Episode 8 FireFly

In episode 8: Out of Gas for Firefly season 1, Mal takes the noble role that most captains do of going down with the ship. He forces everyone else off the ship and into the two escape shuttles. This was to ensure that everyone else had a chance to survive in case they ran into another ship that could help them. Mal chooses to stay with the ship incase a ship happens to hear their distress beacon and come to aid the Serenity. One of the many questions to consider by the selfless act to stay aboard the ship is that, how far are some willing to go in order to protect others? Is there a point where it becomes unnecessary or survival of the fittest? Mal has taken the protection of his entire crew to its extreme and put himself in a position where death was almost inevitable. Due to a fortunate situation Mal was able to get the part and make it to the engine room to fix the ship. However, he collapses before he can call the other ships back. Next, when Mal wakes up he is surrounded by everyone in the infirmary. Zoey made a decision for both ships to return to Serenity to see if Mal had fixed it and in turn saved Mal's life. Everyone risked their lives to go back to the ship instead of continuing to fly further away just to see if Mal was alright. This is a truly dedicated crew that all care for each other and will go to any extreme to both help and protect one another. It is rare to find a group of people that started as strangers create a bond so deep with one another they are willing to their lives for one another, which is the ultimate form of sacrifice. This episode actually upset me because I thought they might kill off a character, but it all ended well.