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Firefly character
Zoe Washburne
Gender	Female
Born	15 February 2484
Homeworld	None (born aboard a spaceship)
Occupation	First mate of Serenity
Notable relatives	Hoban Washburne (husband)
Portrayed by	Gina Torres

Zoe Washburne (née Alleyne) is a character in the television series Firefly, played by Gina Torres.

Born February 15, 2484, "Vesselside" (given her statements to Wash during an argument in the episode "Heart of Gold," this is clearly an expression meaning "aboard a spaceship"), Zoe served in the Unification War under Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds and continues under his command on his spaceship, Serenity. A loyal second-in-command and a tough, deadly fighter, Zoe is the only member of Mal's crew to regularly call him "sir" and take orders as if receiving them from a superior officer.

Zoe married Serenity's pilot Wash sometime after he joined the crew, though initially she claimed that something about him "bothered" her—possibly his disturbing moustache (seen in flashback in the episode "Out of Gas"). In the DVD commentary for the episode "Shindig," costume designer Shawna Trpcic mentions that the leather necklace Zoe always wears is a symbol of her marriage bond. However, she is seen wearing the necklace in the flashback sequences of "Out of Gas," well before she has married Wash. In the book Firefly: The Official Companion - Vol. 1, it is said that the necklace is actually a shoelace from the boots that Zoe wore during the Unification War.

According to the book Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, Firefly series creator Joss Whedon writes that Zoe's last name was Alleyne (at least at the time of the Unification War), and she took the name Washburne after her marriage to Hoban Washburne. This is confirmed in a deleted scene from Serenity where a display lists her military name as Corporal Zoe Alleyne. In the documentary Re-Lighting the Firefly, her name is given as Zoe Warren, apparently a version of her name which was considered at one time, but changed by the time the film Serenity was released.

At the time of the Battle of Serenity Valley, Zoe had attained the rank of Corporal. Along with Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, she was the only other survivor of their platoon in that battle.

Unlike Mal, she was career military, and is often more calm in dangerous situations than Mal (possibly a difference between being volunteer and career military). Mal often thinks with his heart while Zoe usually thinks with her head. Regardless, Zoe follows all orders from Mal, although often with a degree of advice or concern.

Her weapon of choice appears to be identical to the Mare's Leg, a custom Winchester Model 1892 rifle used by Steve McQueen's character Josh Randall in the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive. Joss Whedon calls the Mare's Leg his "favorite gun of all times"^{[citation needed]}. The actual gun she uses in the series was originally used in the series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr..^[1]

1. ^ Whedon, Joss (2006). "Have You Ever Been with a Warrior Woman?: Zoe's Pistol and Vest". Firefly: Official Companion, Volume One: 104, Titan Books.