 Firefly maintained an ensemble cast that portrayed nine crew members and passengers of the ship , Serenity . These characters fight criminals and schemers , Alliance security forces , the utterly psychotic and brutal Reavers , and the mysterious men with " hands of blue " — who are apparently operatives of a secret agency which is part of the megacorporation referred to in the DVD commentary only as The Blue Sun Corporation . The crew is driven by the need to secure enough income to keep their ship operational , set against their need to keep a low profile to avoid their adversaries . Their situation is greatly complicated by the divergent motivations of the individuals on board Serenity , but complex characterization was hampered by the show 's brief run . 
