 Gina Torres as Zoe Alleyne Washburne — second @-@ in @-@ command onboard Serenity , a loyal wartime friend of Captain Reynolds , and the wife of Wash . Her surname during the Unification War was Alleyne . She was born and raised on a ship and served under Mal during the war as a corporal . Described by her husband as a " warrior woman " , she is a capable fighter who keeps calm even in the most dangerous situations . She demonstrates an almost unconditional loyalty to Mal , the only exception noted being her marriage to Wash , which the captain claims was against his orders . 
