I.D. of an Intrepid Volunteer Soldier
We have for you a relic of that early 26th century conflict – the Unification War between the ruling Alliance and secessionists known as the Independents.
These are the dog tags of Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, who fought alongside Corporal Zoe Alleyne in the Battle of Serenity Valley.
The zinc alloy dog tags with a bronze-like finish feature the logo of the Independents Army: a downward-pointing triangle surrounding an upward-pointing star. But an upside-down version of the logo also appeared onscreen. Costume designer Shawna Trpcic of the TV series Firefly says it was unintentional – a wardrobe boo-boo.
But we saw it as a boo-boo with creative potential.
So, our set of tags incorporates both logos. It made sense to us that the tag with the original logo would go to the family when a soldier is killed. The tag with the upside-down logo (an upward-pointing triangle surrounding a downward-pointing star), we surmised, would remain with the soldier's body.
At the top of the tag's face are Chinese characters for soldier and for the numbers 5 and 7 signifying the 57th Overlanders Bridade, to which Malcolm Reynolds belonged.
The flip side of the tag has a sort of 26th century QR code. Beneath that is Malcolm Reynolds' rank and his serial number. The set of two tags come with ball-chain necklaces and are cleverly packaged in a specially designed Blue Sun cigarillo box.