G;rowing; up on Athens wasn't easy. She was just a child during the war, but out on the border, it wasn't easy for her parents to avoid the fighting. Her father fought during the war, although she was too young to know what he was fighting for, or even be clear on which side.

Athens was one of those planets that was captured and recaptured many times through the course of the war, and each time, the new government treated the captive population worse than the last. Near the end of the war, before the Alliance's total victory, the Browncoats took the planet, and looted it in a last desperate attempt to survive the war. During this violent time, her mother was killed by a looter for trying to keep enough food to feed Lee.

With her mother dead, and her father never returning from the war, Lee was raised by her grandfather. He taught her how to protect herself from the rough border population, how to avoid becoming ruthless and needlessly violent herself, and how to stay true to her friends. In short, he made her the woman she is today.

She decided very young that the people on Athens bore no interest for her, and that she'd need to travel the 'verse to find a place she belongs. She is now travelling the galaxy looking for a new home, someone to love, and somewhere to live.

The part of Gong Li will be played by Lucy Liu in the movie. The part was written with the actress who played Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha in mind. But as her name is Li Gong, and plays the part of another Gong Li in Hannibal Rising (I can't believe that!) - to avoid confusion, the role was offered to Lucy, who gladly accepted.