Alliance Military

The Alliance operates a massive fleet of spaceships, resembling huge floating cities, that act as both military and police for the distances between the various planets of the Firefly Universe. Alliance ships have the registry prefix IAV (Interstellar Alliance Vessel). Examples include the IAV Dortmunder and IAV Magellan. The pilot episode of the series reveals that the large city-ships carry smaller craft referred to as 'gunships', though the gunships themselves are never identified and their specific characteristics are never revealed.

In the film Serenity, we see a fleet of sleeker, more streamlined warships, suggesting that the Alliance has a wide variety of space vessels for various purposes.

Alliance ground troops are nicknamed "purple bellies" (in contrast to the Independent "browncoats"). They wear armor similar to that worn by the Mobile Infantry. Crewmembers on Alliance starships wear gray uniforms resembling those worn by Imperial German Army from the Second World War; officers and enlisted crew are identically dressed (except for headgear: officers wear hats, enlisted crew wear berets). In Serenity, Alliance crew members wear blue uniforms.

The exact structure of the Alliance military, such as its rank system and branch organization, is not identified within the series or the film. Some Alliance officers have been seen with naval ranks, such as Commander, and others with ground-based ranks such as Colonel and General.

Bio for the Alliance General, Mad Max:
I was born in Chattanooga, TN and grew up in Knoxville. That's where I met my brother, Bert Dimick (Fast Walker). We would sneak around and try to see how close we could get to people without them knowing or seeing us. We were really pretty good at it. That is what led me into paintball. I actually got hooked, though, when my buddy Dan and I bought a paintball gun as a birthday present for another buddy of ours (and of course bought ourselves one as well). The next thing you know Team Fugazi was born with the devoted help of Spyder (my brother from a different mother). If not for him, Fugazi wouldn't be what it is today. He got bit by the paintball bug just as bad as I did. I am very honored to be General for this game. So, I'll see you on the field. "It's GO,GO,GO out there," and let's get going. PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!

"A government is a body of people usually notably ungoverned."

~Shepard Book