LOS ANGELES – January 3, 2012 – A few months back we were lucky enough to visit the wonderful folks at Universal Archives who preserve and care for some of the greatest treasures of movie history.

As we walked through their enormous facility, seeing amazing objects at every turn, our eyes fell upon a large, familiarly shaped piece covered with opaque plastic.

"Is, um, that what we think it is?" we asked the curator who was leading the tour. A major Browncoat, she smiled and said, "Yes."

It was the 12-foot-long, Reaverized Serenity filming miniature used to create the crash sequence on Mr. Universe's planet toward the end of the movie, Serenity. Created by the incredibly talented folks at Grant McCune Design for the film, the model was, in a word, breathtaking.

We asked for and were given permission to come back with a camera crew to document this most amazing sci-fi artifact. We have selected some incredible photos of this impressive work to share with you.