"Out of Gas" is the eighth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. It differs stylistically from the rest of the series, in that it tells its story alternately in three timeframes: events in the present, events in the near-past that led to the present, and events in the past that led to the formation of Serenity's core crew. After Serenity suffers a catastrophe that leaves her crew with only hours of oxygen, flashbacks show how Mal and Zoe acquired Serenity and assembled their motley band. The episode opens with Serenity dead in space; her interiors in disarray and completely devoid of occupancy. The one exception is Captain Malcolm Reynolds, who falls to the floor of the cargo bay, bleeding from a stomach wound. The episode then launches into its varied flashbacks; though the events are presented in this synopsis in strict chronological order, (one era per paragraph), readers should be aware that the episode's narrative moves back and forth bet...