The Operative Quotes in Serenity (2005)

The Operative: Do you know what your sin is Mal?

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Ah Hell... I'm a fan of all seven. But right now... I'm gonna have to go with wrath.

The Operative: That girl will rain destruction down on you and your ship. She is an albatross, Captain.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Way I remember it, albatross was a ship's good luck, 'til some idiot killed it.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: [to Inara] Yes, I've read a poem. Try not to faint.

The Operative: I'm sorry. If your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to. You should have taken my offer. Or did you think none of this was your fault?

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: I don't murder children.

The Operative: I do. If I have to.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Why? Do you even know why they sent you?

The Operative: It's not my place to ask. I believe in something greater than myself. A better world. A world without sin.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: So me and mine gotta lay down and die... so you can live in your better world?

The Operative: I'm not going to live there. There's no place for me there... any more than there is for you. Malcolm... I'm a monster. What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done.

The Operative: [Speaking on the bridge of his ship] You should have let me see her, Captain. We should have done this as men - not with fire.

[Serenity emerges from the clouds... ]

The Operative: Vessel in range, lock on.

[... and heads straight for the Alliance ships... ]

The Operative: [smirks] Bastard's not even changing course.

[... followed by a swarm of Reaver vessels emerging from the clouds! The Operative freezes]

Alliance Pilot: Sir...?

The Operative: Target the Reavers... Target the Reavers! Target everyone!

[shouts]

The Operative: Somebody, *fire*!

The Operative: Are you willing to die for your beliefs?

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: I am...

[they draw. Mal fires first, and the Operative is forced to take cover]

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: 'Course, that ain't exactly plan A.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: [the Operative has politely asked Mal to return River] You have to open with payment.

The Operative: That is a trap. I offer money, you'll play the man of honor and take umbrage; I ask you to do what is right and you'll play the brigand. I have no stomach for games.

The Operative: I already know you will not see reason.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: The Alliance wanted to show me reason, they shouldn't have sent an assassin.

The Operative: I have a warship in deep orbit, Captain. We locked onto Serenity's pulse beacon the moment you hit atmo. I can speak a word and send a missile to that exact location inside of three minutes.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: You do that, you'd best make peace with your dear and fluffy lord.

[Mal tosses mechanism at the Operative]

The Operative: [catching the mechanism] Pulse beacon.

[Deleted scene]

The Operative: Serenity... you lost everything in that battle. Everything you had, everything you were. How did you go on?

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: If you're still standing there when that engine starts, you never will figure it out.

The Operative: You know, in certain older civilized cultures, when men failed as entirely as you have, they would throw themselves on their swords.

Dr. Mathias: Well, unfortunately, I forgot to bring a sword.

Dr. Mathias: [as the Operative pulls out his sword] I would put that down right now if I were you.

The Operative: Would you be killed in your sleep, like an ailing pet?

Dr. Mathias: [referring to Dr. Simon Tam who has just helped his sister, River Tam, escape] Gave up a brilliant future in medicine as well. It's madness.

The Operative: Madness?

[Ambles over to the holographic projection of River and Simon escaping through an air vent]

The Operative: Have you looked at this scan carefully, Doctor? At his face? It's love, in point of fact. Something a good deal more dangerous.

The Operative: Secrets are not my concern. Keeping them is.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: They take you down, I don't expect to grieve overmuch. Like to kill you myself, I see you again.

The Operative: You won't...

[small, grim smile]

The Operative: There is nothing left to see.

The Operative: I want to resolve this like civilized men. I'm not threatening you. I'm unarmed.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Good.

[pulls gun and shoots Operative in the chest, knocking him into the wall, grabs Inara and gets ready to leave]

The Operative: [grabs Mal from behind] I am, however, wearing full body armor. I am not a moron!

The Operative: [to Mal] You cannot make me angry.

Inara Serra: Please, spend an hour with him!

The Operative: Yes, have you found the nav sat trajectory?

Ensign: Sir, we found seven.

The Operative: There are a lot of innocent people being killed in the air right now.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: You have no idea how true that is.

The Operative: [to Mal] You are fooling yourself, Captain. Nothing here is what it seems. You are not the plucky hero, the Alliance is not an evil empire, and this is not the grand arena.

Inara Serra: And that's not incense.

[He turns to look: the incense stick burns away - rather like a fuse - and FLASHES in an explosion of light and sound]

The Operative: Define "disappeared".

The Operative: You're fighting a war you've already lost.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Yeah, well, I'm known for that.

The Operative: "Key members of Parliament". Key. The minds behind every military, diplomatic and covert operation in the galaxy, and you put them in a room with a psychic.

Dr. Mathias: Look... even if River Tam did by any chance read the minds of any of the visiting Parliment members here, whatever government secrets she may have read she may not even remember any them for they are all probaly buried under layers of psychosis.

The Operative: Secrets are not my concern. Keeping them is.

The Operative: It's worse than you know.

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: It usually is.

Dr. Mathias: I need to see your clearance.

The Operative: And you are right to insist.

[the operative places his hand on a scaner pad and an authorization color file appears on the computer screen]

Dr. Mathias: Apologies. An operative of the parliament will, of course, have full full cooperation. I... I'm not sure what... I see no listing of rank or name.

The Operative: I have neither. Like this facility, I don't exist.

The Operative: Where are you hiding, little girl?

The Operative: Every minute you keep River Tam from me, more people will die.

The Operative: Do you know what your sin is, Doctor?

Dr. Mathias: I wonder if...

The Operative: It's pride.