Spoilers for Serenity.
Specifically, numbers. I’ve looked at some discussions and the consensus seems to be that the original population was 30 million, and that it was one-tenth of a percent (not the 10% that I heard) who were affected, which would leave a starting population of 30,000 reavers.
Okay, I heard 10% too, and was thinking 3 million Reavers, with no chance of breeding thanks to their unshielded cores.
…30,000? Aren’t we going to be short of Reavers sometime soon? Of course it better explains how they all got off the planet.
I’ve been back to see the film, and it was 1/10 of 1%…
I have to wonder how many they managed to, er, “recruit” in the style we saw in the show. Probably not many, but possibly enough to replace deaths from radiation, in raids, and attacks on each other.
A few more decades, though, and the problem might take care of itself.
Maybe they’re like vampires. But you’re right, considering they eat anyone they capture then it seems likely recruitment numbers will be low and not enough to bolster the population for continual survival.