JAYNE COBB

'Jayne Cobb' is a fictional character in the science fiction television series ''Firefly''. He is played by Adam Baldwin.

Contents

Character history

Personality

Reception

References

Character history

Jayne is a tall (6'4"), physically imposing mercenary who did not fight on either side of the Unification War. He met up with former Independent fighters Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe when his gang tried to rob them. Mal offered him a larger share of heists and his own bunk. Jayne then shot one of his companions and joined up with Mal.
Jayne keeps a large arsenal in his bunk on ''Serenity''. He has named his favorite and most powerful gun (a "Callahan full-bore auto lock with customized trigger double cartridge thorough gauge") Vera. He acquired it after killing the previous owner, one of six assassins who were trying to kill him. Jayne frequently carries a handgun based on a LeMat Percussion Revolver, and in the movie ''Serenity'', carries a machine gun named ''Lux'', which is a reference to the internet handle of one of the show's dedicated fans, LuxLucre.
Jayne is regarded as something of a Robin Hood-like folk hero by the people of Canton on Higgins' Moon ("Jaynestown"). They have erected a statue of him in the center of the town and sing a song dedicated to "the hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne" ("The Ballad of Jayne Cobb") in which they tell how "he robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor". The true story is, however, less heroic. Jayne and his then-partner Stitch Hessian did indeed steal from Magistrate Higgins and dropped the money on the town, but this was only because during his escape, Jayne's ship was attacked and damaged. Needing to lose a great deal of weight to remain flying, Jayne dropped the money in desperation, but only after having already thrown out his unfortunate partner. In this episode he lets his emotional walls down the most, becoming deeply disturbed when the townspeople continued to idolize him after learning the truth, and being particularly affected when a man took a shot intended for him when Stitch tried to kill him. He also states that he has been to the edge of space, but doesn't understand what about it could have made Reavers go insane, stating that it "...just looked like more space."

Personality

Despite his tendency to behave in a manner most consider unsophisticated, and his contempt for more intellectual, cultured people like Simon Tam - which also includes openly mocking Kaylee's obvious attraction to Simon - Jayne occasionally displays exceptional cunning and common sense. Adam Baldwin calls Jayne a "practical guy", explaining his character's use of gallows humor by explaining that when in peril, the choice is to "panic and cry and crap your pants, or you make a joke and you try to survive."^[1]
He has played numerous successful jokes on Simon (for instance, tricking Simon, who harbors an excessive fear of the vacuum of space, into putting on a space suit to board a pressurized ship in "Bushwhacked"). He's also credited for the witty, fan-favorite line, "I'll be in my bunk," after witnessing Inara bringing a woman aboard who has paid for her services as a Companion. Jayne also has a keen sense of danger and is often the first to raise an accurate warning about impending peril (also in "Bushwhacked").
From the outset, Jayne is portrayed as a self-centered pragmatist; when offered a position on ''Serenity'' that had more perks than his status as a lowly mercenary, he shot his partner in the leg without a second thought. When put in a situation that involves great personal risk, Jayne will nearly always lean towards a ploy that is to his own immediate advantage and ensures his survival. On occasions where Mal and Zöe have been absent and/or in danger, he often claims that he is next in chain of command in order to motivate the crew to do as he says. However, during the pilot, when given a clean shot at killing and usurping Mal's position during a showdown, Jayne instead chose to remain loyal, though he claims it's only because the money wasn't enough.
Though he engages in a few one-night stands, Jayne has no long-term love interest, beyond a lingering crush on Kaylee that Joss Whedon pointed out in the Serenity commentary. His feelings for her can be seen in his concern during the pilot episode, when he watched her surgery, as well as in his hostility towards Simon (Kaylee's obvious love-interest).
Jayne demonstrates unexpected sentimentality in "The Message", when it is revealed that he sends some of the money earned by his mercenary activities home to his mother. In the same episode, he proudly sports a ridiculous orange knit cap with earflaps, simply because his mother made it for him (Wash: "A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything."). The same "cunning hat" has become a favorite among fans. There are several knitting patterns of it online, and several filk songs have been written about it, such as "Jayne's Hat" by Stan Peale. Other telling examples of Jayne's human side are when Kaylee is shot in the pilot episode and he can be seen watching her nervously from outside the infirmary, as well as his request to Mal of not telling the other crewmembers that he betrayed Simon and River in "Ariel" when he thinks he's about to die. Notably, in ''Serenity'' he is the first to agree with Mal's plan to expose the Alliance's creation of the Reavers, saying "if you can't do something smart, do something right".
Jayne has shown fear at upsetting Malcolm Reynolds and anything to do with Reavers, a subpopulation of feral humans. He is convinced that fugitives Simon and his sister River Tam will bring the Alliance down on them, and this concern fuels his dislike of the Tams. This led to him nearly handing them over to the Alliance in "Ariel", but even before the Alliance forces double-crossed him to keep the money for themselves he was showing doubt about his decision after Simon helped save a patient from an incompetent doctor, and after they learned precisely what had happened to River. Jayne has also demonstrated fear of dying in what he considers an unmanly manner, notably being "spaced".

Reception

Baldwin won the SyFy Genre Awards in 2006 for ''Best Supporting Actor/Television''.^[2]

References

1. Interviews with Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher and Summer Glau
2. SyfyPortal Awards