This is a wonderful idea, and it made me think of my own recent musings: who has to be there for it to be Serenity? My own response was Mal, Zoe, and River. If you lose any of those three, it doesn't work. If you lose Jayne, the ship is less funny, there's less lightness. If you lose Kaylee or Simon, there's less humanity and love. When you lose Inara, you lose grace and conscience, and it becomes, as you so clearly pointed out, more a man's ship.

When you lose Wash, there's less lightness and humor, less love, and less conscience, and I think the only reason we can handle that is that we have Jayne, Kaylee and Simon, and Inara still left, who double those parts.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling. Lovely piece.