Out of Gas

A breakdown knocks out life support and Serenity drifts in space. In flashbacks the episode shows how Mal bought the ship and found his crew.

A part in the engine explodes, Zoe is badly hurt, and life support fails. Serenity drifts alone in the void with only a few hours of air left.

Mal sends the crew away in the two shuttles to find help and stays on board himself. A ship answers the distress call, but its captain wants to take Serenity. Mal drives them off with his hidden gun, is shot in the process and, with his last strength, installs the replacement part.

Flashbacks tell how it all began: how Mal and Zoe bought the rusty ship, how Kaylee came aboard because she was the only one who understood the engine, how Jayne switched sides, and how Wash, Inara and Book joined. In the end the crew returns against Mal’s orders – and he wakes up in the infirmary, surrounded by his family.

Written by Tim Minear. The episode jumps between three timelines and is considered by many to be the show’s best.