Most of this issue takes place "one year ago", on Haven, when
Shepherd Book was still alive.
On pages 2-4, Book explains the Serenity Prayer, written by
Reinhold Niebuhr. This is an actual prayer composed by Niebuhr
in 1932-33. There are many variations of the prayer. The small
part we see Book deliver here is a unique one. Reinhold Niebuhr
(1892–1971) was an American theologian.
On page 5, the Haven colony's doctor says that the dead woman
who was just cremated had the touch fever, spread by skin
contact, so they must burn everything she's known to have
touched. The touch fever appears to be a fictitious name, but
the disease may be based on an actual Earth disease, as most
things in the 'Verse are renamed versions of things from
Earth-That-Was.
Back to Firefly/Serenity
Episode Studies
