Inara Serra is a Companion, which is the 26th century equivalent of a courtesan or oiran. Like her Renaissance counterparts, Inara enjoys high social standing. Her presence confers a degree of legitimacy and social acceptance the crew of Serenity would not have without her on board. She and Mal have a strained relationship, with unspoken sexual tension playing a significant part in several episodes, as well as in the movie. Inara arguably represents Mal's heart, and Mal is a noticeably a darker character when Inara is absent (as during the first half of Serenity). She rents one of the ship's two small shuttles.

Inara displays great dignity, civility and compassion. There is strong romantic tension between her and Mal, who share many character traits, but each jokingly objects to the other's "whoring" or "petty theft", respectively. Both refuse to act on their feelings, and try to keep their relationship professional.