Comments on Firefly....

In the TV series, and "Serenity" movie, a totalitarian
version of Star Trek's "United Federation of Planets" exists.

Known as the 'Union of Allied Planets', or just 'The
Alliance', it has a large fleet of spaceships and security
personnel (Federal Marshals) which both act as a combined
standing army and navy and which also enforces the laws
of the Alliance in a similar way to (the UFP's) 'Starfleet'.

The military and police arm of the Alliance is headed by a
'Military Council', with each member presumably an equivalent
to a Grand 'Moff' or Admiral in "Star Wars".

An estimated chain-of-command for the Alliance for
Commissioned Officers can be deduced from those ranks
which are mentioned.

Assumed ranks are ended with a question-mark.

1.'Military Council'
2.Admiral?

3.General
4.Colonel
5.Captain
6.Commander

7.Lieutenant-Commander?

8.Lieutenant

9.Lieutenant (junior grade)?

10.Ensign
(where both Commander and Lieutenant are of sufficient rank to
independently command Alliance vessels)

It is never stated whether the Alliance Navy and Federals
(i.e. Marshals) are in the same or separate chains-of-command
nor are the specific ranks of the (non-security) enlisted crew
aboard Alliance vessels given other than position
i.e. technical and medical staff.

Certain officials and personnel are apparently both outside
of the main Alliance chain-of-command but outrank at least
junior officers and enlisted men in certain situations

For example, on the border moons, where laws are enforced by
bounty hunters or local sheriffs and deputies, certain
'officials' have the rank or title of 'Operative' alongside
'Prefects' (Planetary Governors?)
and 'Magistrates'.

Presumably, the title 'Operative' is roughly below or
equivalent to that of Alliance Colonel and the same can probably
said for that of 'Prefect', although there is no evidence for a
Prefect having command of even one Alliance ship.

This being so, all (assumed or given) enlisted ranks can be listed
below in comparison with all titular ranks:
5. 'Operative'
6. 'Prefect'
7. 'Magistrate'
8. 'Sheriff'
9. Sergeant
10. Corporal

11. Petty Officer First Class?
12. Petty Officer Second Class?

13. Marshal

14. Able Spaceman 1st Class?
15. Enlisted Man/Able Spaceman?

18. 'Deputy'
(assuming a Marshall is promoted to Corporal, then to Sergeant
and then to Ensign)

The chain-of-command, using all known ranks, can be given as follows,
with the flag ranks being given alongside their Naval equivalents:
1.Military Council

2.General=Admiral
3.Colonel=Vice-Admiral
4.Captain=Rear-Admiral
5.Operative=Commodore

6.Commander
7.Prefect
8.Lieutenant
9.Magistrate
10.Ensign

11.Sheriff
12.Sergeant
13.Corporal
14.Marshal
15.Deputy

The events in Firefly take place in a multi-star system
known as 'The Verse'. One of the problems with this are that
any habited planet or moon may have an unstable orbit or
unstable climate.

However, using the technology aboard the space vessels seen,
it should be fairly straightforward to adapt any reasonable
sized body to have similar gravity and temperatures.

A high-gravity body can be rotated at a faster rate. This would
act against gravity and bring the surface gravity down to a
familiar level. A low-gravity body can have gravity generators
buried in its core to increase the surface gravity.

A cold or hot body can have its orbit altered, also a cold
body could have greenhouse gases introduced into its atmosphere
to trap thermal radiation.

It is never stated exactly how fast ships can travel in
Firefly, however it is about a two-week journey from the Core
Planets to the Outer Rim worlds. If ships can travel at
velocities greater or equal to half light speed it is
reasonable for even the innermost star orbiting the
Core to be a fiftieth of a light-year distant from it.

This is assuming that all the planets, Brown Dwarfs and
Protostars orbit the main Sun in successive circular orbits,
in a similar way to our own Solar System.

The Core Planets number nineteen. Presumably the innermost
two or three are only habitable at night, the next say six
to eight are relatively habitable at the polar regions.

Those numbered 11 to 14 (roughly) are habitable virtually
all year round and in most locations, while 15 and 16 are
probably only habitable by day and 17 to 19 in the
Equatorial regions.

Those Moons orbiting Brown Dwarfs (the Border Planets)
recieve some light from the main Sun and some from the
nearest Protostar. They would also recive thermal radiation
from their Brown Dwarf. These Moons are all likely to be
reasonably habitable but may not receive enough light
for plant photosynthesis. This means food may either
be imported (oxygen can presumably be generated on an
industrial scale) or grown in artificial light for the
most part.

Finally, a number of Planets and Moons orbit four
Protostars. They may receive sufficient light and
they may receive sufficient heat but it is doubtful
that many receive both on a constant basis.