It’s like it’s been illuminated! All hail FSM!
It’s always best to begin at the beginning. 
From Wikipedia:
Jubal Early is a bounty hunter who appears in the finale episode “Objects in Space”. Early, played by Richard Brooks, boards Serenity with the intention to kidnap River Tam in return for a bounty. Joss Whedon’s DVD commentary for this episode reveals that Early was partly inspired by the Star Wars character Boba Fett. He shares his name with the Confederate Civil War General Jubal Anderson Early, who is an ancestor of Nathan Fillion.
Early is athletic and is clearly adept at unarmed combat. He is also intelligent and eccentric, given to rambling on philosophic matters in the middle of tense situations (possibly to confuse and control those he is hunting). When River is on his ship, she is able to deduce that he is/was a sadist, who tortured his neighbors’ pets, cleaning up afterward, “shined and polished,” as River says. But his mother’s dog could smell it on him and “Never took a liking to you,” says River. She continues that his mother was relieved to see him go because she felt a darkness in him. He also threatened to rape Kaylee if she did not do as he told her, and used the same threat of raping Kaylee when he dealt with Simon. At the end of “Objects in Space”, Mal leaves him floating through space. Early has the distinction of uttering the last lines in the Firefly television series as he floats through space: “Well… here I am.” Early’s ultimate fate is unknown, but, when questioned by Inara, Mal stated that his chances were “One in… a very large number” with the oxygen he had remaining. However, it was later hinted that Jubal would have a return role.
I’m rewatching with the commentary now. Joss said someone said to him “Bobba Fett” (misspelling intentional) that gave him the idea of the episode.
His Noodly Appendages move in mysterious ways.
With FSM, all things are possible.
His meatballs be praised.
Thanks for the wiki Badger.
Now I’m hungry. And I have to go to bed.
Night all, talk to you at the Buffy frak, or two weeks from now.