Needing cash after a botched salvage job, the crew takes on several passengers:

Here is a blog-style post recapping and reviewing this iconic introduction to the "Verse." The Setup: From Soldiers to Smugglers

The episode opens in the midst of the , six years prior to the main story. We meet Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds and Zoe Washburne as they desperately try to hold Serenity Valley against the Alliance . When their side surrenders, Mal’s faith is shattered, setting the stage for the cynical, independent captain we follow in the present day.