Book's line in Objects in Space?
POSTED BY: Geiiga
UPDATED: Monday, October 15, 2007 14:43
VIEWED: 30285
PAGE 6 of 8
Quote:
Originally posted by TwilightJack:
I'm going to be content with banking on a former leader of the Alliance military. The Glorious Leader of the Anglo-Sino Alliance would be a bit too well known to pose as a shepherd.
lol, yah, well, you know, just throwing that out there. For our simple minds the concept may be too far fetched to even suggest. But with Joss, you never know. The man's got miles and miles of the imaginations.
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Ok,there seem to be two threads of though here
1. What was Book?
I imagine he was once something very much like Operative. As if we were to look at Book as if he were Operative at the end of Serenity, his faith in something greater shattered by the reality of what is. Book wouldnt have shattered, though - he would have sought something to believe in which should be believed in. Thats not a statement of belief on my part, mind you, but the power manifest in believing in something greater than yourself defined both Book and Operative. I think Book was someone very much like Operative, and became a Sheppard after loosing belief in the utopia of Alliance.
2. What did Book meant.
River catches a snach of whats there - and the emotion behind it. But think about this - Book seems to be a placid character - but what if he's only that outside - what if inside he's a very intense person. Look at the quote without the anger - should a Sheppard care one way or another if someone is innocent or not? Ep. 1 Sheppard goes into Innara's shuttle, and she asks him if he's going to give her a sermon, and no, he's giving her soup. Maybe Book is one of those rare Christians who doesnt actually care if you're innocent or not, he's going to love you like his Messiah told him to.
"Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes." -Terry Pratchett "Night Watch"
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BOOK
Book has to be involved in the Alliance in a former life, before becoming a Shepperd.
He's well trained in the art of combat/war. It is given that he had training - in hand to hand combat and weapons.
He can identify bullet wounds. Has great detective skills.
The question would be, what was he in the former life?
An Operative would be a very good guess. It is possible. But how long has the war been going on? The unification war ended 6-7 yrs ago. How long was the war? Wars could last for a very long time. He may still have been an Operative in an old fashioned (pre-River) sort of way.
Was an Operative around the age of 20-35.
Became a Director of Operations for a Covert Group after is a good idea. Maybe even a team leader. Killed millions and millions of lives. He has to have experience field work.
Director of Operation / Team leader around the age of 35-50.
Had a parliament gig on the side for a year.
10-15 yrs in the abbey. 60-65 yrs old.
THE ID CARD:
It has to be his card. I don't believe he took it from anyone.
He still has connections in the Alliance. He is important enough to get immediate assistance but he's no spy. High ranking enough in his former life. A part of the parliament.
THE LINE IN OIS:
I think he was referring to Jayne. They were talking about Masturbation at the time. Jayne's asking (innocently) about sex lives of priests.
Book doesn't care about how innocent Jayne is about these things.
ABOUT INARA DYING:
She's a big girl, tell her that she should stay (on the ship).
THE MOVIE:
Book dying. I could not guess why he asked for RIVER. He knows something about her or maybe he just wants Mal to protect her. He could have revealed a secret about himself or about River to River.
Sorry Long Post.
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I don't think we're supposed to know what he meant. In the copmmentary, Joss saya something abotu hearing things 'we don't yet understand', which means it could have come up in a later episode.
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All very good analysis here. I think I'll add my two cents which basically are bits and pieces of everything else that's been said. I believe in the Book-Operative connection. He is too skilled to be one of the "important people that don't do field work." Personally, I think he was high in the Alliance network, probably one of the original operatives or in operative training. I believe he went out on assignment and something made him question his loyalties. He was high enough to be respected and allowed to retire, rather than be retired. He may have been high enough to know what was going on with the academy, which is why he seems to understand what makes River a special girl. Additionally, the comments in OiS, I think are the peoples secrets, particularly, Book's angst over the things he's done in his past, and his becoming a preacher is an attempt at redemption. I think one of the reasons why we never hear of it is because he's trying to put the past behind him. Although, that won't stop him from using his knowledge if it could help the crew out.
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I have wondered why Book refuses to talk of his past. Perhaps he does not want to live there. It is what he is doing now that means more to him. So he buries the past so he can live in the now.
I used to think Book was lieing about being a shepherd. But I have changed my mind. He does not just quote the Bible, but it is part of his life. In "Out of Gas" He tries to to find comfort in it when he believes he is about to die. "Faith fixes you" come from the heart.
Traveler
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here's what I took from that, and part of Joss's brilliance is the way that so much is left wide open to interpretation......Agree with me if you like, or tell me I'm off my rocker, the great part of it all is that we are all right in our interpretations, because we all see it from a different angle.
Anyhow, I think that the good shephard harbors one hell of a guilty conscience, and that he entered the abbey originally to "get right with God". I infered that Book was having a flashback to interrogating a prisoner, and that he must have been one sonofabitch to deal with.
Again, that's what I got from it all, and maybe, just maybe, someone of you will read that and something will click, and you may go off in a different direction from mine, but isn't that what makes this just so gorram much fun?
WE'RE GONNA CRASH? I DON'T WANNA CRASH!
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See, now that's just great stuff! And that's what makes this show so damn brilliant, that we can all take a fairly innocuous line and go in so many directions with it.
I still think it all comes down to a very guilty conscience which he is always trying to hide. As devout as he is, and as ready as he is to die for his faith, in "Out of Gas" he is quite terrified of, in my opinion, not dying so much as having to go and face an account of his life.
WE'RE GONNA CRASH? I DON'T WANNA CRASH!
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If you remember all those previous weird things Book says, you might notice that he knows a lot about Niska. There was also his eagerness to help the crew attack Niska's base to save Mal. So maybe Book used to have something to do with Niska or the whole space-gangster scene.
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There are a lot of points in this thread, but something I keep seeing that I marvel at is the fact that most browncoats don't think you can 'retire' out of Covert Ops.
I happen to know someone who did that sort of thing and now owns a pancake and waffle joint. It does happen.
And, guys in the military at any Operating level are privy to all sorts of things that we're not supposed to talk about. Every unit's S-2 shop (INTEL) has secrets in locked filing cabinets that would make our media go ape-stuff.
I am only a Corporal in the Marine Corps and I know more than I wish I did.
Extra: I know another guy who did 'stuff' and he is a teacher now. A lot of those guys throughout historical and modern times retire out of looking for evil in a sea of evil worldwide and find themselves trying to actually 'enjoy' whatever is left of their life when they retire/quit/whatever.
In the military, only Officers and devout warfighters read the metaphysical/existential stuff about war and conflict with any passion. A line company enlisted infantryman has a completely different line of skills/knowledge to learn. Strategy is left to the shiny-collared. Officers are very protective of their own, and with good reason. An ex-Colonel for instance might have gotten out years ago, but if that was the case, what rank do you think his buddies who stayed IN are by now? Hmmm...
I don't think Book was an Operative, (but who knows- I mean, do Operatives even use firearms/lasers that much?)
On the core planets (where I imagine Operatives spend the majority of their time), you don't walk around with a wepon without calling way too much attention- also, since the disarmed the population, why would you need one?
Book as a Lawman: Maybe after the military thing but before Shephardisness. But We have seen the Alliance not give a damn about local cops before. Even if Book was former Core Planet lawman, why would they let them go no questions asked?
With his shooting skills, education, desire for secrecy, and what-not, I would expect former Officer, maybe with whateveer the equivalent of their Spec-Ops is. Special Forces are the guys who make contact with indigenous people in hostile areas, that would explain his knowledge of a powerful criminal like Niska, who is on the raggedy-edge like the rest of them, regardless of his influence and affluence there.
Man, wiht all of this intellect, why can't we figure out how to get our show back??!?
"...let's not ruin an otherwise pleasant day with unnecessary bloodshed..."
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