Serenity and River

Let me introduce Serenity and River.  For those slightly less nerdy or movie-a-phile-ish, Serenity was the name of the spaceship on the series Firefly.  It was home to a group of misfits and run by veterans who had lost a civil war.   In the end, they lost their homes and their families, but found their freedom smuggling goods to try and make a difference in the period of carpet bagging while the Aliance consolidates their position.

Serenity and River got their names sitting around in an RV park in Raleigh, NC near dusk surrounded by actual fireflies.  The thought occurred to me that I felt a lot like Captain Mal and that my first mate was very much like Chloe who had also been through the ringer.  We picked River for the car as she looks so unusual and frail, and yet I sensed a deep resilience in the vehicle that was yet, unproven.  I was right.

The analogy for me is several fold.  Serenity is a Firefly class spaceship.  Like her class suggest she is modest but charming.  Her owner is a veteran who fought what, he felt, was a moral war and lost to an immoral opponent.  His opponent's position was about the unrestrained growth of technology, while the brown coats sought a more balanced life where people might homestead on worlds without interference in their daily lives.  Their grief in their loss is expressed in the opening lyrics:

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care cause I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me

Take me out, to the black
Tell 'em I ain't coming back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me

There's no place I can be
Since I found serenity
You can't take the sky from me
Take my love, take my land

Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out, to the black

Tell 'em I ain't coming back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be

Since I found serenity
You can't take the sky from me

River on the other hand is a passenger on Serenity.  She is not what she seems.  Your first impression of her is a young and fragile girl with some kind of learning disability.  In fact, she is the victim of alliance genetic manipulation and behavioral conditioning to make a fierce warrior.  In moments of great need and stress, River shines as the ultimate hand to hand warrior.  Nothing is more powerful in the 'verse.  Our little Chevy Spark is much the same.  Seemingly tiny and fragile, she proved herself up the side of Max Patch and down again in the rain.  She will likely conquer any trail we take her to.