Why I now think Book was an ex-Operative
POSTED BY: asarian
UPDATED: Tuesday, December 28, 2010 04:23
VIEWED: 17761
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Great discussion!
Book is a mystery and repeatedly makes it known that he intends to keep it that way. Why? I assume because Mal, Jayne and the crew would be uncomfortable if they knew the truth about him.
This angle shoots down the idea that his ident was a forgery. Certainly he would have no problem telling Mal that. Also I think he was higher rank than bounty hunter or mere cop, bad or otherwise. I don't think he would get such royal treatment by the Alliance were that the case.
Given all that Book knew about the Alliance and the criminal underworld, given the violence he was capable of, I'd say he is ex-military, perhaps Intelligence, an agent or operative of some kind.
Yet, he had clearly renounced that life, or was trying to.
I think he saw or was forced to do something in the line of duty that so shocked his conscience that he dropped out and sought refuge at the abbey to repent his life and change it to something positive.
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Well, as they say on tvtropes, this theory has been thoroughly Jossed by the Shepherd's Tale comic. Unfortunate, because I think it's an interesting one. Not to say that the canon backstory (though vague) is not interesting, but with his speech about how Operatives believe hard and the seemingly intimate knowledge of how they think, this was a poetic theory.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Shepherd's Tale was so unexpected... and now I must rewatch all the episodes and Serentiy and ponder.
To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.
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Quote:
Originally posted by LiLi:
Well, as they say on tvtropes, this theory has been thoroughly Jossed by the Shepherd's Tale comic. Unfortunate, because I think it's an interesting one. Not to say that the canon backstory (though vague) is not interesting, but with his speech about how Operatives believe hard and the seemingly intimate knowledge of how they think, this was a poetic theory.
Technically we don't know WHAT Book was still. A spy, yes, but rank, position, who's side he was on, none of that. He could potentially have been an Operative.
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Its interesting to see how tightly some will cling to their own ideas when they don't get the story they wanted.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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Actually, no, Storymark, I LIKED Shepherd's Tale. But the fact is all we know about Book is that he was a runaway then a thug then a spy and that some deaths happened in association with him. We don't know ANYTHING, like I said, about what his rank was or who's side he was really on.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
But the fact is all we know about Book is that he was a runaway then a thug then a spy and that some deaths happened in association with him.
Interesting! I really need to get the book! I was just speculating off the series and movie. So many books, so little cash. haha
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Technically we don't know WHAT Book was still. A spy, yes, but rank, position, who's side he was on, none of that. He could potentially have been an Operative.
Actually, he is referred to as 'Officer Book.' He also clearly didn't outrank the officer who relieved him of his duty, where we're shown that Operatives... Well, they have no official rank, or name, and yet they can override anything. He was clearly a commander in the war, not a covert assassin. The deaths associated with him came from what they thought were his poor command choices, but really it was a massacre because the Browncoats knew what was coming.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Quote:
Actually, he is referred to as 'Officer Book.'
Hmm. I'll have to double check this.
Though we still don't know what side he was on. His reaction to the counter attack very much suggests he never expected them such a retaliation. My sense is Book was used by both sides, and discarded when no longer needed.
Even still, "Officer" technically isn't a rank. This could mean "Executive Officer in charge of the mission" (no rank necessarily required) though it could also mean Executive Officer in charge of the specific ship, or the task force (meaning Commander, Captain, or Commodore). We also don't know the rank of the guy who discharged him; and Operatives do have people they answer to, if Those Left Behind is any basis.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Actually, no, Storymark, I LIKED Shepherd's Tale. But the fact is all we know about Book is that he was a runaway then a thug then a spy and that some deaths happened in association with him. We don't know ANYTHING, like I said, about what his rank was or who's side he was really on.
There is a difference between not knowing the details - and not knowing ANYTHING.
Like saying we don't know who's side he's really on - you'd have a point if he wasn't aware of the implant (trying to go spoiler-lite here, should someone stumble in), but he did know about it. If his true loyalty was to the Alliance, he would have done something about that, rather than let what transpired in the comic happen.
It may not have been spelled out for us, but it seemed pretty clear to me.
Now, how he felt about the side he was loyal to, or his feelings towards those he was betraying.... that I would agree is quite wide open, but his loyalty didn't seem ambiguous to me in the least.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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