The Shepherd

There are reasons beyond the magical/supernatural not to use a real name - our day and age is a right good example.

Stalkers.
Identity thieves.
Jerks from your past with a grudge and an axe to grind.
Data harvesters.
Psychotic Ex's.
Alphabet agency no-necks with too much power, not enough oversight, and attitude problems...

Not having your name makes it a LOT harder for these types of people to get in your face, your life, or your business.

I've used a set of aliases for almost fifteen years now, and they offer an excellent level of protection from the scum listed above.

Think of why you don't just chuck your main, personal e-mail into sites that demand it (an immoral and nasty practice) for access.

Same basic principle... ok ?

Now, if Book ever had any involvement with government, military, or law enforcement, he would surely know just how much future hassle could possibly come of using his real name, and would not do so except in circumstances most dire.

Mal uses a set of aliases too (Captain Harbatkin?)for many of the same reasons, no doubt.

So when you think about it, it only makes sense that "Book" would indeed use an alias.

-F

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In think perhaps Shepard Book played a major part in the battle of 'Serenity Ridge'.

In the deleted scenes on the DVD box set Simon Tam looks up the battle and it mentions a General who turned the tide of the battle. After the battle the troops were just left to die, so
perhaps the said General had a breakdown. He was so guilt ridden that he turned to religion and solitude for the next five or so years. After entering the world again, he looks for a ship and finds one in the spaceport called 'Serenity'! He sees this as a sign and joins the crew hoping to repent or something of that ilk.

It's stretching the info a bit, but it does explain his pull/knowledge in the verse.

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I believe Book is genuine about being a shepherd and not playing a part. However, I also think he used to be a high ranking Alliance figure. One who had power over determining punishments of people and who let that power go to his head and abused it. I believe this because of the scene in Objects In Space. River sees him saying "I don't give a damn whether you're innocent or not. So where does that put you?" Or something to that effect. So, at some point he was in a position where he had the power to determine punishments for criminals or people accused of crimes.

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Quote:

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"I don't give a damn whether you're innocent or not. So where does that put you?"

---

This line reminds me of Tommy Lee Jones' character (Jerrard?) in "The Fugitive". This character was a Federal Marshall responsible for capturing escaped prisoners - he had a similar attitude to his quarry's innocence.

Maybe Book has a similar role with the Alliance?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My Firefly / Serenity blog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4300796

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For me the problem is that Book's inner thoughts seem so completely out of line with his outward persona in OIS. For all the other characters, River 'reads' something that is very much in line with what we already know (Jayne is feeling guilty, Mal is suffering an existential crisis, Simon misses his old life, Inara wants to be taken seriously). But the Shepherd seems to have some kind of nasty anger going on that is completely at odds with his external persona.

What Book actually says is "I don't give half a hump if you're innocent or not! So where does that
put you?" His use of the sexual swearing of 'half a hump' is jarring because (1) On the outside he is talking in a very dignified way about celibacy (2) We've never heard him use this kind of language before, and (3)It's delivered in such a horrible, sneering way.

For my money, there's a very dark secret hidden within Book that can't be explained simply by saying that he's a lawman tracking River and Simon, or that he's turned to Shepherding in penance for previous crimes. Whatever he's hiding it's something that's going on inside of him right now.

"The cat talks?"
"The cat never shuts up."

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The Shepherd is like so many of Whedon's characters... wonderfully complex and paradoxical. In two of the earlier episodes of "the signal" podcast, there's a segment on him (cut into 2 parts, I believe show 2 and 3), that goes through what we know about each episode. With everything I've heard/read/seen, the best theory on Book, in my opinion, is this:

He is responsible for the end of the war. He might even have assassinated the commanding officer(s) of the Independents. At the very least, he was very high up in the Alliance, and is a highly trained warrior with excellent knowledge of the underworld.

Notice the looks he gives the captain here and there... and notice how the captain defers to his judgement.

Also remember when Mal asks him to explain exactly how a Shepherd knows these things, and his explanation was basically I might tell you, someday. He knows Mal was a Browncoat, so he's likely waiting until he becomes closer with him before revealing his alliance ties.

Either way people, we'll know in due time. There's going to plenty more movies, if not a rekindled TV show.

I do have one question though... in all the interviews and reading I've done, notice how NO one is talking about reviving it as a television show... why the hell not? Or is there a better thread to talk about that within?

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First off, IMO I thought Book was a nickname and an obvious evasion to avoid saying his real name. I think the crew accepts that without a problem because they all understand someone escpaing their past.

Second, my guess is that it was Book's family name that the Alliance saw on the ident card. If not family name, then maybe he was at one point tied to the ...grrr, can't remember the name... corporation, and left after things became increasingly brutal.

Those are just guesses, of course. But his identity is such that an officer on a cruiser immediately recognizes him, and gives him complete care and absolute freedom for everybody around him (in other words, no harrassing serenity). That's big stuff, whatever it is.

-Jeff

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