lan-ri replied to your post: Things to remember: Simon is ten years...
whaaaaaat. Even w/ that flashback scene? I mean, I always figured 5-7 years or so from that …
Well, the age gap between Zac Efron and Skylar Roberge is eight years, so two years isn’t actually so far off. (The age gap between Sean Maher and Summer Glau is actually smaller at six years.)
But, anyway...
The Serenity bluray has a dossier extra that, while riddled with some errors and so it’s a bit dubious, states that Simon was born November 2490.
Simon says River was fourteen when she was sent to the Academy and that it took him two years to get close to her so she’s sixteen in 2517 plus she’s seventeen in the film, which takes place late 2518 (I’ve written a quick and dirty timeline here). However! That would make her born 2499, so nine years! But, prop that says River is born in December 2500, which explains why she’s sixteen in 2517 and 17 in 2518, and it confirms ten years.