Book's past

POSTED BY: Phatcorns
UPDATED: Saturday, January 21, 2006 19:09
VIEWED: 8225
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AMITON

Friday, January 20, 2006 6:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by nirvana:
Quote:
There is also the obvious weight his ident card carries w/ the Alliance in the episode "Safe".

This is also what intrigues me... If he was an ex-Operative, then why would they show him respect?

I think he had some sort of important role to play with the Alliance, but I wonder if it was a more political one. I am curious about how the storyline in the comics explain it -- I am by no means a comic book person, but I am planning on buying the compilation when it comes out at the end of the month.

The comics don't go into Book's past at all, really. They just set up why it is that he leaves.

In as much as why his ident card would get him respect if he were an ex-operative, I think that applies no matter what position he held in the Alliance before he became a shepherd. He didn't seem to abandon the Alliance in any way to go to his new calling; I'd liken it more to a retirement, and he would still be just as respected whereever he went.

Amiton.

NIRVANA

Friday, January 20, 2006 6:53 PM

huh.
very interesting. you stumped me.
I never really paid attention to whether or not Book was hostile towards the Alliance in any way other than how it affected his friends in the moment. I just assumed he felt the same as everyone else.

I will have to rewatch with new eyes.

Anyone else have any more insight into this?

STAKETHELURK

Friday, January 20, 2006 7:36 PM

The Book-as-Operative theory has a lot going for it after the BDM, where the parallels between Book and the Operative do seem very apparent. But at the same time, there is never any explicit confirmation that Book was indeed an Operative. All the connections are largely thematic ones.

I think this is good writing on Joss’ part, in that he has answered the question without answering it. If (God forbid) the BDM is the end of the story, then Book’s past can appear to be addressed: he was an Operative. If, on the other hand, Joss is able to tell more stories with our BDHs, he can go off in some new and unexpected direction with Book’s past without contradicting any established canon. It’s brilliantly done and lets us feel closure while keeping the door open—a Whedon trademark.

Oh, and for those folks interested in the “Serenity” comic books, the individual comics themselves may be very hard to find at this point, but all three issues are going to be collected in a graphic novel-style trade paperback that Dark Horse is releasing, I believe, January 25. The comics essentially bridge the gap between the end of the series and the BDM.

MISBEHAVIN

Saturday, January 21, 2006 6:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Amiton:
...Also, there is only supposed to be about six months between the end of the series and the BDM, and that's what the comics were written to cover. I'm pretty sure they're considered cannon, so unless they made episodes to rehash what was already written, I don't know that they could fit stuff in between the series and the BDM.

Six months can be a pretty long time for that crew. The three comics together tell a story that could easily fit in one episode. There's a lot of room for more adventures. Of course, you can go back to the beginning that was depicted in Out of Gas. There's a lot of great potential there between when Mal bought the old junker and the Serenity two-part pilot. None of the sad, shocking events of the Big Damn Movie are a hindrance to the storytelling. There are many exciting new possibilities, some of which were created because of those sad events.

RCAT

Saturday, January 21, 2006 7:36 AM

I saw in either a transcript of a panel discussion or an interview (sorry can't remember where exactly), Joss was asked flat out "is Book a former operative?". Joss's response was something like "that's an interesting idea, but no".

Before that, I had always assumed he was an operative. W/ all his hands-on knowledge and skills, the "I don't give half a hump" line, alliance i.d., etc. I started to wonder if he used to be a lawman of some sort (i.e. a federal marshall or equiv.) who was perhaps judge, jury and executioner. He had to make some harsh decesions and eventually went to the monastary to atone after burn-out.

Also I got the feeling in the pilot ep. that he'd been in seclusion longer than six years, and didn't take part in the war.

When I talk about belief, why do you always assume I'm talking about God?
-Book

KYLELITKE

Saturday, January 21, 2006 7:53 AM

I've always assumed he was an Operative.

1. He has plenty of knowledge concerning weapons, fighting, stuff like that.

2. That identcard got him instant Alliance attention when they were going to ignore him. Simply being an alliance "soldier" probably wouldn't have gotten him attention like that, whereas if he was very high up, he shouldn't be, essentially, a "ghost" in the system, where nobody knows who he is or what he was before becoming a shephard.

3. All his talk about belief in the movie mirrors the Operative.

4. Maybe he was just religious, but becoming a shephard could be to atone for his life as an Operative. Naturally that could be the case for just about anything, but the way an Operative works strikes me as something he may feel he needs to atone for.

5. His line in Objects in Space that River reads (keeping in mind she's not reading their thoughts at that moment) sounds like something an Operative might say. The Operative in Serenity never cared whether River was "innocent" or not, only that the Alliance wanted her.

We may never know for sure, of course, and there are other options, but him as an Operative stood out to me as soon as I saw the movie.

THUNDAR

Saturday, January 21, 2006 8:09 AM

Maybe Book was the one responsible for Miranda.

RCAT

Saturday, January 21, 2006 9:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Thundar:
Maybe Book was the one responsible for Miranda.

That thought occured to me but his "field skills" (use of weapons, fist fighting, how gangsters work) lead me to believe he was not at high enough of a level in government to be respsonsible (most politicians wouldn't have those abilities, tho' he may have had something to do w/ it, in a minor capacity). As the BDM was a condensed version of season 2/3 we don't have all the clues, so it's hard to say.

A government is a body of people usually notably ungoverned.
-Book

AERIN

Saturday, January 21, 2006 11:04 AM

After the movie I also thought Book was an ex-operative, retired and continuing the work to build a better world while atoning for his sins. Maybe that's what all operatives do. I never saw any evidence Book was disloyal to the Alliance. If he quit on bad terms the Alliance would not have patched him up and sent him off in Safe. He would be a threat to be eliminated. If Book was an ex-operative the Alliance must have had reason to believe he was completely trustworthy.

I can think of two other related options. Book could have been a sleeper operative. Maybe when they dropped him off before Ariel it was actually for a mission. Perhaps since finding River wasn't his mission he decided not to report it. If the Alliance ever thought to ask he could still tell them where she is.

Or Book could have left the Alliance and forged influential ID cards for himself. Whether or not he left under friendly conditions, he's smart and well trained enough to stay hidden. But again, I didn't see any signs he opposed the Alliance. I notice he never even seemed upset at about what was done to River.

But if Joss said he wasn't an operative...

SUBTORPMAN

Saturday, January 21, 2006 11:53 AM

My boyfriend speculates he is an ex Operative,

I agree with your boyfriend I believe he is an ex Operative. However I am not 100% sure of this as it seems his hand to hand combat skills are not too good. His weapon skill seems to be at a marksman level. Good aim hitting kneecaps.

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