna fly with me any more, this is your port of harbor. There's a lot of fine ways to die. I ain't waiting for the Alliance to choose mine.

I mean to confound these bungers. Take my shot at getting to Miranda. Maybe find something I can use to get clear of this. So I hear a word out of any of you that ain't helping me out or taking your leave, I will shoot you down. Get to work!

You all wanna be looking very intently at your own belly buttons. I see a head start to rise, violence is going to ensue. Probably guessed we mean to be thieving here but what we're after is not yours. So, let's have no undue fussing.

Zoë, get something to rope them together, five or six of them. I want them laid out on the nose of our ship.

Put Book front and center - he was our friend, we should honor him. Kaylee! Find that kid who's takin' a dirt nap with baby Jesus. We need a hood ornament.

Jayne! Try not to steal too much of their shit!