Beverly, no bother - I just loved the one you already posted so much, I was eager to see the rest.

The only thing I remembe rabout Wash's background is something he mentioned in Our Mrs. Reynolds:

Planet I'm from, couldn't see a one of 'em, pollution's so thick. Sometimes I think I entered flight school just to see what the hell everyone was talking about.

Yep. I thought he would have been a jock, a class clown. I think Anne thought he would have been an AV nerd, who got tired of being bullied and bulked up and worked out.

Zoe was a doctor's daughter, only child, southern family, wealthy, genteel and well-educated. They lost everything in the war, which is why she wound up fighting.

Mal we all know about. My theory was that he was raised by a single mom, rich in life experience, laughter, sense of who he was in the community and family roots going back generations on their land. Lots of men worked there, but there was never a lot of money for new clothes, or a car when he turned 16. He may even have dropped out of high school to help out on the ranch--or farm, whichever. He had an early education in self-sufficiency, getting by and making do, and not feeling any embarrassment about it, and also in bossing people--the men who worked the ranch were mostly older than he was, but he would have been his mother's foreman from an early age. His experiences with command in the war sort of cemented that ability, while also embittering him and making him question his values. The ones he still retains he holds onto fiercely.

I never got as far as Book, but he's a fascinating one to puzzle out, for me.

Simon and River, we know all about them already. And I never connected enough with Inara to speculate about her past more than idly.

Nilly! Thank you. That is exactly what I was hoping for. I even thought to myself, "Maybe Nilly will come along and be all eloquent." Hee!

Beverly, that was great.

Gus, I don't disagree. I think her silence and facial expression (or lack of one) is open to interpretation. Just as everything else in that episode. Fun.

They lost everything in the war, which is why she wound up fighting.

I want Zoe's backstory. I want to know (and I understand you have to change these things to work in the almost-here and nearly-now) if she wound up fighting, or always was kinda like that.

My theory was that he was raised by a single mom,

Huh. I don't see that. I mean he likes women, and strong women, but there definitely seems like there was a Dad in his life. He's invested in a lot of male culture.

there definitely seems like there was a Dad in his life. He's invested in a lot of male culture.

The guys I know that were raised by single mothers were invested in male culture just fine (a couple overly so, sadly) -- but what is this investment on Mal's part that you note?

Zoe is from a military family. I will arm wrestle anyone who says else wise. Except Beverly, that is, 'cuz her scary mental prowess on the Mal thing has spooked me.

From the same episode:

Mal: My momma had a ranch -- back on Shadow, where I'm from. Ran cattle, mostly. Wasn't nobody ran harder or smarter. Used to tell me: don't brand the cattle, brand the buyer; he's the one likely to stray.
Saffron: She raised you herself?
Mal: Well, her and about forty hands. I had more family for a kid...

This is where I got the impression Mal was raised by a single mother:

MAL: My momma had a ranch, back on Shadow where I'm from. Ran cattle, mostly - wasn't nobody ran 'em harder or smarter. Used to tell me, don't brand the cattle, brand the buyer - he's the one likely to stray.

SAFFRON: She raised you herself?

MAL: Well, her and about 40 hands. I had more family for a kid who...

eta: Curse your sudden but inevitable crosspost, Nilly.

The clicking-of-my-keyboard is an evil click.