River Tam is highly augmented human girl who possess extraordinary abilities. River enjoyed a comfortable life in an affluent family. From child hood she was classified as a child prodigy.
She was selected for a government run school for advanced students, the Academy. Which claimed to nurtured the natural gifts of its student. it was in fact a cover for a government experiment in creating the perfect assassin. While in the hands of the Alliance doctors and scientists, River was secretly and extensively experimented on, including surgery that stripped her amygdala.
Her brain and personality were intentionally fractured in order to rewire connection to latent mental abilities.
The brutal process permanently damaged many of River’s attachments to reality. But she was effectively weaponized into an elite assassin.
She was rescued by her brother Simon but tracked relentlessly by several agents of the Alliance, primarily Lawrence Dobson, two blue-gloved men, McGinnis, the bounty hunter Jubal Early, and finally the Operative.
She has joined the crew of the Serenity Captained by Malcolm Reynolds and remains at large.
When calm and Lucid River is a pleasant and curious teen, be she remains highly unstable and can become dangerous without warning.
River possess several telepathic abilities including a form or precognition. She is a highly trained fighter capable of disabling a dozen well armed soldiers single handedly.