283:, in addition to more traditional anti-ship ordnance. They also fire long, lance-like metal rods. Rather than firearms, Reavers will use any sharp object as a weapon in personal combat. They also fire toxic darts to cripple their opponents but not kill them. The goal of their weaponry is most likely to increase the number of survivors on victim ships (since Reavers have no interest in victims who are already dead). To cripple rescue ships, they have been known to leave a bait ship intact with a bomb planted on board, set to detonate when another ship docks to help, destroying the already-derelict ship and crippling the ship that tried to provide aid.
380:
planet's air processors in order to calm the population and weed out aggression. The agent worked, but too well: 99.9% of the population became so lethargic that they stopped working, talking and, eventually, eating and moving. They simply lay down where they were and allowed themselves to die. The remaining 0.1% of the planet's 30 million people (approximately 30,000 total) had the opposite reaction to the Pax, becoming mindlessly violent and extremely aggressive. In fact, the scientist is violently killed by one of these survivors, the original
Reavers, while recording the message.
200:, Reavers are readily recognized in any situation by both appearance and behavior. Whether ritually or in fits of rage, they are portrayed as self-mutilating creatures, peeling off parts of their own skins and shoving pieces of metal into the flesh. Reavers are savage, brutal, and primal, though they engage in some form of social behavior and cooperation within their own group. In the franchise, their contact with normal humans appears to be limited to combat,
980:
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296:, the most notable of the Reaver ships was a huge colony vessel orbiting Miranda, which is several times larger than any of the Alliance vessels it subsequently attacked. Even with its greater size, the Reavers used the same tactics as with smaller ships, ramming an Alliance flagship and splitting it in half due to the vast difference in mass.
230:
The
Reavers live on the edge of the human-controlled binary solar systems, rarely venturing deep into occupied space. As a result, most of the inner worlds and many Alliance officials believe them to be myths made to cover for violent criminals. Reavers are known to capture ships and raid colonies on
379:
find evidence, in the form of an
Alliance scientist's holographic message, that Reavers were originally humans from the planet Miranda. The Alliance government used Miranda as a testing ground for the chemical agent G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate, or simply "Pax" (Latin for "peace"). It was added to the
215:
Reavers growl and snarl like beasts; even radio transmissions within their flotilla seem to be little more than shrieks and moans. However, they presumably communicate on some level as they are still able to cooperate and act purposefully enough to use spaceships and set sophisticated technological
304:
Reavers terrify most non-Reaver humans. Even the most battle-hardened will opt to leave any space where
Reavers are present rather than risk capture. For instance, in the show, when Reavers are coming, Mal becomes very serious and escapes quickly. Reavers are also possibly the only thing that even
152:". He explained how he removed the racial aspect of the Apache metaphor by using the Reavers. "I used that example by saying that anyone who goes out into space and goes mad can become a monster." The purpose Reavers serve in the show has been compared to the Hollywood "Injuns" of the 1950s in
383:
Following the events of
Miranda, the Alliance sealed all records regarding the event and deemed the world unsuitable for colonization. When Reavers began attacking outer colonies, only a few officials within the Alliance knew the real cause. This changes, however, when the crew of
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after it fails to respond to a red light pulse from a Reaver ship. This suggests that
Reavers have retained some level of higher intelligence and social structure, though they are guided solely by their impulse to capture and consume any humans they come in contact with.
243:
They occasionally leave intentional survivors of their raids, apparently subjecting them to a form of brainwashing – forcing them to witness the torture of other Reaver victims – that may drive them into the same state of cannibalistic depravity.
264:, a practice tantamount to suicide. This makes Reaver ships faster than their normal counterparts, but also makes it easier for their prey to detect their approach and to hide by powering down their ships rather than fleeing. Reavers' habit of
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Reaver methods are so horrifying that, when faced with capture, victims have been known to attempt suicide. Survivors have been known to cut their own faces, act and think like
Reavers, and eventually become Reavers themselves.
256:
Reaver ships, captured from their victims, are instantly recognizable by the haphazard red stripes and bodies of victims adorning their hulls. They are also known for flying without proper safety measures such as nuclear engine
247:
They travel in macabre ships stained with blood and decorated with corpses chained to the hulls. They appear to live their whole lives in space, only touching down on a planet or moon to carry out a raid.
305:
Jayne fears, as the mere suggestion of traveling where there is a risk of encountering
Reavers makes him extremely agitated; although he claims to fear no man, Jayne declares that "Reavers ain't
106:
who live on the fringes of civilized space and have become animalistic. Within most of the timeline of the series and movie, the existence of
Reavers is officially denied by the
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239:"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing – and if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."
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government denies their existence, even withholding information on them from
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states that he believes that they are "just men" who have been removed from civilization far too long—men who could be helped. Both
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of people who are captured or who fall into the hands of Reavers are considered humane, as evidenced in one scene in the movie
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Their craft possess a wide variety of exotic weaponry, many of which are designed to snare and capture other ships including
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arrange for what they have uncovered to be broadcast throughout the colonized system, what they refer to as "the 'verse".
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when Mal shoots and kills a man who is grabbed by a few Reavers, who respond by dropping the dead man to the ground.
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their victims with indifference to damaging their own hulls tends to leave their ships appearing battered or torn.
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is visibly terrified as Reaver ships appear through an ion cloud and hastily orders his ships to fire on them.
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The Reavers are mentioned several times during the course of the television show. A Reaver ship is seen in the
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and were driven mad by the open vastness of space. This theory is discussed among most of the crew members of
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cannons, grappling lines, and energy nets. They use weapons that fire giant sharpened disks similar to
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The original theory within the series is that Reavers are men who traveled to the edge of the
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Because of their part in the unethical, if accidental, creation of the Reavers, the
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412:. 2005 Boiling Point Productions DBA Comic Book Resources. Archived from
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429:""We Don't Say 'Indian'" On the Paradoxical Construction of the Reavers"
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explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective
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franchise, but they are a harsh reality around the outer planets.
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Fictional group of humans in the science fiction series Firefly
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290:-sized vessels to captured Alliance warships. In the movie
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are a fictional group of humans in the television series
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The Reavers' true origin is revealed later in the movie
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describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily
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602:(2005); playback of Dr. Caron's audiovisual log. (
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82:Glimpse of a Reaver during their raid on Lilac in
588:(2005); playback of Dr. Caron's audiovisual log
368:strongly disagree with the Shepherd's opinion.
286:The Reavers operate a variety of vessels, from
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479:Espenson, Jane; Yeffeth, Glenn (March 2005).
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454:Epstein, Daniel Robert (30 September 2005).
406:"Joss Whedon Panel @ Wondercon: Full Report"
129:featured Reavers and reveals their origin.
110:, the ruling government of humanity in the
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66:Learn how and when to remove this message
1045:Television characters introduced in 2002
556:. Season 1. Episode 1. 2002-12-20. Fox.
535:. Season 1. Episode 3. 2002-09-27. Fox.
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604:Relevant dialog excerpt transcribed
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188:has been said to be different.
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485:. BenBella Books. p. 17.
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144:series and director of
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865:Boom! Studios comics
512:1:23:52 in the film
435:on November 19, 2012
410:Comic Book Resources
180:" of the Reavers in
156:by outside sources.
100:and subsequent film
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903:Done the Impossible
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857:Leaves on the Wind
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262:containment
210:cannibalism
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465:2007-08-03
392:References
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160:Comic book
123:Bushwacked
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315:Operative
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162:artist
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142:Firefly
133:Concept
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352:. In "
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364:and
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