Malcolm Reynolds
Encyclopedia
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character
and main protagonist
in the Firefly franchise
. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion
in the 2002 TV series Firefly
and the 2005 film Serenity
. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity
. The character was named #18 in TV Guide
"Greatest Sci-fi legends" list in 2004.
, the character Malcolm Reynolds was the only definite character he had in mind when formulating the ensemble cast. He wanted a hero, but not a hero in the classic sense; someone that is "everything that a hero is not."
In the proposed pilot, Mal was much darker and considerably more closed-off. Fox network executives objected, and asked that Mal be "lightened up". For the second episode ("The Train Job
"), Whedon created a more "jolly" Mal Reynolds.
(who played Xander Harris); however, the shooting schedule conflicted with his commitment to Buffy.
Whedon approached Nathan Fillion to play the lead, and after explaining the premise and showing Fillion the treatment for the pilot, Fillion was eager for the role. Fillion was called back several times to read for the part before he was cast. He noted that "It was really thrilling. It was my first lead and I was pretty nervous, but I really wanted that part and I wanted to tell those stories."
Taurus Model 85
revolver. Erikson researched American Civil War
-era revolvers for inspiration and the final mockup had a brass or bronze look, with the revolver a little elongated. The biggest challenge was masking the shape of the original revolver and still keeping it operable.
On the TV series Firefly, a cast bronze
pistol was used, but for the film Serenity, a more detailed replica was created which had moving action
and a blank pistol hidden inside, so that it could be fired in close-up
s. Since this version was quite heavy, a resin
replica was also constructed, which in addition to being less tiring for the actors to carry, could be thrown or dropped with less fear of injury. Nonfunctional replicas of the gun are commercially available for fans
and collectors
.
GBB Custom Gunleather was tasked with creating Mal's gun holster, which was made out of oak-tanned carving leather. The character's coat, a relic of his time as a Browncoat
, was a collaboration between Firefly costume designer Shawna Trpcic
and Jonathan A. Logan, a leather artist. Trpcic sketched her idea and a cloth mockup was created before the final was made with domestic-farmed deerskin. The cuffs are actually the sleeves folded back, evoking the style of Oriental robes with their silk linings. Two coats were made for the character, one called "Number 1" coat and another called "The Hero" coat. The Number 1 coat's bullet hole is drawn in, while The Hero version has a detailed cut and sewn repair. As with the gun, replicas of Malcolm Reynolds' coat have also been made available commercially for fans.
Screens from Serenity suggest that Mal was born on September 20, 2468–which would make him 49 at the time of the series Firefly–though this may be a transposition
of 2486 (making him 31, an age more consistent with his appearance), since the information screen also misspells his name as "Malcom". Mal was raised by his mother and "about 40 hands" on a ranch on the planet Shadow. Though Mal usually seems more practical than intellectual, he occasionally surprises his friends by displaying familiarity with disparate literature varying from the works of Xiang Yu
(a fictional psychotic dictator) to poems
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, though he has no idea "who" Mona Lisa
is.
Mal volunteered for the Independents army during the Unification War against the Alliance
, gaining the rank of sergeant during that time. His loyal second-in-command Zoe was by his side for most of the war, surviving many dangerous conflicts with him. The show mentions three such battles, including the Battle of Du-Khang in 2510 (featured in "The Message") and a long winter campaign in New Kashmir (as told by Zoe in "War Stories") where he commanded a platoon. Mal was also involved in the ground campaign during the Battle of Sturges (as seen in the comic book Serenity: Those Left Behind
), which according to Badger was the "bloodiest and shortest battle in all the war", although Mal considers it a distant second. Mal fought in many more battles, but the turning point for him and the Independents came with their physical and emotional defeat at the Battle of Serenity Valley on the planet Hera. On-screen information from the film Serenity
suggests that Mal was given a brevet promotion
to Captain during the Battle of Serenity Valley to take command of the ever-increasing number of Independent troops who were losing their officers at the hands of the Alliance. This might explain why, in one of the deleted scenes from the Firefly pilot
, Mal is described as having commanded at least 2000 men. On-screen information in Serenity shows him to have been attached to the 57th Overlanders Brigade; in the series pilot, Badger calls it the "Balls and Bayonets Brigade", though it is unclear whether that was a disparaging nickname coined by Badger himself or the actual unit sobriquet
, a deleted scene in Serenity marks it as the actual unit sobriquet. It is unknown if the deleted scene can be considered canon or not.
After the war, Mal acquired his own ship, a derelict 03-K64 Firefly-class transport. Mal named the ship Serenity after the Battle of Serenity Valley, the decisive battle of the Unification War.
, Mal comes to learn more of the Alliance's dark secrets, which rekindles his fighting spirit and causes him to once again take up the fight against the oppressive regime. Mal expresses his newfound resolve during his speech near the final act of the film Serenity
: "They [the Alliance] will swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave." His anti-government attitude is reflected in his choice to live on a spaceship, drifting from world to world, as far away from Alliance interference as possible.
In the DVD commentary, Fillion reveals that Reynolds' ultimate motivation is simply to 'Continue. That's all, just...continue'.
Mal generally retains a close relationship with his entire crew, regardless of how much he might try to distance them from him or argue with them; when Simon Tam once asked Mal why he came back to save him from being burned alive by angry villagers, he simply replied, "You're on my crew." When pressed again, with Simon citing the ease with which they could have simply been abandoned and the problems caused by their presence, Mal reiterated, "You're on my crew. Why are we still talking about this?" Mal expressed a similar sentiment when he confronted Jayne over his betrayal of Simon and River, saying "You turn on any of my crew, you turn on me!"
The character was named #18 in TV Guide
' s "Greatest Sci-fi legends" list in 2004. In 2008, Empire ranked Mal as #51 on their list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters. In 2011 SFX Magzine voted Mal Reynolds #1 on their Top 100 Sci-Fi icons of the century.
In the New York Times review of the movie Serenity, Manohla Dargis
had this to say about the character and Nathan Fillion: "Mal is no Neo redux; he's closer to Indiana Jones
, if absent Harrison Ford
's rakishly handsome looks and star magnetism. Like the rest of the cast, Mr. Fillion is a charming performer, but he borrows rather than owns the screen, which dovetails with Mr. Whedon's modest aspirations for this film."
In the video game Halo 3
a soldier is named "Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds" in a nod to Malcolm Reynolds, and was also voiced by Fillion. Also he voiced the Helljumper named Buck in the video game Halo 3: ODST, after Bungie decided to include his face as a soldier.
In Fillion's new series Castle
where Fillion plays crime writer Richard Castle
, there are numerous fan Easter Eggs
and references to Firefly and Malcolm Reynolds hidden around Richard Castle's office. In the second season Halloween episode, Castle dressed in full Mal Reynolds garb as a costume; in a further metafictional reference, Alexis Castle - the daughter of Fillion's character - comments that he wore the outfit five years ago (The real-world time that had elapsed between the release of "Serenity" and this episode airing). Also, when he and Beckett visit a warehouse with Cantonese-speaking workers, Castle speaks Cantonese to the workers, telling them his partner was crazy and would start shooting, prompting them to quickly reveal the location of a drug lord and run away. When Beckett asks him how he knows Cantonese, he responds "TV show I used to love", referencing Firefly, other hints and allusions include him shooting a gun out of a thugs hand, upon being complimented for his marksmanship he comments "I was aiming for his head" mirroring a line Jayne Cobb had said in Firefly. In the episode Setup, Richard Castle's mother was going to a spa named the Oasis of Serenity, he asked what this was and his mother replied "Haven't you heard of the Serenity?". In episode 4 season 2 of Castle, Fillion is seen wearing two blue gloves and miming "two" by "two", a reference to the actions and gloves of the Blue Sun Corporation.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
in the Firefly franchise
Firefly (franchise)
The Firefly media franchise is an American space Western media franchise created by Joss Whedon and produced by Mutant Enemy Productions. The franchise includes the TV series Firefly, the film Serenity and other media.-Plot synopsis:...
. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion is a Canadian actor, currently starring as Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the television series Firefly and its feature film continuation, Serenity.He has acted in traditionally distributed...
in the 2002 TV series Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
and the 2005 film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity
Serenity (Firefly vessel)
Serenity is a fictional Firefly class spaceship appearing in Joss Whedon's Firefly television series and related works. Set in the 26th century, the series revolves around nine characters, which form the crew of the small transport ship, as they try to make a living through various legal and...
. The character was named #18 in TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
"Greatest Sci-fi legends" list in 2004.
Production details
Conceived by Joss WhedonJoss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
, the character Malcolm Reynolds was the only definite character he had in mind when formulating the ensemble cast. He wanted a hero, but not a hero in the classic sense; someone that is "everything that a hero is not."
In the proposed pilot, Mal was much darker and considerably more closed-off. Fox network executives objected, and asked that Mal be "lightened up". For the second episode ("The Train Job
The Train Job
"The Train Job" is the second episode of the American science-fiction western television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon, although it was the first to be shown...
"), Whedon created a more "jolly" Mal Reynolds.
Casting
The role was originally written for Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Nicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon
Nicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
(who played Xander Harris); however, the shooting schedule conflicted with his commitment to Buffy.
Whedon approached Nathan Fillion to play the lead, and after explaining the premise and showing Fillion the treatment for the pilot, Fillion was eager for the role. Fillion was called back several times to read for the part before he was cast. He noted that "It was really thrilling. It was my first lead and I was pretty nervous, but I really wanted that part and I wanted to tell those stories."
Costume design
Los Angeles prop shop Applied Effects was approached by Randy Erikson to create Mal's main gun, a "Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B", and gave them a week and a half. Erikson provided a foamcore conceptual mockup and the base guns, one of which was a five-shot .38 caliberCaliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
Taurus Model 85
Taurus Model 85
The Taurus Model 85 is a small-frame revolver manufactured by the Brazilian firearm company Taurus International.The Model 85 is available in several configurations. These include blued steel, stainless steel, and "Ultralite" variants constructed of aluminum and titanium, with steel lockwork...
revolver. Erikson researched American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
-era revolvers for inspiration and the final mockup had a brass or bronze look, with the revolver a little elongated. The biggest challenge was masking the shape of the original revolver and still keeping it operable.
On the TV series Firefly, a cast bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
pistol was used, but for the film Serenity, a more detailed replica was created which had moving action
Firearm action
In firearms terminology, an action is the physical mechanism that manipulates cartridges and/or seals the breech. The term is also used to describe the method in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism. Actions are generally categorized by the type of mechanism used...
and a blank pistol hidden inside, so that it could be fired in close-up
Close-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
s. Since this version was quite heavy, a resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
replica was also constructed, which in addition to being less tiring for the actors to carry, could be thrown or dropped with less fear of injury. Nonfunctional replicas of the gun are commercially available for fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
and collectors
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
.
GBB Custom Gunleather was tasked with creating Mal's gun holster, which was made out of oak-tanned carving leather. The character's coat, a relic of his time as a Browncoat
Browncoat
Browncoat is a term with two meanings. One is a nickname for the Independence fighters in the television series Firefly. The other refers to fans of the series.-Fictional meaning:...
, was a collaboration between Firefly costume designer Shawna Trpcic
Shawna Trpcic
Shawna Trpcic is a Hollywood costume designer. She got her start in the industry with the 1990 film Megaville, and went on to work as a wardrobe assistant on the films Toys and Red Shoe Diaries...
and Jonathan A. Logan, a leather artist. Trpcic sketched her idea and a cloth mockup was created before the final was made with domestic-farmed deerskin. The cuffs are actually the sleeves folded back, evoking the style of Oriental robes with their silk linings. Two coats were made for the character, one called "Number 1" coat and another called "The Hero" coat. The Number 1 coat's bullet hole is drawn in, while The Hero version has a detailed cut and sewn repair. As with the gun, replicas of Malcolm Reynolds' coat have also been made available commercially for fans.
Character biography
Malcolm's main mission is to keep his crew alive and to keep his ship flying. As Firefly writer Tim Minear stated in an interview: "It's just about getting by. That's always been the mission statement of what the show is — getting by." In Serenity, Mal says of himself: "[If the] Wind blows Northerly, I go North."Screens from Serenity suggest that Mal was born on September 20, 2468–which would make him 49 at the time of the series Firefly–though this may be a transposition
Typographical error
A typographical error is a mistake made in, originally, the manual type-setting of printed material, or more recently, the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but usually excludes errors of ignorance, such as spelling errors...
of 2486 (making him 31, an age more consistent with his appearance), since the information screen also misspells his name as "Malcom". Mal was raised by his mother and "about 40 hands" on a ranch on the planet Shadow. Though Mal usually seems more practical than intellectual, he occasionally surprises his friends by displaying familiarity with disparate literature varying from the works of Xiang Yu
Xiang Yu
Xiang Yu was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. His given name was Ji while his style name was Yu ....
(a fictional psychotic dictator) to poems
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–98 and was published in 1798 in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. Modern editions use a later revised version printed in 1817 that featured a gloss...
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, though he has no idea "who" Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
is.
Mal volunteered for the Independents army during the Unification War against the Alliance
Alliance (Firefly)
The Alliance is a fictional supra-governmental entity in the Serenity franchise, a powerful authoritarian government and law-enforcement organization that controls the majority of territory within the known universe...
, gaining the rank of sergeant during that time. His loyal second-in-command Zoe was by his side for most of the war, surviving many dangerous conflicts with him. The show mentions three such battles, including the Battle of Du-Khang in 2510 (featured in "The Message") and a long winter campaign in New Kashmir (as told by Zoe in "War Stories") where he commanded a platoon. Mal was also involved in the ground campaign during the Battle of Sturges (as seen in the comic book Serenity: Those Left Behind
Serenity: Those Left Behind
Serenity: Those Left Behind is a 2005 three-issue comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics. It was written by Brett Matthews with Joss Whedon credited for story, illustrated by Will Conrad, and colored by Laura Martin....
), which according to Badger was the "bloodiest and shortest battle in all the war", although Mal considers it a distant second. Mal fought in many more battles, but the turning point for him and the Independents came with their physical and emotional defeat at the Battle of Serenity Valley on the planet Hera. On-screen information from the film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
suggests that Mal was given a brevet promotion
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
to Captain during the Battle of Serenity Valley to take command of the ever-increasing number of Independent troops who were losing their officers at the hands of the Alliance. This might explain why, in one of the deleted scenes from the Firefly pilot
Serenity (Firefly episode)
"Serenity" is the two-hour series pilot for the American science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. However, Fox executives were not satisfied with this as a pilot, and so instead, "The Train Job" was created as a second pilot and was the first episode of the series aired....
, Mal is described as having commanded at least 2000 men. On-screen information in Serenity shows him to have been attached to the 57th Overlanders Brigade; in the series pilot, Badger calls it the "Balls and Bayonets Brigade", though it is unclear whether that was a disparaging nickname coined by Badger himself or the actual unit sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
, a deleted scene in Serenity marks it as the actual unit sobriquet. It is unknown if the deleted scene can be considered canon or not.
After the war, Mal acquired his own ship, a derelict 03-K64 Firefly-class transport. Mal named the ship Serenity after the Battle of Serenity Valley, the decisive battle of the Unification War.
Major themes
Though Mal loses faith in God and religion (between the Battle of Serenity Valley and the bulk of the series), he retains a strong faith in humanity. Though wary in his personal dealings, he puts great stock in the fundamental goodness of people in general. This faith in an individual's abilities to do the right thing manifests strongly in his very negative view of governmental institutions. "Governments," he says in the pilot, are for "getting in a man's way." The Alliance, whose government seems particularly fond of interference and regulation, is thus his logical nemesis. His contempt for the Alliance never completely disappears (although he once said that he "wouldn't mind makin' a buck off 'em", implying that if the Alliance wanted to hire him for a job, he might consider it), and, although he was on the losing side of the Unification War, years later he tells an Alliance officer that he's "still not convinced it was the wrong one". Though he loathes the Alliance, he acknowledges he lost the fight against them and is now looking purely to keep out of their reach; this is best summed in his comment in Serenity, "I just wanna go my way." However, throughout the course of the film SerenitySerenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
, Mal comes to learn more of the Alliance's dark secrets, which rekindles his fighting spirit and causes him to once again take up the fight against the oppressive regime. Mal expresses his newfound resolve during his speech near the final act of the film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
: "They [the Alliance] will swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave." His anti-government attitude is reflected in his choice to live on a spaceship, drifting from world to world, as far away from Alliance interference as possible.
Motivations
Fillion shares his view on the motivations of the character he portrayed. Mal has lost so much that each character in the crew he has gathered on Serenity represents an aspect of himself he no longer has. "In Wash, he has a lust for life and a sense of humor he's lost. In Jayne, he has selfishness. In Book, he has spirituality. In Kaylee, he has innocence. Everybody represents a facet of himself that he has lost and that's why he keeps them close and safe, and yet at arm's length."In the DVD commentary, Fillion reveals that Reynolds' ultimate motivation is simply to 'Continue. That's all, just...continue'.
Conflicts
- Badger - One of Mal's more frequent employers, the two of them are frequently at odds, Badger finding Mal's apparent arrogance to be an impediment to their business relations and has been shown to act with hostility towards Mal and his crew. It's possible he was killed by the Operative or his men during the events of the movie.
- Adelei Niska - When Mal does not finish the job for notorious crime lord Adelei Niska during "The Train Job" he is later held to account for it in "War Stories" by being captured and tortured, despite him having given Niska back the money he was paid. He is actually killed for a few seconds before Niska revives him to continue torturing him.
- The Operative - the antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the movie Serenity, the Operative and Mal fought twice; both times, Mal only escaped alive due to luck (the intervention of Inara in the first fight, and his past surgery preventing the Operative's favoured move — a strike to a nerve cluster — from taking him out later). After watching the recording of what happened on Miranda, the Operative aids the crew of Serenity in repairing their ship and letting Mal go.
Relationships
- Zoe Washburne - Although not a romantic relationship by any means, the two are very close, having fought and survived a war together; indeed, their closeness sometimes makes Wash, Zoe's husband, jealous, a theme which is explored in the episode "War Stories." As Joss Whedon says in the DVD commentary for Serenity, Zoe is "the one person [Mal] can count on the most."
- Inara Serra- A Companion who rents one of Serenity shuttles as a home/transportation, thus increasing the potential client base of both herself and Serenity crew; unresolved romantic/sexual tension between them is one of the character arcs of the series.
- Kaylee Frye - Serenity long-suffering mechanic, Kaylee and Mal seem to have an older brother/younger sister relationship, with Mal serving as a protecting influence in times of physical and emotional danger.
- Jayne Cobb - A mercenary who was hired away from a criminal gang that was, at that moment, in the process of robbing Mal and Zoe, Jayne is loyal to whoever offers him the best payment, though he seems to afford Mal a great deal more respect than implied by his pay. The two frequently conflict over the proper course of action to take, and Jayne has stated his desire to lead his own crew.
- Derrial BookDerrial BookDerrial Book is a fictional character played by Ron Glass in the science-fiction/Western television series Firefly and its sequel movie, Serenity...
- Although he initially disdained the preacher due to his loss of faith in Serenity Valley, Mal nevertheless became relatively close to Book; when Book was dying after an attack by the Operative, Mal assured the Shepherd that he was as much a part of the crew as anyone. - Simon Tam - Simon and Mal are frequently in conflict when responding to the actions of River, but Mal nonetheless respects Simon's strong devotion to his sister and his skills as a doctor, which Mal uses to rationalize Simon's continued presence on Serenity.
- River Tam - River's mental state and many of her actions cause friction among the crew and often put the crew in danger, but she also has skills that come in handy. Her actions often tempt Mal to kick her off the ship but he never follows through.
- Hoban "Wash" WashburneHoban "Wash" WashburneHoban "Wash" Washburne is played by Alan Tudyk. Wash serves as the pilot of Serenity, and is married to the ship's first mate, Zoe. A laid-back guy with a dry and occasionally laconic sense of humor, Wash tends to represent the pragmatic, cut-and-run opinion in any shipboard debate, and often...
-The pilot of Serenity and Zoe's husband, Mal has a brotherly relationship with, which includes fighting often and humerously.
Mal generally retains a close relationship with his entire crew, regardless of how much he might try to distance them from him or argue with them; when Simon Tam once asked Mal why he came back to save him from being burned alive by angry villagers, he simply replied, "You're on my crew." When pressed again, with Simon citing the ease with which they could have simply been abandoned and the problems caused by their presence, Mal reiterated, "You're on my crew. Why are we still talking about this?" Mal expressed a similar sentiment when he confronted Jayne over his betrayal of Simon and River, saying "You turn on any of my crew, you turn on me!"
Reception
Fillion won the "Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award — Male" award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA for his role as Malcolm Reynolds. Fillion also won the SyFy Genre Awards in 2006 for Best Actor/Television and was runner-up for Best Actor/Movie.The character was named #18 in TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
In the New York Times review of the movie Serenity, Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with A.O. Scott. She was formerly a chief film critic for the Los Angeles Times, the film editor at the LA Weekly, and a film critic at The Village Voice. She has written for a variety of publications, including Film Comment and...
had this to say about the character and Nathan Fillion: "Mal is no Neo redux; he's closer to Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
, if absent Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
's rakishly handsome looks and star magnetism. Like the rest of the cast, Mr. Fillion is a charming performer, but he borrows rather than owns the screen, which dovetails with Mr. Whedon's modest aspirations for this film."
In the video game Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
a soldier is named "Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds" in a nod to Malcolm Reynolds, and was also voiced by Fillion. Also he voiced the Helljumper named Buck in the video game Halo 3: ODST, after Bungie decided to include his face as a soldier.
In Fillion's new series Castle
Castle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
where Fillion plays crime writer Richard Castle
Richard Castle
Richard Edgar "Rick" Castle is a fictional character portrayed by Nathan Fillion in the ABC crime series Castle.-Family life:...
, there are numerous fan Easter Eggs
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
and references to Firefly and Malcolm Reynolds hidden around Richard Castle's office. In the second season Halloween episode, Castle dressed in full Mal Reynolds garb as a costume; in a further metafictional reference, Alexis Castle - the daughter of Fillion's character - comments that he wore the outfit five years ago (The real-world time that had elapsed between the release of "Serenity" and this episode airing). Also, when he and Beckett visit a warehouse with Cantonese-speaking workers, Castle speaks Cantonese to the workers, telling them his partner was crazy and would start shooting, prompting them to quickly reveal the location of a drug lord and run away. When Beckett asks him how he knows Cantonese, he responds "TV show I used to love", referencing Firefly, other hints and allusions include him shooting a gun out of a thugs hand, upon being complimented for his marksmanship he comments "I was aiming for his head" mirroring a line Jayne Cobb had said in Firefly. In the episode Setup, Richard Castle's mother was going to a spa named the Oasis of Serenity, he asked what this was and his mother replied "Haven't you heard of the Serenity?". In episode 4 season 2 of Castle, Fillion is seen wearing two blue gloves and miming "two" by "two", a reference to the actions and gloves of the Blue Sun Corporation.