Even though Firefly has been cancelled for over 10 years, we still feel it’s necessary to warn you: Spoilers ahead!
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After describing in detail just how crushing the death of Wash was to his psyche, Hill begins to breakdown the science behind it. Wash was killed off at the end of Serenity, a victim of a Reaver spear that blasted through the spaceship’s forward-facing windows. After analyzing NASA forums, technical reports, and glass manufacturing data, Hill concluded that there was a chance the spear would have been unable to pierce the impact-resistant glass surely present on a futuristic aircraft built for space flight.
Hill found that present-day shuttles have windows built to withstand impact during travel. A typical space shuttle is equipped with glass that is 2.5-inches thick — the thickest window that can be made while still allowing for clear visibility. The current system of impact shielding seems to be working rather well as a shuttle window has never been breached by an impact. Working with the presumption that mankind would continue to develop and improve our technology, Hill assumed that Serenity’s front window would be of equal or greater strength than our current shuttles are built with.
Some people will go to any lengths to support their fanboy fantasies! Of course, I’m not holding a grudge against Joss for completely ruining Firefly with the film Serenity or anything. Oh no, not at all. Nope, not one little bit…