Hindsight Shepherd Book and Inara

POSTED BY: Ty
UPDATED: Thursday, January 22, 2004 22:17
VIEWED: 11704
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KURUKAMI

Wednesday, January 7, 2004 6:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by geordiesteve2003:
I think the bounty hunter Early either worked for the Alliance at one point, or he has done jobs for them, and hence knows some big wigs in the Alliance. I'm totally speculating. I think Book did indeed work for them, do some pretty nasty things, couldnt live with his conscience and went to the monastary to cleanse his soul.
Quote:
Originally posted by paustark:
I just watched Objects in Space for the first time. When Simon criticized the Bounty Hunter for knocking out Book the Bounty Hunter looked at Book and Said "He's no Shepherd", what did he mean by that? Ok, before you answer, I have not seen the rest of the EPs so Book could be exactly who he is. Did anynone else pick up on that?

An interesting take might well be that Book was once, himself, an independent bounty hunter, one who signed up with the Alliance during the War for Unification, served well, but grew sickened by the unending violence and atrocities on both sides of the conflict. After leaving the Alliance military (at a fairly high rank), he retired to the Abbey to contemplate his life and try to fit his sense of morality into a newfound spiritual belief.

Thus, Early could know him because, once upon a time, they were in the same profession. This could also explain Book's surprising proficiency with hand-to-hand combat and firearms, as well as his familiarity with interstellar organized crime factions and methods.

History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it merely shouts "Weren't you listening the first time?!?" and lets fly with a club.

GEORDIESTEVE2003

Wednesday, January 7, 2004 7:53 PM

I think as it turns out we are both on the wrong lines about Book and his past, although he may have served in the Alliance at some point.

If you watch the DVD and listen to the commentary by Joss Whedon on Objects you will hear him speak about River and Early, and how the two are similar and very different. River is psychic, and Early is just very very intuitive. He knows how to deal with each person to disable them, ie threatening Kaylee, taking out Mal, and also taking out Book immediately. Early knows just from looking at him Book is a man of action and is not a Shepherd really, despite the clothing. So he knocks him out. I dont actually think either man had actually met the other prior to that day, but when face to face, both would recognise what the other really was simply by looking at his face and eyes.

Quote:
Originally posted by Kurukami:
Quote:
Originally posted by geordiesteve2003:
I think the bounty hunter Early either worked for the Alliance at one point, or he has done jobs for them, and hence knows some big wigs in the Alliance. I'm totally speculating. I think Book did indeed work for them, do some pretty nasty things, couldnt live with his conscience and went to the monastary to cleanse his soul.
Quote:
Originally posted by paustark:
I just watched Objects in Space for the first time. When Simon criticized the Bounty Hunter for knocking out Book the Bounty Hunter looked at Book and Said "He's no Shepherd", what did he mean by that? Ok, before you answer, I have not seen the rest of the EPs so Book could be exactly who he is. Did anynone else pick up on that?

An interesting take might well be that Book was once, himself, an independent bounty hunter, one who signed up with the Alliance during the War for Unification, served well, but grew sickened by the unending violence and atrocities on both sides of the conflict. After leaving the Alliance military (at a fairly high rank), he retired to the Abbey to contemplate his life and try to fit his sense of morality into a newfound spiritual belief.

Thus, Early could know him because, once upon a time, they were in the same profession. This could also explain Book's surprising proficiency with hand-to-hand combat and firearms, as well as his familiarity with interstellar organized crime factions and methods.

History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it merely shouts "Weren't you listening the first time?!?" and lets fly with a club.

SPIKESPIEGEL

Thursday, January 8, 2004 1:19 AM

I concur with GeordieSteve ... I took Early's "He's no shepherd" comment not to mean he recognized Book, but was intuitive enough to know from the way Book moves and acts that he's something more dangerous than a preacher. Just as you can sometimes spot a dancer's or martial artist's grace, a really skilled warrior ought to notice the same in someone else.

Note how Mal defers to Book, in terms of tactics, in "The Message" (and elsewhere?). I think Mal, too, recognizes that Book's skills go beyond what you pick up in an abbey.

"Bang."

FURY

Thursday, January 8, 2004 12:58 PM

Hey all, been prowling these forums for awhile now and thought i may as well give my two cents.

To me i definatly think that Book is a sheperd, dont ask me why, i really have no proof, but i beleive he became a sheperd because of questionable deeds he did in his past.

Now what where these deeds? I think he was an alliance special forces equivilant or some seriously high ranking offical. Why? I the mesages when the alliance "freelancers" where after them it was book who noticed the fact that there was a alliance base and that the purusirs did not check in, No one else noticed this and lets face it, mal zoe ad wash aint are pretty bright.

In war stories he leaps to the fore with obvious skill and some of these leaks into objects in space. Early is a damm good bounty hunter we dont deny that, yet Book heard him, i think special ops could of done that.

Also because of safe and that id thing :)

I could ramble more, but we can all hope some of these questions get answered when there is a firefly movie.

TOM

Thursday, January 8, 2004 10:56 PM

I like the idea by Zachsmind that Book was with the Brown coats. It would be interesting if he was there to recruit Mal and Zoe to fight agian. After all if you watch the deleted scenes Mal was in charge of 2000 troops near the end. To actually survive all the fighting and with all that happened to get many out alive. Well, that is a man a general would want on his side.

HERO

Monday, January 12, 2004 4:42 AM

Just watched "Out of Gas" again. First time I've watched it since I watched all the commentary. At one point Joss says that there are Inara clues scattered around so I've been paying extra attention to her close up scenes.

I'm officially abandoning my "Inara is the Alien" theory (note: I have an alien theory for every character except Mal and Wash, after all Joss swears there is no alien and there's no apparant alien, what better place to then put an alien then right up front). My new theory is:

"INARA IS DYING" Thats right. She'd not on the run. She was ambitous and on the fast track and she gave it all up because she has a terminal illness and thats the REAL reason she went to the hospital on Ariel and why she wants to leave Serenity and it will make a great plot twist for the film so HA! Its the future, people still get sick and die.

I figured it out, all with my own mind and nobody had to die...except Inara.

Ok, tell me why I'm wrong.

H

SHINY

Monday, January 12, 2004 5:58 AM

Hero, I believe that may be part of it (in the Out of Gas commentary, Tim Minear says there is a clue in the scene with Inara and Simon, where she says "I don't want to die at all") but I don't think that's the only thing going on with Inara. Partly because of how she reacts to Mal in Out of Gas ("You don't have to die alone"), I don't think she would be so afraid of being 'tied' to Mal as she says at the end of Heart of Gold. I think she has some important mystery mission of some kind that she needs to fulfill, which getting too tied down to the Mal's 'family' would interfere with. The mystery syringe that Joss mentions in the commentary for Serenity probably also has something to do with it...

RIVER
Purple elephants are flying.
MAL
Good. Thanks for the update.

NICKTESLA

Monday, January 12, 2004 6:36 AM

I don't think there's anything out of character in this scene with Inara & Book. The Shepard is plainly a man who, much like Mal, has undergone a life-changing experience.

Much of that change was spent behind the cloistered walls of his abbey--it appears that his journey aboard Serenity is his first time away from that institution. We're talking years here.

His ident card (in Safe), his knowledge of firearms, crime and criminals are all huge, yet foggy clues to his past.

Law enforcement? You'd think he'd be more upset over the crew's "criminal" acts--though none oftheminclude cold-blooded murder or other crimes against persons.

Allience officer? I like this theory, though the clues are scanty.

Former governement offical? Perhaps a cabinet-level politician or diplomat...

Hopefully, Joss will be able to let this story unfold before our eyes--sooner would be better than later...

Nick Tesla
http://tesla-pc.com
Computing that makes sense...

SHADESIREN

Monday, January 12, 2004 6:37 AM

Here's something... What if Book is not anything special in and of himself, exactly, but ratherm connected to or related to someone who is. Our original speculation on Shepherd book was that perhaps he was the brother or other relation of a high-rnaking Alliance official or something along those lines. I can see him being the brother of someone special.

his knowledge of firearms is a puzzle. Knowing what kind of weapon and what kind of person shot the guys in the head in War Stories speaks of experience with weapon - perhaps he was in the military prior to his becoming a shepherd? Honestly, his scene with Inara, to me, was very honest. He seemed to really feel he was in a quandry, a true moral mire of did I do right or wrong - I belive he really felt that perhaps he'd made a mistake. I think that Inara's advice was a big help, too.

He knew he was in the place he needed to be. He comes from a highly placed background, one with some serious military training, as far as observing people, knowing what they will do (how far they will go) and recognizing some scary wounds and weaponry - but I think that it's not QUITE as conviluted as some might think.

just my 2 and a half cents worth :)

(the half is from my hubby, lol)

MANIACNUMBERONE

Monday, January 12, 2004 6:42 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SpikeSpiegel:
I concur with GeordieSteve ... I took Early's "He's no shepherd" comment not to mean he recognized Book, but was intuitive enough to know from the way Book moves and acts that he's something more dangerous than a preacher. Just as you can sometimes spot a dancer's or martial artist's grace, a really skilled warrior ought to notice the same in someone else.

Note how Mal defers to Book, in terms of tactics, in "The Message" (and elsewhere?). I think Mal, too, recognizes that Book's skills go beyond what you pick up in an abbey.

"Bang."

I agree with you, but not completely. I think Early could have seen something in Book that led him to believe Book was more than he appeared, but what did he see? I mean Early saw Book walk around with a cup for about 5 or 10 seconds. I didn't see anything in there that made Book seem more than a shepherd. Of course, I'm not Early either.

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