Comments on: What type and manufacturer of sword did River use in the movie Serenity?

Question: What type and manufacturer of sword did River use in the movie Serenity?

dabradfo — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 12:44:02 -0800

Serenity filter: What type and manufacturer of sword did River use in the movie Serenity?

By: TeamBilly

TeamBilly — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 12:49:27 -0800

River used a sword? Or the agent of the Parliament - the guy hunting her?

By: teece

teece — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:07:03 -0800

I would guess that the sword in question is the one used toward the end

***SPOILER***

You know, the one with which she kills all the reavers (she also uses some kind of ax).

By: prolific

prolific — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:12:53 -0800

I'm giving the community at Whedonesque.com a chance to answer this.

By: jdroth

jdroth — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:45:30 -0800

I thought she used an axe.

By: theonetruebix

theonetruebix — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:04:26 -0800

She used two weapons in the final battle, one axe-like and one sword-like I say "like" because most of the Reaver weapons were custom designs or bastardized real-world designs.

By: richmondparker

richmondparker — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:04:30 -0800

Here's the actual sword for sale. Don't know if that helps or not...(sorry if this isn't the right one...haven't seen the film yet.)

By: theonetruebix

theonetruebix — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:05:40 -0800

Are you sure that sword at Prop Store is the one she used? You'd think the Prop Store would mention she used it, since they are very good at specifying when a prop was used by one of the main characters. I think that's just a random Reaver sword.

By: PurplePorpoise

PurplePorpoise — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:37:13 -0800

The picture from richmondparker's link reminds me of a machete or a falchion. The tip is a little too blunt to be a kopesh, but it could also be based on that.

Heavy cleaving/hacking weapons have been common in many cultures.

The image is really low-rez but the markings on the blade remind of damascene or wootz metal.

By: krisjohn

krisjohn — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:37:48 -0800

richmondparker: Nice find, but it doesn't match the sword in the poster

By: PurplePorpoise

PurplePorpoise — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:41:36 -0800

Ok, the one in the poster seems to be modeled after the khopesh. The axe thing looks like a stylized fantasy piece.

By: CCK

CCK — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 16:14:38 -0800

better question: Where can I find a "Vera" of my very own?

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:07:29 -0800

Sometimes a sword is just a sword.

This is one of those times when it'd be nice if JossBot himselvis stepped in to give The Definitive Answer. I'm not a betting man, but if'n I were, I'd say he's gonna be predictably silent. I'd enjoy being wrong on this one, but it's a real burden being right so often.

By: benzo8

benzo8 — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:10:06 -0800

Almost always, items such as this are custom-made items designed by the Production Designer to fit the piece. It's unlikely that River's sword will have a "type" or "manufacturer" that you can track down...

By: richmondparker

richmondparker — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 13:22:58 -0800

I recently got back from Spain, where I visited the town of Toledo (famous for swordmaking). I couldn't find the link right away, but one company, in particular, is proud of the fact that it produces many of the swords seen in Hollywood movies. Their site (in Spanish) is HERE. Nothing from Serenity, but it might be a little early for them to have released it. Just a thought...