The Shepherd

POSTED BY: ShadoworBust
UPDATED: Friday, October 21, 2005 00:55
VIEWED: 19132
PAGE 5 of 6

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 NEXT PAGE

KIZYR

Sunday, September 25, 2005 4:50 AM

It's too bad I'm breaking in pretty late on this discussion. Shepherd Book is definitely my favourite character on the series (Kaylee coming in a close second). And all throughout I've been trying to piece together clues on what I know about him.

What's already been brought up is:
1) his ident-card gets him royal treatment
2) he knows way too much about crime
3) he's a damn good fighter
4) he is really a shepherd, though he may not have been all his life
5) he doesn't give half a hump if you're innocent or not

So where does that put him?

I figure due to #1, he's not revealing his true name to anyone. So Book has to be an alias, no other way around it (speaking of which... do they ever mention Wash and Zoe's last name(s)?). Due to #2 and #3, I figure he had to have been in either law enforcement or law-breaking. I'm leaning towards law enforcement.

Now, because of #4 and #5 things start to get interesting. Throughout the entire series, right from the pilot, it always seemed like he was trying to get out and atone for something. He may have been a preacher, but he never gave off the holier-than-thou aura--more like the we-are-all-sinners one. I mean, he may have gotten flustered around Inara in the pilot, but by the end he's asking for her advice.

The question, now, is what he's making up for. He had to have done something bad in the past, and I definitely agree that the alias is a way to both escape from his past and find some way to correct whatever wrongs he's done. Now, whether he has any previous connections to any of the Serenity crew... I think that's up for grabs.

One last bit (spoiler for the comics)

Select to view spoiler:

His punch to Mal's face, and eventual decision to leave, lead me to believe that he really is looking for atonement. I figure he originally thought that working with semi-legal former rebels could work out to that end, but now his doubts outweigh his faith. That solidifies my notion that he doesn't have a past connection with any of the Serenity crew.

KF

~Kaiser Farooque

TANTRICLOKI

Wednesday, October 5, 2005 9:11 AM

Shepard is following the japanese tradition; become a mighty warrior (operative) kill thousands for you daimayo; then later in life repent for you life as a killing machine and retire into monkhood

JEANLUCPICARD

Monday, October 10, 2005 2:37 AM

I just wish we found out about Book before he died.... that was the bad part about Serenity.... cool Book with his wierd past dies.... and I won't even mention Wash... I mean honestly what honor is there in a giant spike popping through the window and killing you?

KIZYR

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:13 AM

Please mark your spoilers! For the love of the 'verse, hit EDIT on your post there and put that line in Spoiler tags. Don't go and ruin the movie... KF

~Kaiser Farooque

ZOE: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
BOOK: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps...

JEANLUCPICARD

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:16 AM

You mean firefly fans here haven't seen it....

I do that on Startrek.com... I'll do it here too... I jsut figured everyone knew.

KIZYR

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 4:41 AM

This isn't startrek.com, if you haven't noticed. The movie's much more recent than the last Star Trek.

Besides which, not all Firefly fans have seen the movie. There are a lot of fans who frequent this site in countries where Serenity hasn't yet been released (the UK release was just last weekend). Take a cue from the rest of the site and where people are considerate enough to mark spoilers, particularly major ones. It's a very simple courtesy you can do; you can still go back and hit EDIT there. KF

~Kaiser Farooque

ZOE: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
BOOK: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps...

HANNIBAL

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 11:46 AM

Regarding Shepherds ID-Card.

First post so i might be missing something, but actually the reason why Shepherd gets the treatment in Safe is explained at the end of the episode. When the Tams enter the dining room you can overhear the following conversation between Mal and Shepherd:
Mal: "[...] (couldnt quite hear the start of the sentence, might be "To think") Shepherds sister is a companion..."
Shepherd "A good girl, too"
[laughter]

Might be wrong since the subtitles say:
"Mal: The shepherd says --
[Continues, Indistinct]"

But still it would be an explanation, lets just assume that there is a big age difference between Shepherd and his Sister or that the keeps herself young.

Well if Shepherd doesnt give a decent explanation for what was happening why would Mal allow Shepherd to stay on the ship? Mal doesnt have a liking to relgion and Shepherd doesnt exactly have any purpose/duty on the ship. There is no reason for a Freerunner to have a shepherd, so practically in terms of crew managment he is as useless as River, but she comes in a Package with a Doctor. Shepherd is more or less just dead freight. Why would Mal allow him to become a part of the crew unless he knows that he is of a certain use?

VISITINGMYINTENTIONS

Thursday, October 13, 2005 2:33 AM

Quote:
Well if Shepherd doesnt give a decent explanation for what was happening why would Mal allow Shepherd to stay on the ship? Mal doesnt have a liking to relgion and Shepherd doesnt exactly have any purpose/duty on the ship. There is no reason for a Freerunner to have a shepherd, so practically in terms of crew managment he is as useless as River, but she comes in a Package with a Doctor. Shepherd is more or less just dead freight. Why would Mal allow him to become a part of the crew unless he knows that he is of a certain use?

The question of why the shepherd remains on the ship has bothered me quite a bit. Dobson was dead before he reached Boros, and Simon and River had reason and excuse (useful doctor wanted by police) to stay aboard. But there is no reason the preacher shouldn't have gotten off at the destination he'd paid to be transported to.

I think the shepherd's reasons for staying on board are part of the complexities of his own character. Is it part of a secret mission, or a heartfelt desire to help the souls of the "heathen's a-plenty right here", or both?

Mal's reasons for keeping him are interesting. It could be, and seems it must be, that Book is continuing to pay his way. This leads us to wonder where Book's cash comes from. We know how Inara earns her rent money, and the rest earn their way as part of the crew. I think Book has some large reserve of money from a very sketchy past, or else he has a secret, rich and powerful employer.

I think Mal keeps him on in part because he is a man of God. Sure, they make a person feel guilty and judged, but Mal feels guilty and judges himself all the time. An external conscience makes Mal less conflicted within, takes some of the burden off. Mal isn't an atheist; he's angry at God. The shepherd is part of the process of bringing the Mal who died in Serenity Valley back to life.

...That's my take on things, anyhow. I think Shepherd Book is one of the most intriguing characters on Serenity, and I want to know more. Stupid FOX, give me my Firefly back!

---------------------------------------------------
Early: Where'd she go?

Simon: I can't keep track of her when she's NOT incorporeally possessing a spaceship, don't look at me --

ACG2002

Thursday, October 13, 2005 11:13 AM

Someone has already commented it here, but I'll bet that Book was a general or something alike during the war and, most likely, he had a great deal to do in the battle of Serenity Valley. He would have become a shepherd to pay for his decisions (that provoked a massacre, after all) and he would have stayed with Reynolds, even though he had no reason to after Dobson was killed and he learnt about his bussiness, because he would feel that destiny had brought him a chance to redemption. Of course, he would not have wanted Mal to know about his past.
With respect to Mal, he probably let him join the crew because he acts as his conscience, in the same way Inara does, and because Book really gave him no real reasons to put him out (less than Simon, at least) Plus Mal tends to get attached to people in the ship, specially since he has nothing else.

Keep flying,
Cris

VORPAL

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 4:27 AM

I really like MASSDARK'S idea of the Alliance General from the Battle of Serenity Valley trying to make amends,but I think it's unlikely.I think most of the evidence does point to a man who was some kind of high level Alliance law enforcer or maybe a judge.I think his religious conversion is genuine and the name Book is a definite alias.

VORPAL

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 NEXT PAGE