My new Book's past theory...

POSTED BY: Amiton
UPDATED: Thursday, January 26, 2006 09:39
VIEWED: 8857
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THECOLLECTOR

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 5:47 AM

What would be interesting if he was like an Operative Trainer but was high brass in the military...

RCAT

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 6:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:
OK, here's my theory on Book. I think he was a high Fed law enforcement official.

Most law enforcement officials would have tactical experience and come up thru the ranks. That would account for Book's abilities with weapons and tactics. It would also explain his feeling that what Mal was doing was small potatoes. He's seen lots worse.

That would also explain why he knows the procedures regarding contacting other Fed officers (The Message) when you are out of your sector and his protection of Dobson (the pilot).

If he was involved interrogating prisoners that would explain his familiarity with the theory of torture, at least on an academic level.

It would also explain his knowledge of Niska (which makes him more likely to be a Fed), familitarity with Operatives and the reason Jubal Early recoginized him. The disgust that Jubal Early uses suggests some sort of scandal or noteritiy attached to Book.

I feel that something happened. Maybe he was involved in a operation that either hurt a lot of innocent people or there was a disaster for the Feds but was officially called a success and he felt responsible none the less. He either retired with high rank (most likely) or was forced out. The incident, what ever it was, caused him to reevaluate his life and faith and he entered the monestary.

This is what I've felt for a long time. That he had been something akin to a federal marshall.

I also agree w/ the idea that Jubal did not recognise 'who' Book was but 'what' he was. Jubal knew he was a potentially dangerous man and took care of him in the most effecient way possible (as he took care of Mal w/ stealth/violence, Simon w/ reason, Kaylee w/ threats of violence).

The idea that Book did something so horrible that he was driven to attone for his sins is the interesting part. I got the feeling that perhaps he could go no futher w/ his personal healing at the abbey, thus his walkabout and discovery of Serenity. And Inara's line, "Maybe you're exactly where you should be."

CYBERSNARK

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 4:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by StakeTheLurk:

Quote:
Not to mention that Book's line about high-ranking officials not doing field work had a disparaging tone to it (in my opinion...there were much more euphemistic ways to have put that).
I believe it's Simon who actually says that line in "Ariel," to the Alliance officer who captured them. Makes you wonder how Simon knew that sort of stuff? It is an important point to consider, though.

I figured that was just Simon's medical training talking. He's probably met a few hospital administrators who don't know which end of a scalpel to hold.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

SPOOTER

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 9:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
I won't call this a "theory", or even call it what I believe, but it *could* help explain a few things...

Suppose Book was a high-ranking military man. Say, a commander in the Alliance forces. Then suppose that Book had actually been one of the Alliance commanders in charge at the battle of Serenity Valley. He saw things there that could absolutely change a man and cause him to question his beliefs (whether he was fighting on the wrong side, for instance), AND it would go a ways towards explaining his response to Mal when Cap'n Reynolds says Book will have to tell him about his past sometime. "No, I don't," says Book. Could that mean that he's so ashamed of his involvement with the Battle of Serenity that he can't tell Mal about it, or fearful of what Mal's reaction would be if he DID tell him?

Could be that Book left the military after the war and entered the abbey in an attempt at some sort of redemption (remember, Joss is BIG on redemption!), and that he later came to identify with Mal and his crew as being The Good Guys in all this mess. Sure, they're petty criminals and up to no good, but that might just suit Book fine, given what he's seen the other side do in time of war.

Just an idea.

Mike

"Kaylee, find that kid that's taking a dirt nap with baby Jesus; we need a hood ornament."

Ooooh...I like this idea too. I also had some suspicions as to his probable military involvement at Serenity Valley, but dismissed it as unlikely because I hadn't thought it through as completely as this... It does put into an interesting perspective his reply to Mal about telling him about his past someday. Think how Mal would have handled finding out that a trusted friend (as he obviously had become by that time) had such a deep involvment in the one event in his (Mal's) life that so completely changed him....
Perhaps there is a way to intertwine this idea WITH the "relative-of-an Alliance-official" theory I posted earlier..... perhaps enabling him to BE a high ranking military official at Serenity Valley.... Man, we could set up a whole new 2 hr. movie with this thread alone..... Joss... Are you listening?

QUEENOFTHENORTH

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 10:00 PM

I had a thought while reading through this thread. It could be entirely wrong, as thoughts generally are, but anyway . . .

Maybe Book was a bounty hunter, just like Jubal. This could explain why Jubal says he's not a shepherd; either Jubal's heard of Book's work as a bounty hunter, or he recognizes himself in Book.

As for the Alliance connection, perhaps Book did some bounty hunting for the Alliance. This could explain how he knows so much about Alliance procedures, Operatives and the infamous ident card. He probably had to work with/ran into an Operative during one of his hunts.

This could also explain the "I don't care if you're innocent or not". Bounty hunters are in it for the money and the hunt, and they don't generally care what the person's done. Perhaps Book caught somebody who was innocent and gave them back to the Alliance, where the person was then executed. After finding out that the person really hadn't done anything wrong, he wonders what he's been doing with his life and ends up becoming a shepherd.

The bounty hunting could also explain his weapons/tracking knowledge, something a bounty hunter would definitely need to know. And maybe Niska was somebody he was after before, and that's why he knows so much about him.

Anyway, that's my thoughts.

"I'm having one of those things - a headache with pictures."

"Of course I'm right. And if I'm not, may we all be horribly crushed from above somehow."

Like books? Go to this thread: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=14862
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GUENEVER

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 10:12 PM

I agree with the Book as high level Alliance. Someone wrote a fanfic with him as a General. Makes the most sense to me. Explains why he knows so much, and still gets the VIP treatment.

PDCHARLES

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 10:15 PM

Good take Queen!

This would also fall in line with why he sneak attacked Book.

U gonna be smart here Riva!?!

AERIN

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 12:27 AM

I think there are a lot of good possibilities here. Whatever Book was before, I think he was a very bad man who took pleasure in the bad things he did (like Jubal Early). That's just the impression I get from him. I feel he has a dark side which dominated his life until at some point he was shown the error of his ways. Now he's trying to repent, but he's fearful of backsliding into his former ways. When he joined a crew capable of killing a Fed (a "good guy" in his former world), he worried that he was starting down the wrong path again. But as he got to know the crew of Serenity he realized they are basically decent people just trying to survive free, and that the Feds aren't necessarily the good guys.

If Book was an operative, I think he took pleasure in the job (which I don't think The Operative did - he regretted killing innocents). Same thing if he was ex-military, ex-political, or a relative of a high-ranking Alliance official. He was not just a military man who saw bad things or was involved in regrettable battles. He did bad things by his own hand, he did them well, and he enjoyed them. Now he has to pay.

Well, those are just my impressions.

Jayne: I once hit a guy in the neck from 500 yards with a bent scope. Don't that count upstairs?
Book: Oh, it'll be taken into consideration.
Jayne: You made that sound kind of ominous.

JAYTEE

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 1:05 AM

I think maybe Book was high ranking Alliance military and involved in either the Battle of Serenity Valley OR the orbital bombardment of Mal's homeworld, the moon Shadow, which was "sterilized" from high orbit OR both. Book seems to have been wrestling with some serious guilt over something in his past and has some kind of affinity for Mal despite Mal's being a Browncoat. I think their pasts are more intertwined than either realize.

Jaytee

CHARLYO

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 7:41 PM

I'm former military and LE.

I'd have to agree with the BOOK;former cop, rather than BOOK;former military. He could be both, but I'd have to say he was likely a grunt or street cop, then worked up the ranks.

His knowledge base and methods are similar to that of a policeman, federal marshal or similar occupation.

Soldiers look at problems with the mindset "how do I kill/destroy/avoid it?" Real estate is more important than life, especially the opposition's lives.

Police have a slightly different view "how do I deal/catch/expose/prove it?" Lives are first and foremost, even those of bad guys, property not so much.

military world is seen as 1:my squad/ship/flight crew and 2:targets.

Cops see the world as 1:cops, 2:bad guys and 3:victims.

Doubt he was ever a criminal. Might have bent the law here and there, but most likely to achieve a goal.

He has killed, and been threatened with death.

His search for faith? Fear of death, hoping he has achieved redemption for his perceived sins.

His sins? who knows?
It might just be he got sick of the job. When you are a cop, you see a lot of stupid choices and bad behavior by folks, it's not romantic at all.
It might be he had some of his men serving under him lost in an operation gone bad. Happens.

Anyway, may Book find peace. He deserved it.

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