Book was a Companion.
POSTED BY: Kelai
UPDATED: Monday, September 3, 2007 04:17
VIEWED: 7135
PAGE 1 of 3
Specifically, a Companion to the Alliance heads of state.
Before you start laughing, Let me explain. On Virtual Firefly (stillflying.net) we were having a convo on Books past. Specifically the thread where I first suggested Book was a part of a secret faction within the Alliance to bring it down. And his job was keeping tabs on River.
And then I got random, because this idea popped into my head after reading around on the net.
Me: New Theory. There are Male Companions. Book used to be one. Specifically, a special Companion to the Alliance heads of state.
nbz: He was a Companion used by people at Milcom... 
gorramshiny: Ok, now that is just weird. Your brain works in strange ways.
And then the evidence.
nbz: Just taking the idea presented by another and running with it...
Where is the flaw?
He is composed We know the first things companions are taught is control. He knows alot about things which he should not, but at the same time lacks knowledge about things which he should.
Companions are well respected in the 'verse, so that would explain his ID card in Safe. He would also have access to important people.
Maybe being him disaproving of Inara in the pilot was just him being thrown off by having to confront his past so soon? He did overcome his hesitation a mite quickly...
Companions are taught many things, including weapons training. He knows alot about some things, but not about others (he had issues in the series about reavers...even if Joss changed his own mind later on) so he would have possibly not been in MilCom.
For conjecture, we can carry one and say he got old, but instead of retiring gracefully maybe took on a few assignments to eliminate people who have dealt poorly with other companions...
and dealiong with death was not the same and he became unravelled. rethought his life.
Any obvious flaws? Well apart from this being a tad creepifying?
Not my idea, but it fits and is not obvious, so it is probably more possible than him having direct links consdering Joss/Tim's words that his past is not gonna be textbook obvious...
Thread -->>> http://www.stillflying.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=247&postdays=0&postor
der=asc&start=0
So what do you guys think? Any new ideas?
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In a weird way, I kind of like it - plus, it's one of the best explainations of Book's past I've read, so...
::shrugs::
Rules on voting here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=22892
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kelai:
Any obvious flaws? Well apart from this being a tad creepifying?
You start with something that you want and find evidence for it. This is a problem. You must look at the evidence and see where it leads not the other way around.
Basically, you have circular logic.
There is also some problems with the circle.
Quote:
He is composed We know the first things companions are taught is control. He knows alot about things which he should not, but at the same time lacks knowledge about things which he should.
But, he doesn't really have that much control. Remember when he went to Inara to bear his soul? Several short outbursts? i.e. When he saw Mal's ear. How would he be able to tell what type of ship and what that ship would be attached to when Mal and Wash got kidnapped by Niska?
Basically, he displays military knowledge, not only limited to details about ships, but tactics as well.
Quote:
Companions are well respected in the 'verse, so that would explain his ID card in Safe. He would also have access to important people.
The problem with this is that if he was a Companion to high level officials, they would kinda want him back. They wouldn't have let him go so easily. They aren't exactly nice people after all.
Quote:
Maybe being him disaproving of Inara in the pilot was just him being thrown off by having to confront his past so soon? He did overcome his hesitation a mite quickly...
So, then he was thrown of by just meeting another Companion? Where's the control you spoke of?
Come to think of it, you also haven't mentioned why/how/etc he stopped being a Companion. Why would he have any animosity towards the guild? What did they do to him?
Quote:
Companions are taught many things, including weapons training. He knows alot about some things, but not about others (he had issues in the series about reavers...even if Joss changed his own mind later on) so he would have possibly not been in MilCom.
Training in weapons yes. But for practical purposes, I'm not convinced i.e. theory is different from practice and I haven't seen any evidence that Companions got practical training.
You're also going to have to say what you mean by "issues in the series about reavers". I didn't really see any.
He had said that they were men that had lost there way. Also, he was afraid of them. Where's the issue?
Quote:
For conjecture, we can carry one and say he got old, but instead of retiring gracefully maybe took on a few assignments to eliminate people who have dealt poorly with other companions...
Um, assignments from who? The guild wouldn't touch that nor would any dissident movement (they wouldn't want to risk exposure until they were ready to make there move).
Quote:
and dealiong with death was not the same and he became unravelled. rethought his life.
So, then he's a Companion turned Assassin turned Preacher? Seems a little far fetched.
Quote:
Not my idea, but it fits and is not obvious, so it is probably more possible than him having direct links consdering Joss/Tim's words that his past is not gonna be textbook obvious...
I'm going to have to disagree with you on every conceivable level here.
Personally, I think that things such as this should be left a mystery; everything the we would come up with is going to be wrong.
Just let it be.
----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
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Can't say I'm convinced, but I certainly can't prove you wrong by what's in the series, BDM, and other "canon" sources. Interesting theory!
MAL "You only gotta scare him."
JAYNE "Pain is scary..."
http://www.fireflytalk.com - Big Damn Podcast
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I think I should defend my post from the Virtual Firefly forums. Kelai suggested a theory, I ran with it.
It is unique, and I find it pretty creepy. Just imagine Book being some high brass officials 'Toy Boy' to parade around. /Shudders.
But back to my defence:
Quote:
SigmaNunki wrote:
You start with something that you want and find evidence for it. This is a problem. You must look at the evidence and see where it leads not the other way around.
Ofcourse. I went looking for evidence to support the theory, and not the other way around. It's what I did in A level chemistry aswell. :)
The other way is way too much work. Besides a theory was presented to me and I applied the scenes to it. It was not my theory, and I would in fact love to see it shot to bits
Quote:
But, he doesn't really have that much control. Remember when he went to Inara to bear his soul? Several short outbursts? i.e. When he saw Mal's ear. How would he be able to tell what type of ship and what that ship would be attached to when Mal and Wash got kidnapped by Niska?
Basically, he displays military knowledge, not only limited to details about ships, but tactics as well.
Book is composed, but he is not a robot.
Other companions also lost it in the series. Inara is not always composed. SHe has a habit of getting angry with Mal. Nandi left the guild after losing her composure... killing someone with a dulcimer. Ring a bell?
Quote:
The problem with this is that if he was a Companion to high level officials, they would kinda want him back. They wouldn't have let him go so easily. They aren't exactly nice people after all.
Circular logic ;)
He is not a threat to them. The Alliance (or whoever he was a companion to) does not kill everyone. It would not need to kill Book. Besides it would be bad for business. Get a black mark? which client would go service a person knowing that when they are no longer useful, they will be eliminated.
Quote:
So, then he was thrown of by just meeting another Companion? Where's the control you spoke of?
As above. He is not a moro... I mean he is not a robot. The unexpected can throw even the most composed of people. Especially after being led on in a false manner. Meeting an ambassador and all.
Quote:
Come to think of it, you also haven't mentioned why/how/etc he stopped being a Companion. Why would he have any animosity towards the guild? What did they do to him?
Maybe he got old and retired? Where is his animosity to the guild? I doubt any is shown in the series or the BDM. it's just his past, one he would rather forget now.
Quote:
Training in weapons yes. But for practical purposes, I'm not convinced i.e. theory is different from practice and I haven't seen any evidence that Companions got practical training.
Nandi fights alongside Mal to protect the HoG. Inara teaches him how to sowrod fight. She is also the least injured in the BDM finale. (but I would put that more down to you cannot hit the beauty with an ugly stick in a movie rather that her being a good fighter...). Saffron clearly knows quite a bit about weapons and she has recieved companion training according to Inara.
Quote:
Um, assignments from who? The guild wouldn't touch that nor would any dissident movement (they wouldn't want to risk exposure until they were ready to make there move).
My bit here was pure conjecture, but assignments do not have to be alliance people. Just problems for the Guild. People who have maybe killed other companions? pure conjecture.
But at the same time any organisation that gives out suicide/murder kits can not be seen in my eyes as totally benevolent.
With reavers, it's more about that guy in bushwacked, but I am not fully sure about this myself, so i will agree with you here.
But overall the critique of the theory does not stand up to merit.
I am not a moron!
I am wearing full body armour!
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It's a... different view on Book's past. I like it more than the traditional "Book was an Operative" theory. It also makes a whole lot o' sense (as does the Operative theory so I think it's really just a matter of opinion, there's no way of telling for sure). I personally like this one more, it's funnier. Then again I think I still at least half hate Book. I wasn't sad when he died at all (bastard broke up Simon and Kaylee's first potential kiss!), I guess I can't totally hate Book after all he is Book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Scorpion owns all <~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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I love the theory. Don't think it's likely at all, despite good reasoning but, still, it has a kind of poetry to it. A refreshing change from the operative arguments (which Joss himself said "...would be interesting, but no..."). I always thought either well connected criminal or former Marshall were probable. Whatever his past, we can assume it was colorful and varied...and being a companion at some point could easily fit into that (tho' slightly creepifying if you put too much thought into it).
'Cause how you get there is the worthier part.
-Book
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Sorry, but no way was Book a companion.
I believe he was a special liason between the Alliance Parliament and their Operatives.
In other words, he was the one giving orders to Operatives because Parliament members couldn't actually have any direct contact with their hired assassins.
Nathan's kilts rule!
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I am surprised that some people seem to be offended by the idea...
tbh, we do not have much info, so he could have been many things.
Maybe exiled royalty? :)
All we can do is apply the data and see if it fits.
Or not apply it and just come up with some shiny story. It's not as we have to run with it... or even buy it ourselves.
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Wow. This is definitely an interesting twist.
I could see him being a Companion to Milcom personnel, maybe even being specially trained in the lingo and military analysis so his clients would be able to decompress while talking about work to someone who understands (but isn't anywhere in the chain of command). The sharpshooting could be part of standard Companion training, along with swordfighting and archery.
And then, when he decided to retire from being a Companion, he wasn't really inclined to join the mainstream, so decided to explore the other side of his spirituality by becoming a Christian monk.
The problems -- first, his discomfiture meeting Inara in the pilot. This originally seemed to be a problem because, as a straight-laced Christian preacher, he would have problems with the idea of prostitution. If he were in fact a former Companion himself, the problem would instead have to be... hmm...
Maybe as a Milcom Companion he would be subject to all kinds of confidentiality agreements, and he was momentarily afraid she would recognize him and inadvertently say something? And he recovered easily enough once he realized that she didn't suspect.
Second problem -- in the pilot he says he's not a grandpa because he's never married, and in Objects in Space he implies (in his conversation with Jayne) that he's never had sex. This could be misdirection -- maybe Companions aren't allowed to have kids unless they leave the Guild to marry, and maybe all he was saying to Jayne wasn't that he hadn't had sex since becoming a Shepherd...
Definitely Whedonesque -- I like it :)
Indigo S.
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