Line #88 Awesome/Firefly


1	Awesome moments in the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' TV series. For more [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome shininess]] from the BigDamnHeroes, see [[Awesome/Serenity2005 the entries for the Big Damn Movie]] and the comic ''Leaves on the Wind'', [[Awesome/SerenityLeavesOnTheWind here]]).
2
3	----
4	[[AC:Mal]]
5	* The end of the pilot.
6	** Mal: "You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once. If I ever kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me, and you'll be armed." As Dobson was when... well, see below.
7	* Mal putting down the Fed who had River at gunpoint with one shot to the head. Without even breaking stride.
8	** What makes this even better is his only warning that the Fed had escaped was hearing a shot go off inside his ship (Dobson fired a round just before the whole standoff started), and seeing Dobson with a hostage. Without even questioning what was going on he just pulled the trigger.
9	* Mal kicking Crow right through the engine after hearing him promise to hunt him down and kill him. One thing you can say about Mal: you don't threaten him, and you don't threaten his crew.
10	-->"...darn." ''(smiles and kicks Crow into the engine)''
11	** To make it even better, he just repeats exactly what he said earlier to Crow to the next henchman with a straight face. The second henchman is scared shitless and immediately agrees to Mal's terms.
12	* The nekkid scenes at the beginning and end of "Trash". That grin!
13	-->'''Mal: ''' Yep...that went well.
14	** Moreso the second time around, where we see Nekkid!Mal OnceMoreWithClarity
15	* The end of the duel in "Shindig" was made of awesome and lol. "Ahh, I'm all right."
16	** ''"It would be humiliating, having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man."'' stab ''"Guess I'm just a good man."'' stab ''"Well, I'm all right."''
17	** ''"You know, you didn't have to wound that man." "Yeah, I know. It was just funny."''
18	** ''"I got stabbed! Right here!"''
19	*** How about Lord Warrick himself, volunteering to be Mal's dueling second, meaning HE has to fight Atherton (a man he knows to be a bad-ass swordsman and killer) if Mal chickens out.
20	* Mal standing up for Inara's honor by punching Atherton Wing in the face also counts.
21	* A couple minutes after being tortured to death and revived, Mal stabs his foe in the chest.
22	** With the same thing that killed him!
23	** "Looks like business isn't running so much as crawling away. ''[[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor You want to meet the]] '''[[GoodIsNotSoft real]]''' [[BewareTheNiceOnes me now]]''?"
24	** This has a funny (perhaps tongue in cheek) moment of disagreement between Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk during the commentary.
25	-->'''Alan:''' HELL-OH!
26	-->'''Nathan:''' Yeah, I want to go back and do that again.
27	-->'''Alan:''' That scene, that moment? Really? I thought it was just swell!
28	-->'''Nathan:''' You see, that's where we differ.
29	* Mal definitively sealed his {{Determinator}} status in "Out of Gas," when the salvagers shoot him in the stomach. That just makes Mal angrier. He follows ''that'' up with trudging through the ship, shooting himself ''in the heart'' with a giant needle of adrenaline, then repairing the ship, before walking back through ''Serenity'' and ''finally'' collapsing from blood loss on the bridge. Now ''that'' is pretty damn awesome.
30	** Don't forget the awesome line Mal gives to the Scavenger Captain as he leaves Serenity:
31	---> '''Captain''': [[NotSoDifferentRemark You would have done the same.]]
32	---> '''Mal''': ''[Holding him at gunpoint]'' [[WhatYouAreInTheDark We can already see I haven't.]] Now get the hell off my ship.
33	* In "Out of Gas", Mal once again demonstrates his skill as a leader in the different ways he pulls his crew out of despair enough to try and find a solution to their impending doom. With Kaylee, he is very gentle and encouraging. With Wash (who is crazed with worry about his injured, comatose wife), he employs some tough love to get him riled up into action.
34	* "Our Mrs. Reynolds." Summed up by one simple line:
35	--> "Now, you can luxuriate in a nice jail cell, but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet ''I will end you.''"
36	** Also in "Our Mrs. Reynolds", a cut scene from the actual episode where River accuses Saffron of stealing - Mal still at this point believes that Saffron is just a dumb hick girl and tries, in his own way, to make her a better person:
37	--->'''Mal:'''"...But what I got even less use for is a woman who won't stand up for herself. Five days hence, we're putting you in the world and you won't last a day by bowing and sniffing for handouts. You want something? You take it. Or ask for it. You don't wait to be told when to breathe, you don't take orders from anyone... Except me, that's just 'cause I'm the captain. People take orders from captains even in the world, but the rest.. Damnit, ''be like a woman is''. Not some petrified child. '''More than 70 earth's spinning about the galaxy and the meek have inherited not a one.'''"
38	* Also, "If you turn on ANY of my crew, ''YOU TURN ON ME''!" Jayne is lucky to be ''alive'' after Ariel.
39	* Mal's face when he tells Jayne "You did it to ''me''" is a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome CMOA]] and terrifying all rolled into one. The SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome is (1) Jayne honestly wouldn't intentionally doublecross Mal, because Mal is pretty much the only person he respects in the universe, and (2) Mal's commitment to loyalty and his TrueCompanions is just that strong.
40	* While Mal has many [[BadAssNormal badass]] moments, they point to different qualities. While his [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim decisive]] resolution to River being held at gunpoint establishes his bona fides as a [[TheGunslinger gunslinger]], I have to say the best moments with Mal are the ones that play to his most central trait of leadership. The "Jayne, walk away from this table" scene from ''Serenity'' and making Wash leave his dying(?) wife's side in ''Out of Gas'' show that he has a surpassing will to him that commands respect and loyalty. Getting that quality to the screen and to the viewers? Awesome.
41	** In the aforementioned scene, when Mal makes Wash leave the infirmary? Apparently he is so threatening that ''Jayne'' of all people, gets a cautious look on his face and backs off!
42	** And just look at the personalities he's commanding: a PluckyComicRelief AcePilot, his Amazonian war buddy who unfailingly calls him "sir," a bubbly and cheerful genius mechanic, a brutish thug who's only ever in it for the money, a HighClassCallGirl, a high-society brilliant doctor and his crazy psychic sister, and a devout man of God. It takes a strong and unique personality to blend this ragtagiest RagtagBunchOfMisfits into not just a crew, but a deadly loyal family.
43	* At the end of "Safe" when he and Zoe [[BigDamnHeroes arrive]] in the [[JustInTime nick of time]].
44	--> "Cut her down."
45	--> "The girl is a witch!"
46	--> "Yeah, but she's our witch." [[[DramaticGunCock KA-CHINK!]]] "Now cut her the hell down."
47	* According to Nathan Fillion's commentary, his personal [=CMoA=] for Mal came at the end of the pilot, when Mal [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim just shoots]] Patience's horse:
48	-->'''Mal''': ''"Now I did a job, and got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention a few unkind words as regard to my character, so let me make this abundantly clear: I do the job. And then I get paid. Go run your little world."''
49	* From The Message: A flashback to the Battle of Du-Khang. Zoe sneaks up behind an enemy who's got Tracey at gunpoint and ''opens him like a letter.''
50	-->'''Tracey''': I didn't even hear you.
51	-->'''Zoe''': [[VeteranInstructor First rule of battle, little one, never let them know where you are.]]
52	-->''huge explosion''
53	-->'''Mal''': [[LeeroyJenkins Whoo! I'm right here! You want some? Yeah ya do! Here I am! Come get me, I'm right here!]]
54	-->'''Zoe''': [[DeadpanSnarker Course, there are other schools of thought.]]
55	* The scene in ''Heart of Gold'' where he chases down Rance Burgess after he shoots Nandy. He runs outside, shoots one of Burgess's guys, jumps on his horse, and rides off after Burgess. The scene ends with Mal holding him at gunpoint before knocking him out and dragging him back for his execution.
56	** That scene, with TheHero on horseback with a [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter slug-thrower]] chasing after a [[DirtyCoward fleeing villain]] on a [[SchizoTech hovercraft]] with a [[AwesomeButImpractical laser gun with a dead battery]], sums up the entire show in one iconic shot.
57	* Kicking Jubal Early into space in "Objects In Space".
58	* A subtle one at the beginning of "The Message:" while walking through a crowded fair with Inara, a child bumps him. Mal, without breaking stride, grabs the brat and takes back his wallet from the would-be pickpocket.
59
60	[[AC:Zoe]]
61	* The exchange when Zoe & company found Mal locked in single combat.
62	-->'''Zoe:''' "[[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself This is something the captain's gotta do himself.]]"
63	-->'''Mal:''' "No! No it's not!"
64	-->'''Zoe:''' "Oh."
65	-->* hail of gunfire*
66	* Don't forget this one:
67	-->'''Saffron: '''All you gotta do to be a rich woman, hon, is.... get over it.
68	-->''Zoe smiles innocently, then - ''
69	-->'''PUNCH!'''
70	-->'''Zoe:''' I'm in.
71	* In "War Stories," Zoe walks into Niska's space station solo and unarmed with a ransom for Mal and Wash. Pretty damn brave. When Niska tries to make her choose between the two men, she cuts him off and chooses Wash -- because she knows that to rescue Mal, they need the best pilot they have. Then Niska cuts off Mal's ear and hands it to her. Without a word, looking him in the eye, she takes the ear, tucks it inside her vest, and practically carries Wash out the door.
72	-->'''Niska:''' [[SadisticChoice There is not enough here for two. But enough, perhaps, for one]] --
73	-->'''Zoe:''' ''(indicates Wash)'' [[DefiedTrope Him]].
74	-->'''Niska:''' ...
75	-->'''Zoe:''' [[DissonantSerenity I'm sorry. You were going to ask me to choose. Do you want to finish?]]
76	** To top it off, she scoped the layout of Niska's station during all of this to use the information for a rescue mission. Stone cold badass indeed.
77	* Of course we can't forget the line that [[TropeNamer named the trope]]:
78	-->'''Mal:''' Well, look at this! Appears we got here [[JustInTime just in the nick of time]]. What does that make us?
79	-->'''Zoe:''' BigDamnHeroes, sir.
80	-->'''Mal:''' Ain't we just?
81	* Decking the guy who insulted the Browncoats in the opening scene of "The Train Job." Her "here we go again" face just makes it so much better.
82
83	[[AC:Jayne]]
84	* Jayne's appearing in full combat gear after scoffing at the plan earlier. When everyone stares at him, he just looks down at himself and goes [[HypocriticalHumor "What?"]]
85	** And he brought VERA.
86	* Jayne's speech at the end of "Jaynestown". Added bonus for knocking down his own statue. Though that's also a TearJerker moment.
87	** And just beforehand, bringing a knife to a gun-fight, and winning! Makes you realise why Mal keeps him around.
88	** The Train Job: [[AccidentalAimingSkills "I was aiming for his head."]] And he did that while high on tranquilizers.
89	** Same episode, Jayne: "Time for some thrillin' heroics."
90	* I find the moments when Jayne gets a clever verbal jab in at another character to be [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]] of a subtler sort. Although they are in a sense used to show that an antagonist is currently holding the [[IdiotBall Idiot Ball]] (i.e. "wow, ''Jayne'' just outsmarted him, he must be REALLY stupid!"), they also show that for all his, ah, unsophistication, Jayne has some cleverness to him.
91	** For instance; ''Badger:'' "Chap seems to have taken an irrational dislike to me." ''Jayne:'' "What 'appened, 'd he see yer face?"
92	** Or the look he and Mal share a few minutes later, when Badger proclaims his ability to get his hands on a couple of... invites.
93	** And at another point in the same conversation, Badger is comparing Mal and Warrick, since both consider themselves honorable gentlemen. Badger's searching for the right word to describe them, and Jayne supplies "pretentious." Badger and Mal stop and stare at Jayne for a moment, stunned he knows the word and used it correctly.
94	* The infamous Vera scene in "Our Mrs. Reynolds". Granted Jayne ruins it when Mal figures out exactly what Jayne is really doing, but for the moments before that Jayne genuinely came across as a badass that even Mal is wary of, the fact that Mal really appears worried before the ball drops seals it. The moment is doubled when Jayne explains exactly how he got Vera, his tone when he says it just screams that six wasn't even close to enough.
95	---> '''Jayne''': Six men came to kill me one time. The best of 'em carried this.
96	** Then later on Jayne uses Vera to snipe a window in the ship-killing electro-net that is about to ensnare Serenity, sending the pirates manning it into space, and then shoots out the couplings that are powering the net. Yep, Jayne Cobb took out a starship sized emplacement with a rifle!
97	* The escape from the holding cell in "Ariel," which was not only a joint CMOA for both Jayne and Simon (see Simon example below) but also a redemptive moment for Jayne, whose very fault it was that the two of them and River were in that holding cell to begin with since Jayne had planned to turn Simon and River over to the Alliance for the reward money, but got betrayed himself and arrested along with them due to the Fed he dealt with wanting to keep the reward for himself and who almost got ThrownOutTheAirlock because of the greedy and stupid move that got them captured in the first place.
98	** And the ensuing moment of awesome/heartwarming when Jayne, upon realizing he is going to be ThrownOutTheAirlock , makes the last request that Mal not inform the rest of the crew why which is the only thing that convinces Mal to spare his life.
99	-->'''Jayne:''' Make somethin' up. [[WhatHaveIDone Don't tell 'em what I did]].
100	** In the next episode, he's seen being overly generous with his share of the heist and for example buys [[CommonPlaceRare fresh fruit]] for the whole crew.
101	* It's played for laughs, but Jayne spends his Alliance interrogation in "Bushwhacked" just flat out glaring at the interrogator.
102
103	[[AC:Wash]]
104	* Wash holding onto the control stick in ''Trash'', even though the audience is treated several times to a flashing display with a klaxon "PROXIMITY WARNING" flashing. He's sitting in the bridge, with no clear view of the top of the ship (the bridge isn't the highest elevation on ''Serenity''; the area above the dining room is), having to ''guess'' how much distance exactly there is between the roof of the dining room and the trash crate, and also having to compensate for the wind, managing to keep ''Serenity'' from moving more than a foot in any direction. The flashing klaxon alarm alone would be enough to drive anyone nuts...
105	** While we're on the subject of Wash's piloting skills, ''War Stories'' gets another entry here. He manages to make a ''powered-down, unguided run'' at Niska's station's docking bay and nail it perfectly.
106	--> '''Zoe''': It's like throwing a dart and nailing the bullseye from 6000 miles away. [proud smile] That's my man.
107	* Mal and Wash arguing over Zoe's loyalty to Mal and the effects it was having on Wash's marriage while in the middle of being ''tortured.''
108	** This only gets better when you rewatch it and notice Mal is doing all he can to hold Wash's attention on the argument and off being tortured. When Wash is about to break Mal raises the subject of whether there was anything sexual between him and Zoe and Wash becomes noticeably more determined.
109	* The moment Wash makes the decision to become an Action Guy.
110	-->'''Zoe:''' He'll make it last as long as possible. Days, if he can.
111	-->'''Wash:''' drags himself to his feet with the most determined, enraged, and downright scary look he's ever had up to this point in the series Bastard's not gonna ''get'' days.
112	* Wash had several in the pilot.
113	** Standing up to Mal when he threatens to kill Simon.
114	** The Reaver Ship / Serenity Chase scene. Everyone freaking out. Yelling, screaming. Looking terrified out of their minds (that includes both Mal and Jayne) and basically preparing for the worst. And in the middle of it all, Wash at the controls, flying Serenity, '''perfectly calm.''' You could argue he was simply holding back his tension, but still. When he speaks his voice is rock steady, without an ounce of fear.
115	** "If everybody could just be quiet a moment."
116	** "I don't mean to alarm anybody, but I think we're being followed."
117	** "I need Kaylee in the engine room, please." He might as well be making that request with no urgency whatsoever. You can see why a strong woman like Zoe is completely in love with him even though he's not a fighter.
118	** The Crazy Ivan to throw off the Reavers near the end: "Here's something you can't do."
119	** And he gets '''aptly''' rewarded for it, too:
120	--> '''Zoe''': Sir, I'd like you to take the helm, please. I need this man to tear all my clothes off.
121	--> '''Wash'''(leaving with Zoe): Work, work, work....
122	** His is an evil laugh.
123	* "Oh my god! What can it be?! We're all DOOMED! WHO'S FLYING THIS THING?! Oh right, that would be me."
124	* How about Wash NOT allowing himself to be seduced by Saffron in "Our Mrs Reynolds"? Just proves what a great guy he is and how much he loves and/or fears Zoe.
125	* In the comic book ''ComicBook/SerenityFloatOut'', Wash manages to outwits the Alliance, single-handedly defeats a Reaver raiding party and ''weaponises the environment''.
126
127	[[AC:Wash & Kaylee]]
128	* How about Kaylee and Wash building an ambulance using parts found in a junk yard in "Ariel"? It turned out absolutely perfect.
129	* Wash and Kaylee outsmarting some of Burgess's men in "Heart of Gold", leaving them trapped inside Serenity. Admittedly so were Wash and Kaylee at that point, but still.
130
131	[[AC:Kaylee]]
132	* In "Bushwacked", the Alliance soldiers who apprehend the crew make the mistake of hitting Kaylee's BerserkButton: insulting Serenity. She then proceeds to spend her interrogation completely unintimidated and angrily explaining in detail how the Alliance engines are shoddily put together: from the expression of the officer interrogating her, [[{{Touche}} she's completely correct, too.]]
133	* The moment in "Shindig" when Kaylee stops trying to be what she's not and wows half the party because really, most of those men would rather talk about engines than prance around. One of the young gentlemen actually asks her to dance, but the others want her to keep talking.
134	* How Kaylee got recruited. Mal's been stuck on a planet for a week, and walks in on Kaylee and his original mechanic humping away in the engine room. She then fixes the engine problem that the old mechanic couldn't figure out while still getting dressed, having figured out what was wrong ''[[CoitusUninterruptus while in the middle of sex]]''. Mal then hires her ''on the spot.''
135	-->'''Kaylee''': I saw the problem plain as day, when I was down there on my back before.
136	** Bonus points for the look on his old mechanic's face, because he ''doesn't realize he's just been fired''.
137	-->'''Bester''': Mal, what do you need two mechanics for?
138	-->'''Mal''': I really don't.
139	* "I need Kaylee in the engine room please." Even when she can't stand because of a gut shot, she's still the one you want in the engine room when reavers are chasing you.
140	** ''"Look! Look! Look where I'm pointing!"'' She can even order ''Jayne'' around when she's in the engine room.
141	** Extra points for petting the ship's frame: ''"Good girl."''
142	* Disarming the Reaver booby trap in "Bushwhacked". Considering that the slightest mistake could result in instant death and a ship full of psychotic space zombies was bound to come by at any moment, she's awfully calm.
143
144	[[AC:Inara]]
145	* In "The Train Job," Inara walking into the holding area and ''slapping Mal in the face,'' and his and Zoe's immediate understanding. Can you say "TrueCompanions?"
146	* In "Our Mrs. Reynolds", Inara was the only one who didn't have to be poisoned or punched out before she realized that Saffron was a fraud.
147	* Inara's defeat of Saffron in "Trash."
148	** That whole conversation is just about perfect. "Oh sweetie you look just terrible!"
149	** Not just ''her'' defeat. Which makes it even better.
150	* "No, ''[[SilkHidingSteel this]]'' is your blood."
151	* Inara's placing of the Black Mark on Atherton Wing in "Shindig," the capper to the aristocratic {{Jerkass}}'s HumiliationConga.
152	--> '''Atherton Wing:''' Well, get ready to starve. I'll see to it you never work again.
153	--> '''Inara:''' Actually, that's not how it works. You see, you've earned yourself a black mark in the client registry. No Companion is going to contract with you ever again.
154	--> '''Sir Warwick Harrow:''' You'll have to rely on your winning personality to get women. God help you.
155	* In "Out of Gas", we see how Inara came to live on ''Serenity''. By deftly negotiating not only renting one of the shuttles, but at a quarter less of the asking price.
156
157	[[AC:Book]]
158	* I believe this quote from "War Stories" shows just [[BadassPreacher how awesome Book is.]]
159	-->'''Zoe:''' "Preacher, doesn't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?"
160	-->'''Book:''' "Quite specific. However, it is somewhat more fuzzy on the issue of ''kneecaps''."
161	* And then he shoots people in the kneecaps.
162	** With a rifle. [[ImprobableAimingSkills From the hip.]]
163	** At one point in the above gunfight, he shoots a man in the kneecap at precisely the right moment to send him tripping forward to smack his head against the wreck of the mule, knocking him out. Made even better in the audio commentary, with Alan Tyduk referring to that as [[{{Pun}} "getting Book'd"]].
164	* One more for Book is his short but brilliant assessment of Simon's marksmanship.
165	--> '''Simon''': Well, I don't know. I've never shot anyone before.
166	--> '''Book''': I was there, son. I'm fair sure you haven't shot anyone ''yet''.
167	* I couldn't decide where to put this, so I think I'll just stick it at the bottom: special hell.
168	** You don't talk at the theater when Book is at the theater. You might just lose a kneecap.
169	*** And then you will go to the ''special hell.''
170	* ''Punching Dobson''! That is all.
171	** An unarmed Book who is willing to stand between Jayne and Dobson to ''protect'' Dobson, and doesn't even ''flinch'' when Jayne points and cocks a gun ''at his throat'' is pretty damn awesome, too.
172	** Just to be clear, Dobson was a federal agent who started waving his gun around unnecessarily and ended up shooting Kaylee just for walking into the room and startling him. Within about ''three seconds'' of him getting violent, Book was on him, disarming him and knocking him out without an ounce of difficulty.
173	* Book's entire implied backstory. The saddest part of the series' cancellation was that this was never further explored, but it is STRONGLY implied that he was at one point an Operative or something similar, helped by lines like the oft-overlooked one from Jubal Early: "That's no shepherd."
174	** In some ways it is the fact that his story is never told that makes him awesome. Mal, the most suspicious critter alive, simply accepts that [[MysteriousPast Book has no past.]]
175	-->'''Mal:''' Gonna have to explain that to me someday.
176	-->'''Book:''' No, I don't.
177	* Book talking down three rogue federal agents who were willing to ''light people on fire'' to get what they wanted. While unarmed.
178	** Specifically, he [[AwesomenessByAnalysis did some research]] and found out the agents were ''way'' out of their jurisdiction, and calmly predicted that nobody would care in the slightest if Mal's crew killed them all and left their bodies to be forgotten in an icy canyon. The head Fed did a quick factoring of his tactical situation, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm and decided to retreat.]]
179	* An implied one in ''Objects in Space''. [[BountyHunter Jubal Early]] fights Mal and wins. And yet when Book turns out to still be up, Jubal seeks him out and ambushes him so he doesn't have a chance to fight back. From a ''single conversation'', Jubal could tell that he could not even risk getting in a fight with Book.
180
181	[[AC:Simon]]
182	* Simon has his moments too, especially in "Safe," where he fights off an entire mob of torch-wielding witch-burning loonies to save River, and when he realized he couldn't win, choosing to ''die with her'' rather than leave her.
183	** It's more awesome because when you know how much he already gave up, you can easily believe he would do such a thing. He had nothing left but love and honor (which in his case were the same thing) and it would be simply impossible to wimp out now. It was a very believable HeroicSacrifice.
184	--> ''(River is about to be burned as a witch: Simon climbs up onto the pile of firewood, embraces her, and stares down the crowd.)''
185	--> '''Village Headman:''' [[KnightTemplar That's not going to stop us, Doctor.]]
186	--> '''Simon''': [[FaceDeathWithDignity Light it]].
187	* The "I will never hurt you" speech he gave to Jayne was also pretty dang noble.
188	** Let's put that in perspective, shall we? Simon's entire life at this point is dedicated to protecting his sister. He finds out that Jayne betrayed them, and just a few hours later, Jayne ends up in the infirmary, completely at Simon's mercy. No one on the crew would have thought any less of Simon if he had killed Jayne right then and there. So what does Simon do? He forgives Jayne. There's a reason I consider this to be Simon Tam's best moment ever.
189	** Of course Simon wasn't going to kill Jayne on the operating table. [[TheMedic First Do No Harm.]] Not to mention his reasoning for forgiving Jayne: Being unwilling to kill him while Jayne was under his care, the only alternative was for the two of them to constantly be watching each other lest one of them get a knife in the back. And Simon finds that prospect tiring. He simply doesn't want to put up with the hassle. Also, River can kill Jayne with her brain.
190	** It should be noted, the first thing Simon says to Jayne when he wakes up is to ask, in a ''very'' cold tone of voice, if Jayne can move. Simon then explains, in the same tone, that he's paralyzed Jayne's spine so he didn't wrench it when he came to. The implication is obvious: Simon ''could'' do all manner of unpleasant and permanent things to Jayne every time he gets injured (or even just when he falls asleep), but he ''won't''. Simon's just not that kind of person.
191	* Simon's response to Dobson grabbing River in the pilot showed just how serious he was about protecting her, too.
192	* Not to mention ''air tackling'' Early. Twice. Once with a bullet in his leg. And then directing his own operation at the end to remove the bullet.
193	* No love for "Ariel"? That entire ''episode'' is a testament to Simon's awesomeness. Especially when he saves a dying man and chews out the doctor that was taking care of him -- while conducting a black ops raid on a high-security Alliance hospital, where Simon is most recognizable and most wanted.
194	** That incident is also a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment\|s}} because River watches Simon save the man's life and gives a sweet grin to show how proud she is of her big brother.
195	** Simon went into the hospital on his own initiative. He went all the way through Ariel escorting River into the teeth of danger and out. And danger to River is the thing that frightens him most. The show doesn't show how frightened he really was. Yet he kept cool and steady for hours.
196	** Jayne and Simon are being handcuffed and covered by two armed Feds. Not willing to accept this unfortunate turn of events, they take ''both Feds'' down, ''while'' both of them are still handcuffed. The best part is how Jayne manages to snap one guard's neck, and Simon takes down the second with a surgical, incapacitating kneecap to the throat, proving (yet again) that even TheMedic can be a badass on this show.
197	** A clear example of one of the [[IKnowMaddenKombat fringe benefits of medical training]].
198	** And he doesn't even look ''bothered'' by the fact that he's suffocating the guard! And his first act on reaching home was to compliment ''Jayne's'' prowess.
199	** Folks, we are leaving out the most important part of that entire scene. Simon doesn't just take down the guard with his knee - he ''flying, spinning air tackles'' the man first, ''backwards'', with his hands cuffed. He may not have River's training, but it is clear the Tams have ninja blood.
200	** And the most important thing: the moment he offers the job to Mal. He not only knows how to get Mal to help him smuggle River in and out of the hospital, but he has a perfect layout of the hospital, has timed everything, knows what to do, and, in short, shows the crew a plan so well developed that even Jayne was impressed.
201	** Simon's schtick on the show is that he's a FishOutOfWater, a Core Worlds doctor on a space ship full of outlaws out on the edge of space. This episode reverses the dynamic, and we get a glimpse of what the show would have been like if Joss Whedon had wanted to do a futuristic version of {{Series/ER}}, with Simon as a badass doctor saving peoples' lives.
202	** Special mention must go to his "[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Important people don't do field work]]" line, where he berates a Fed marshal for trying to act like he was a big gorramed deal just because he was holding Simon prisoner.
203	* Simon's moment in "The Train Job," where he ninja-dopes Jayne.
204	** Well, to be fair, he DID tell Jayne to sit down.
205	* Any time his medical training kicks in during a moment of crisis, special mention to "Out of Gas," when the ship is out of air, there's a fire burning, and they are all dying, and he does nothing but care for an injured Zoe, shooting her heart with adrenaline to get it started again. There is a reason why even Mal defers to him when someone is injured.
206	* In "Jaynestown," when Stitch starts beating the crap out of Simon, the doctor manages to ''smash a ceramic bottle over Stitch's head.'' Whether this is an awesome moment for our NonActionGuy proving he's not a complete pushover, or one for Stitch for taking a ceramic bottle to the face ''without flinching'' is up to your interpretation.
207	** Definitely a CMOA for Simon. Stitch has a knife to his face, Simon has got no chance at all, and he still risks his life for ''Jayne''. THAT kind of loyalty is why Simon and River have a lifetime pass to Mal's crew.
208	* And lets not forget that the guy DECODED messages from his sister, BROKE HER OUT of an alliance nightmare-academy, put her into suspended animation, and then spends the rest of the series making her better WHILST ON THE RUN. Awesome.
209	** Every time you see what the Alliance is willing to do to protect their investment in River, Simon's rescue gets that much more awesome. They knew Simon was asking questions, and their security level is so high that they kill everyone who's even ''talked'' to her, but somehow he got in, then got her out.
210
211	[[AC:River]]
212	* River also got a [[strike: moment or two]] lots of moments in the series, most notably when we all realize just how thoroughly she'd played PsychoForHire BountyHunter Jubal Early in "Objects In Space."
213	-->'''Early''': "I'll be a son of a whore. You're not in my gorram mind! You're on my ''gorram ship!''"
214	-->'''River''': ''(laughter)'' "Its very interesting here....all these ''[[WhatDoesThisButtonDo buttons...]]''"
215	* Also, in this fairly hard sci-fi setting, she convinces Jubal that she has melded with ''Serenity.'' Of course, if we're entirely honest Jubal Early [[PsychoForHire doesn't exactly have his clock fully wound to begin with]], if you know what we mean, but even so.
216	-->'''Early''': "Then are you gonna come out, stop me from doing what I don't want to? You gonna be smart here, River? ... River? ... [[MoreHypnotizableThanHeThinks Serenity?"]]
217	* The first real glimpse of River's true badassery comes in "War Stories", when she guns down three of Niska's men who were threatening Kaylee. With her eyes closed. Without even ''looking''. "No power in the verse can stop me" indeed.
218	* How 'bout the scene in "Shindig" when she completely ''owns'' Badger--''while perfectly mimicking his accent!''
219	* "Keep walkin', preacher man."
220	* River gets one in "Ariel," when she lets Simon give her the injection. Why is that a [=CMoA=], you ask? Because it takes a ''lot'' of courage for a girl to -- quite literally -- ''let herself be killed'', even if only temporarily. Especially considering how utterly terrified she was of death, and knowing that they were essentially walking into one of the most dangerous places in the Alliance on top of it.
221	** She seemed even more afraid of repeating the nightmares than of death. I don't think she really believed it would be of use. She did it because her brother wanted her to.
222	** Really, when River's mind is right, she's a bastion of courage. In "Safe," while Simon is panicking, she's completely cool and collected when ''she's'' the one about to be set on fire. In "Out of Gas" she's completely controlled even while everyone else is terrified of running out of air, in "War Stories" she steps out into the middle of enemy gunfire without hesitation to save Kaylee, and in "The Message" her reaction to the possibility of being trapped in a cave-in is to calmly count the time between the explosions and the shockwaves to tell how far away the detonations were. And don't forget how much courage she would have had to exhibit in "Objects in Space," knowing her brother was going to be hurt or killed if she screwed up. Whether or not this is due to her brilliant mind or her ''broken'' mind is up in the air, but it's still ''very'' impressive.
223	* Simon's "I will never hurt you speech" was already mentioned, but River's line afterwards deserves mention. Not convinced her brother's nobility was enough, she shoots one line of pure horror at Jayne before walking out.
224	-->'''River''': "Also? I can kill you with my brain."
225
226	[[AC:Serenity]]
227	* The ship is the tenth character, and ''Serenity'' itself gets a CMOA at the beginning of "The Train Job." You ''know'' the scene I'm talking about.
228	-->'''Wash''': ''Every man there go back inside, or we will blow a new crater in this little moon.''
229	** Doubley impressive for an un-armed cargo/transport vessel. No weapons, still badass.
230	*** In Firefly extended universe it is mentioned that Series 3 Fireflies (of which Serenity is one) were used as a[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_fighting_vehicle Technical]] of considerable firepower by the Browncoats in the Unification War. So if you don't look at it too closely, you might easily believe that they'll make a new crater to a moon if they threaten so.
231	* Most jet engines can't swallow more than one or two birds without being broken beyond repair. ''Serenity'' was able to ingest a 400-lb muscled man-mountain without so much as a hiccup. Now that's build quality.
232	* There are a lot of great Serenity CMOA's in the series and the movie. Lest we forget the Crazy Ivan, or coming through the clouds in the movie. As well as plenty of other money shots that really made that ship the Tenth main cast member.
233
234	[[AC:Group]]
235	* And of course, "BigDamnHeroes" (ain't they just?).
236	* "Trash" had a lot of Crowning Moments, even by Firefly standards. Zoe punching Saffron in the face, Simon's speech to Jayne, and, of course, "Also? I can kill you with my brain.", which is already above but still damned brilliant.
237	* The part where the entire crew, including [[TheMedic Simon]] and [[WrenchWench Kaylee]] begins loading up to save Mal, with Kaylee commenting that "Were it any one of us, Captain wouldn't hesitate."
238	* In Bushwhacked, when the Alliance ship's crew is tearing up Serenity looking for the Tams, and the camera pans out to reveal them ''on the outside of the hull''. But the sad violin music, and the fact that Simon is so understandably terrified, has it double for TearJerker status as well.
239	** Also drifts into Heartwarming when you see River smiling, because you realize that she is not only having a fairly lucid moment, but is in a place where the only thoughts that are readily available to her are Simon's. It's the most at-peace that she looks until the end of the movie.
240
241	[[AC:Other]]
242	* When the RichBitch tormenting Kaylee in "Shindig" gets expertly put in her place, followed by a one liner that shows that this is a really cool old guy. Go cool old guy!
243	** ''"What a vision you are in your fine dress. It must have taken a dozen slaves a dozen days to get you into that getup. 'Course your daddy tells me it takes the space of a schoolboy's wink to get you out of it again."''
244	** (To Kaylee as the RichBitch storms off) ''"Forgive my rudeness. I cannot abide useless people."''
245	** Every line by Sir Warrick Harrow in ''Shindig'' is a CMOA, a CMOF or both (mostly both).
246	--> '''Sir Warrick Harrow:''' You'll have to rely on your winning personality to get women...God help you.
247	* Even the one-off characters who never showed up again got Crowning Moments in Firefly from time to time. "Jonah, say hi to your daddy." BANG! "Say g'bye to your daddy, Jonah."
248	** "You wanted to make a man out of me, dad. I guess it worked."
249	** "That thing about arresting you, I was just bluffing. Skunk, light him on fire."
250	* ''Objects in Space''. [[PsychoForHire Jubal]] [[BountyHunter Early]]. Why are we still talking about this?
251	** Because he was quite possibly the coolest BountyHunter this side of Boba Fett, yet due to [[ScrewedByTheNetwork executive cock-up]] had only one appearance. [[CatchPhrase Does that seem right to you?]]
252	--> '''Simon:''' Are you Alliance?
253	--> '''Jubal Early:''' Am I a lion? I don't think of myself as a lion. You might as well, though - I do have a mighty roar.
254	* When Saffron reveals that her entire established naivete was an act so she could con the crew and steal their ship. Mostly because it was a ''really'' good act (this may also be a CMOA for Christina Hendricks) and she knew exactly what to do to play people. Even with the hiccup in her plan, she still manages to knock out Mal and Wash, screw up the engine so it wouldn't have been able to be repaired until it was too late, and then fly off in one of the ship's shuttles.
255	* Duran from "Trash" being one of the very few people ever to get the better of Saffron, ''despite'' being possibly the only person in the Verse who knows what she's really like and still loves her.
256	--> '''Saffron''': If you had ''half'' a brain, you'd have called the Feds the moment you saw me.
257	--> '''Duran:''' Oh, I did.
258	--> (''[[WhamShot View shifts to the ring he is wearing, which has a blinking blue light]]'')
259	--> '''Duran:''' Emergency signal. For kidnappings and the like. I love you, Yolanda, but I couldn't think for a ''second'' that you actually came here for me.
260	--> (''Sirens start blaring in the background'')
261	--> '''Duran:''' That would be them now.
262	* [[PsychoForHire Crow,]] Niska's chief enforcer, gets a very [[PreMortemOneLiner nice speech]] at the end of 'The Train Job.' It's almost a shame that Mal had his reply rehearsed and his engine running.
263	-->'''Crow:''' "Keep the money. Use it to buy a funeral. It does not matter how far you run: I will track you down. And the last thing you see will be my blade."
264	* The Alliance {{Mook}} who fights Jayne in "Ariel" puts up a surprisingly good showing, biting Jayne's hand when Jayne tries to smother him, then trying to gouge out his eyes to make Jayne divert his hands and landing some good punches before Jayne finishes him off.

Context Awesome / Firefly