Did Book know the Miranda secret?

POSTED BY: DonCoat
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 4, 2006 00:50
VIEWED: 5028
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DONCOAT

Monday, October 2, 2006 1:42 PM

Something struck me the other day as I was thinking about the BDM and how certain things were subtly changed from the series.

One was this: the explanation for the existence of Reavers (prior to the Miranda revelation) was originally a kind of common knowledge. Simon mentions "campfire stories" about savages at the edge of civilization. Somewhere (Bushwhacked, maybe?) Mal describes Reavers as men who were driven crazy by the psychological impact of deep space.

But in the BDM, when we get that explanation, things are much more specific. Kaylee gives the standard story, but she specifically credits it: "Shepherd Book used to say that Reavers was just men who looked out over the vasty nothingness and went bibbledy over it." (That's probably not verbatim, but it gets the gist of it).

Now, why would we suddenly hear that the Reaver story came from Book? I can think of a few intriguing possibilities.

First, though, a more mundane one: Joss used that line as a convenient place to slip in a mention of Shepherd Book to help non-Firefly fans figure out who Book was when we met him later. In other words, it was a bit of foreshadowing. But why use that specific place to do it?

So here's another take: maybe Joss was dropping a hint about Book's past. Kaylee tells us that Book was spreading the "space-crazy" story of Reaver origins. But we later learn that this wasn't how the Reavers came to be at all. So perhaps Book knew the truth, but was part of a "disinformation" campaign to cover up that truth.

If this is so, then we have another clue as to who Book was when he "wasn't always a shepherd". He may have been high enough in the Alliance government to have knowledge of some of its deepest secrets. He might have been on a par with those "key members of Parliament" that River met in the Academy. (Of course, he could also have been just another victim of still higher-level disinformation -- but that's not quite so much fun, is it?)

If in fact the "space-crazy" story is Alliance disinformation, it seems to have been pretty successful (up until River escaped, anyway). Note that it's a two-level propaganda campaign: ofiicially, Reavers don't even exist; but for those who know they do exist, there's the second layer of cover.

If the fake origin story was as widespread and accepted as it seems, Book and/or his Alliance colleagues did a fine job spreading it. In fact, the only skeptic we ever hear from is, of all people, Jayne! ("... just looked like... more space.")

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I'm pointin' right at it!

ZEEK

Monday, October 2, 2006 3:05 PM

I'm gonna go ahead and say that whether he knew or not he was not trying to mount a one man disinformation campaign to influence 8 people in the whole verse. That just doesn't seem like the way the alliance would work anyway. They'd just put up news posts with their disinformation and that would be the end of it.

I don't think Book knew about Miranda though. I still don't know exactly who he is, but he seems more the mercinary/assasin sort to me.

PHOENIXROSE

Monday, October 2, 2006 3:10 PM

I think that, in his younger years, Book was millitary, and then a high-ranking member of Parliment. But I think he left to become a monk/shepherd long before Miranda took place. Interesting take on things, though.

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We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow in sunlight. - Gautama Siddharta

MRT

Monday, October 2, 2006 3:25 PM

Maybe it was the Miranda episode that lead to him leaving the government and going to the monastery to find peace with his conscience, or leaving the monastery and heading into the black to see if he could find peace with himself there... I’m not too sure about the time-line of events on this I’m afraid.

TEACHDAIRE

Monday, October 2, 2006 3:39 PM

Personally, I think he didn't know about the reaver/Miranda connection, and as for Alliance misinformation by following the "space crazy" theory, that's wrong.

The Alliance misinformation regarding the reavers is simply denial. They deny their existance, not say that they were people who went crazy, hence simon's "campfire tales" of them.

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For every battle honour, a thousand heroes die along, unremembered and unsung...

DONCOAT

Monday, October 2, 2006 4:38 PM

Teachdaire, I think you mis-read or misunderstood my suggestion. Look again. I said that the *official* story was that the Reavers didn't exist. That might fly for the large populations in the Core, but people on the Rim knew better -- they'd encountered the Reavers and seen their depradations. You might be able to convince a resident of Rome that Vikings are just scary stories, but that won't fly for the British citizens who are getting their churches burned and daughters raped.

So the "space-crazy" story is a *second level* of disinformation for folk who know that the Reavers are real: yes, they exist, but they're just insane people. "Honest, we didn't do it (and we'll never do it again)".

Zeek, I didn't mean to suggest that Book was the *only* person who was spreading the disinformation, nor that our BDHs were the *only* people it was being spread to. In fact, since the Serenity crew knew all about the Reavers before Book even joined them, that idea would make no sense at all.

Actually, a better objection would be: why would Book continue providing disinformation now that he's a shepherd and no longer an Alliance insider? There are several possibilities. Perhaps he's repeating a cover story that he's been fed, and really believes it. Perhaps he knows enough about Operatives to keep up the deception out of fear that he may become a target. Or possibly he's still an Alliance agent on some level, though I don't much like that notion.

Most likely (to me, if this scenario has any merit at all) is that he's just not rocking the boat. He's clearly keeping his background a secret, so how could he start making wild claims about the Reavers and be taken seriously? Might as well stick to the disinformation.

Finally, I'll give one more little factoid to support my idea. With his very last breath, Book is thinking of River and trying to get Mal to listen to her. How else do you explain that unless Book knew what River knew? Why would he be telling Mal to pay attention to a crazy girl if not because he knew she was the only one left who knew the big secret?

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I'm pointin' right at it!

CITIZEN

Monday, October 2, 2006 4:59 PM

Did he know? No.

In the series he has a line in Bushwhacked that lends me to believe that he believes that Reavers can be rehabillitated, through the Bible for instance.

If he knew where and how Reavers were made would he really think a bit of understanding and the words of the good book would convince them from dining out on Human finger dip?

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

MARINA

Monday, October 2, 2006 5:15 PM

Point of interest (I'm getting so used to writing that down in all my notes):

During the Maidenhead scene, as the captain 'n crew are entering, in the background the news broadcaster says "No Alliance government has ever verified the existence of Reavers..."

So I think we can at least be confident of that.

As for Book...Well, ok. Someone help me out here. I have looked at the shirts and the props and the gadgets and every time I see this quote used it reads "I don't care what you believe- just believe it." I don't have the best ears, but I could swear in the film he says

Book: River...
Mal (to the others): Come on!
Book: I don't care what you believe, just believe whatever she -dies-...

Am I the only one? It may or may not have an effect on this debate, depending.

I'm very smart.

THATWEIRDGIRL

Monday, October 2, 2006 5:24 PM

I don't think Book knew about Miranda, River would have read that off of him by now. Book knows things. And we're not likely to ever find out what they are. I do believe Book has some knowledge of who/what River is.

Pez mentioned something intriguing the other day....How much trouble will the Operative get in once 'they' find out Book was killed at Haven?

Ooooo, I said. Interesting idea.

www.thatweirdgirl.com
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"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

DONCOAT

Monday, October 2, 2006 6:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by marina:
As for Book...every time I see this quote used it reads "I don't care what you believe- just believe it." I don't have the best ears, but I could swear in the film he says

Book: River...
Mal (to the others): Come on!
Book: I don't care what you believe, just believe whatever she -dies-...

According to the Visual Companion, Book's line was supposed to be:

"I don't care what you believe. Just believe it. Whatever you have to." -dies-

The actual line is more like this (to my ears):

"I don't care what you believe. Just believe it. Whatever you..." -trails off, dies-

I asked Ron Glass about this at last year's Flanvention. I wondered whether the line had been changed, or if he'd done it various ways and they chose that one, or what. He wasn't even aware there was any discrepancy. He got a bit offended when I suggested he might have ad libbed. He takes great pride in performing his lines as written/directed. (I almost felt ashamed for asking the question, as if I'd suggested he'd eaten a baby or something!)

That suggests that the line may have been changed in the script prior to shooting. Or Joss may have asked him to change the delivery on one or more takes, and Ron just didn't recall that detail.

I think I like the on-screen version better -- it's a bit more ambiguous and leaves us wondering what he was trying to say.

Either way, he called out to River, or mentioned River, just before that last line, so he was thinking of her when he said it.

Oh, as to your point about the Maidenhead broadcast: you're quite right. The newscaster was giving the official Alliance line, namely that Reavers don't exist. The phrasing suggests that the reporter was somewhat skeptical about it, which would make sense if the newscast was a "local" or "regional" one, intended for the Rim residents (who would not trust a flat denial, or a news program that toed the Alliance line too closely).

None of that makes my speculation any less likely. A disinformation campaign of the sort I'm proposing would not be spread via overt statements in newscasts. It would work more like today's urban myths or internet rumors.

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I'm pointin' right at it!

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