Character Info
Jayne Cobb (played by Adam Baldwin) is a tall (6'4"), physically imposing mercenary previously uninvolved with the Unification War. Despite his comparatively brutish manner, Jayne regularly displays cunning and common sense. Adam Baldwin calls Jayne a "practical guy," explaining his character's use of gallows humor by explaining that when in peril, the choice is to "panic and cry and crap your pants, or you make a joke and you try to survive. Baldwin won the SyFy Genre Awards in 2006 for Best Supporting Actor/Television. Originally a member of a gang that ambushes Malcolm and Zoe, Jayne switches allegiances and joins them after Mal offers him a larger share of heists and his own bunk. Though he engages in a few one-night stands, Jayne has no long-term love interest, beyond a lingering crush on Kaylee that Joss Whedon pointed out in the Serenity commentary. His feelings for her can be seen in his concern during the pilot episode, when he watched her surgery, as well as in his hostility towards Simon (Kaylee's obvious love-interest). Jayne is openly contemptuous of Simon and River, and sees them as a danger to his safety as they may bring the Alliance down on them. Though generally acting brutish and simple, occasionally he hints at a more complex and sensitive character. In "The Message", Jayne is revealed sending money earned by his mercenary activities home to his mother. His mother was using the money to care for a sick girl named Mattie, who is likely a relative though her relation to Jayne was never made clear. In the same episode, he proudly sports a ridiculous orange knit cap with earflaps (a tuque), simply because his mother made it for him. In "Ariel", he shows shame for having considered selling out Simon and River, and in "The Message" he breaks up crying when seeing a family receive their dead son. Additionally, he is almost brought to tears when a young man saves his life by jumping in front of a shotgun blast meant for him. Jayne has shown fear at upsetting Mal and anything to do with Reavers, a subpopulation of feral, cannibalistic humans. Jayne has also demonstrated fear of dying in what he considers an unmanly fashion, notably being "spaced". In "Out of Gas" Jayne is seen on-screen curiously poking at Simon's birthday cake. In the commentaries for episodes "Out of Gas" and "War Stories", it is mentioned that Adam Baldwin added a "tactile" compulsion to the character. Jayne tends to touch, smell and taste things habitually, being constantly in touch with his surroundings. Jayne keeps a large arsenal of weapons in his bunk on Serenity, the largest and most powerful being a firearm (specifically, a "Callahan full-bore auto-lock with a customized trigger, double cartridge and thorough gauge") nicknamed Vera, which he attempts to trade with Mal for his "wife" Saffron in "Our Mrs. Reynolds". Jayne frequently carries a handgun based on a LeMat Percussion Revolver, and in the movie Serenity, carries a machine gun named Lux. Jayne is regarded as something of a Robin Hood-like folk hero by the people of Canton on Higgins' Moon ("Jaynestown"), who have erected a statue of him in the center of the town and sing a song dedicated to "the hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne" ("The Ballad of Jayne Cobb") in which they tell how "he robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor." The true story is that Jayne double-crossed his partner Stitch Hessian and was forced to jettison the money in order to escape. Jayne’s hat is a yellow and orange knitted cap with red ear flaps and a yarn pom-pon on top. It first appeared in the 12th episode of Firefly, "The Message". It was given to character Jayne Cobb by his mother to keep him warm during his travel though space. Jayne thinks the hat is quite cunning, but his fellow shipmates mock him gently about it. Fans of Firefly, who call themselves Browncoats, wear hats similar to Jayne’s Hat to symbolize their affection for the show. Many websites sell copies of the hat, or offer download-able knitting patterns. Other items, such as Jayne’s Hat cookie recipes, are also available. Adam Baldwin, the actor who played Jayne Cobb, enjoys the fans’ reaction to his hat, and says he feels sentimental about the hat himself. He auctioned the original hat from the show for the charity Marine Corps–Law Enforcement Foundation for US$4707.57. In the computer game Team Fortress 2, a hat for the Heavy Weapons Guy can be found entitled the Tough Guy's Tuque.[14] It bears a striking resemblance to Jayne's hat, as indeed does the Heavy Weapons Guy to Jayne. They both personify a stereotypical tough guy, and both have a name for their favorite gun (Jayne's Vera and the HWG's Sasha or Natascha). In the 2009 Borderlands (video game) is a mission to travel to "Jaynistown" to kill "Jaynis Kobb" who had taken over the town after exiling his brother. The character's name and the town name "Jaynistown" is almost certainly a reference to Jayne and the episode "Jaynestown"
Hero of Canton/ The B
Jayne!
The Man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor,
He stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, aint hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Our Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'
He saw the Mudders lament
And he saw the magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents
So he said, "You can't do that to my people"
He said "You can't crush them under your heel"
Jayne strapped on his hat
And in five seconds flat
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The man they call Jayne
He turned 'round his plane
And let that money hit sky
He dropped it onto our houses
He dropped it into our yards
And the man call Jayne
He stole away our pain
And headed out for the stars
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
The Man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor,
He stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, aint hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
Our Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'
He saw the Mudders lament
And he saw the magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents
So he said, "You can't do that to my people"
He said "You can't crush them under your heel"
Jayne strapped on his hat
And in five seconds flat
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne
Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The man they call Jayne
He turned 'round his plane
And let that money hit sky
He dropped it onto our houses
He dropped it into our yards
And the man call Jayne
He stole away our pain
And headed out for the stars
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!