Even though each of the sets were designed and built contiguously, it was not possible to build one set on top of the other. This meant that they had to be built side-by-side, making the hidden cut necessary in order to fulfil Whedon’s vision of an unbroken introduction to the crew and the ship. Everything before is shot on one set, everything else, on the other set.

In order to make this transition as smooth as possible, the same hallway in which the cut takes place, was actually built on both sets.

Why it was done: safety

There were a number of reasons why it was felt a single-shot was appropriate at this point. It was not, according to Whedon, them “trying to do a shot that says ‘Oh, look what we can do with a steadi-cam” (but also, look what they can do with a steadi-cam!) The reason was that he wanted “to give a sense of safety in space.”

read more: Why Joss Whedon Left the Batgirl Movie

This is the first time we are reintroduced to the ship and the entire crew, and comes after an audacious triple-leveled expositional opening which takes the form of “a man watching a video of a girl having a dream” (Inception eat your heart out!).