Shepherd Book's History

POSTED BY: Nyiri
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 17:52
VIEWED: 3695
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NYIRI

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 4:20 AM

I wasn't able to find any thread where this has been discussed much (and I used a google search to look). Having watched Serenity again, something hit us.

Has anyone considered that Book was once an Operative?

It would explain a great deal. His intimate knowledge with the ins and outs of the Alliance, his knowledge of things less-than-legal, his swift fighting response in one of the episodes, the way the Alliance immediately deferred to his ident-card...

Has anyone else had any suggestions or ideas on the subject?

SIMONWHO

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 4:32 AM

It has been discussed but never really decided one way or the other.

Personally, I like to think his dark secret is that he has several overdue library books and forgot his mother's 63rd birthday.

CHINDI

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 4:51 AM

SPEW ALERT SIMON!!

lol.. you are DEFINITELY going to that special hell...

(of course we will all be there too, so it will be a shindig!)

Chindi

CHRISTHECYNIC

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 5:09 AM

It certainly makes sense and unless I see some compelling evidence the other way around I'm assuming that's the case.

The thing is that that doesn't really answer any questions though. A job description is hardly a great reveal about his past.

Now we know that he was once a believer, and he must have had that belief crushed, but we don't know why or how. That why and how are Book's past, in comparison to the answers to those questions the fact he was an operative is a footnote.

Unfortunately we have no idea what the answers to those questions are. 42 just doesn't fit.

Now we're left with:
Once an operative who believed hard.
Learned the name Niska.
Lost faith somehow.
Found new faith in Christianity.
Left monastery.
Came to Serenity.
Show ensued.

-

I say that it doesn't answer questions, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful. Now we have a better idea of what the unanswered questions actually are.

STAKETHELURK

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 5:11 AM

I think there are a lot of parallels between Book and the Operative, making it logical to assume that Book was once an Operative himself. That would provide us with a semblance of conclusion about his storyline if there is no continuation (if, people, remember that ).

Yet on the other hand, the film only suggests this connection. Nowhere does it explicitly say he was an Operative. Thus, if/when Joss can tell us more, he can actually have it be something else without any contradiction. It’s some impressive writing to both answer a question and leave it open, but that’s one of Whedon’s trademarks.

NYIRI

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 2:26 PM

LOL, very true. But it does make sense at this time. And yes, it just opens up the questions for us.

I can only hope and pray that there will be more opportunities for Joss to tell us more. I, for one, was left somewhat heart broken to -not- learn anything at all about Book in the movie.

The questions still remain of, -if- he was an Operative, what happened to lose his faith and send him searching for something else to believe?

Has there yet been any discussion of more Serenity/FF on either the large or small screen?

CAUSAL

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 2:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by christhecynic:
Now we know that he was once a believer, and he must have had that belief crushed, but we don't know why or how.

This is really the big deal, I think. If, in fact, Book was an Operative, as many think, what does that real tell us? We already knew he was Alliance, somewhat important, well-versed in military/criminal intel and the combat arts. So now we have a title--Operative--but by itself, that's all it is. What I want to know is, why'd he quit? What horrible thing forced him into the monastery? That's the direction I hope is taken in future installments.

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

GRAYFURY

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 2:56 PM

I'm a supporter of this thoery.... Here is a link to a post I started in favor of this idea.... Many Browncoats, have had many great Ideas to support or disprove my points. If you have an hour and dont mind having your mind blown... see what weve come up with... http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15590

"Smellin' alot of IF comin' offa' this plan!"

ZOID

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 4:00 PM

Nyiri:

...And then you have another school of thought -- of which I am the figurative Principal Weatherby -- in which Book (or whatever his real name is) was in charge of the assignments/disposition of Operatives, and other larger-scale military operations, whether they were of the "palms up" or "sideways" varieties.

His knowledge of Operatives, police protocol, weaponry and military tactics, terrorist and criminal activities and modi operandi, are all very suggestive to my mind of a high-ranking military leader. Others have pointed out that a high-ranking judge would likewise have privileged access (and possibly hands-on knowledge) on many of these topics.

But, I deem that his fascination with Mal, his obvious interest in Mal's innate leadership abilities, and his fatherly/mentor-like feelings toward Mal, points toward his sharing something in common with our captain: A military past.

'Book': "You can't order me around, boy [sounds like an implied, "my boy" or "my son"]. I'm not part of your crew."
[Added emphases are mine, to indicate key words and usage.]
Mal: "Yes, you are."

In my opinion -- and that's all any of us have, maybe forever -- 'Book' was a high-ranking military officer who served the Alliance, possibly even at the Battle of Serenity. That fits the bill when one asks oneself, "If Book was an Operative in the past, why wouldn't he just tell that to Mal? What could Book have done that was so unforgiveable that he couldn't tell Mal about it?" Answer: He was responsible for the Browncoats' defeat at the Battle of Serenity Valley.

As an Alliance general, Book would have had at least as many non-traditional resources at his command as a modern-day general: Spies, computer hackers, assassins, special forces infiltrators and sappers, etc. And contrary to popular perception, generals in the Western militaries are very smart individuals who have done their homework on a broad range of topics that might affect the success of their military operations. I've had the opportunity to meet a few, and while I wouldn't necessarily give you a plugged nickel for any individual colonel, one apparently does not just stroll up the ladder to the rank of general officer in our armed forces if one is a dumbass whose only talent lies in osculating the backsides of one's superiors.

I just don't think 'Book' foresaw that the Parliament was going to leave thousands to die on the battlefield, once hostilities had ceased. In the theatre of my mind, I can picture a scene in which he honorably accepted his opponent's surrender, promising his vanquished foe's army safe conduct, humane relief and immediate medical attention. But I think the Alliance Parliament, in particular, decided to deliver a killing blow to those who had fought to resist their dominance, by purposely delaying the formal armistice proceedings and ordering Book and other military leaders not to deliver aid so long as the war was still officially being waged.

This (admittedly elaborate) scenario I have concocted is the only one -- by my reckoning -- that explains all of Book's dialogue in the series and movie. ...To include his "I don't give half a hump if you're innocent or not. So where does that put you?" internal monologue from OiS: He was condemning himself. He may have been 'innocent' of the mass murder of the soldiers at Serenity Valley, but it does not excuse him from having served so evil a master. Please note that in that scene, he is looking down at his own hands as he delivers the lines, and that he is holding a knife.

My point is that, for every compelling argument that Book was an Operative, there is -- in my estimation -- an equally or more compelling line of reasoning that he was a field general in the Alliance Forces, or a chief justice, or someone who got banished from his society for speaking aloud in the theater, but who also knows how to google the Cortex for the snippets of info he provides about weapons, tactics, militar

IMALEAF

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 4:15 PM

I kinda of thought mebbe Book trained operatives, because he knows so much, and believes so much, but takes death to heart.

~~River: Bible's broken. Contradictions, false logics. Doesn't make sense.~~

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