The Shepherd

POSTED BY: ShadoworBust
UPDATED: Friday, October 21, 2005 00:55
VIEWED: 19132
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ROCKETJOCK

Saturday, February 26, 2005 4:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Indigo:
Fellow magic user RocketJock?

Yes, actually. Born-again Pagan. Jesus saves, Moses invests, Thor sacks, pillages, loots and burns. Lots more fun!

Like to repeat for the record though, I'm not suggesting a literal use of magic here; not in any D&D/Buffyverse sense anyway. But any spiritual quest, such as Book's, has a certain magic of its own...

"Hermanos! The Devil has built a robot! Andale!" -- Numero Cinco

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Saturday, February 26, 2005 4:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ShadoworBust:
I know that there's a lot of 'westerny-speak' in Firefly, but there's not often that Joss has someone say their name like that, when it's really thier name. There's more ways to say it that's a lot more like in the old west.

For your thesis to be plausible, you'd have to show that Joss used another instance of "I'm called" when it was in fact a pseudonyum. Just the fact that Book said "I'm called" doesn't mean anything in itself. If Joss hadn't established it in the Firefly lexicon as meaning something specific (for instance, the only-bad-guys-wear-hats thing) then it doesn't necessarily mean anything at all. Just because something is different doesn't mean it's somehow deeply significant to the character. That's another thing you might notice about the more obsessive types--they see hidden meaning in things where it just ain't.

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

KAYSKY

Saturday, February 26, 2005 4:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ShadoworBust:
I was watching the episode Serenity the other day, and I noticed, that the Shepherd never actually says his name.
Quote:
Book. I'm called Book.

Now, it's a mite thin by some's reckoning, but I figure that Book could be an alias. Anyone else notice this?

I personally think "Book" is an alias of some sort. I think he is somehow tied into the Alliance and that he is on the ship because of the Tams.

Hopefully, the movie will give us some more insight into his character.

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Saturday, February 26, 2005 5:07 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ShadoworBust:
I know that there's a lot of 'westerny-speak' in Firefly, but there's not often that Joss has someone say their name like that, when it's really thier name. There's more ways to say it that's a lot more like in the old west.

Also, Simon tells Kaylee to call him Simon; Inara tells Mr. Higgin to call her Inara, and I don't hear anyone kick up a fuss. Mal said the skyplex was "run by a fella called Niska" and no one's hyperventilating about that. Mal tells Warrick Harrow he's representing a "fellow called Badger". In addition, if you look at the script notes, they're littered with notes like "a grizzly fellow called MARCO is their leader". Long story short, there's absolutely nothing supporting the idea that the phrase "I'm called Book" means anything other than what it seems to mean: one person telling another person his name.

Don't lets look for hidden meanings in every line of dialog.

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

SHADOWORBUST

Saturday, February 26, 2005 5:25 AM

I don't look for hidden meaning in every line of dialogue. I just notice things that could be, and try to provoke discussions.

Now those other examples are all well in good, but for the fact that, with the possible exception of Niska, it's established elsewhere that what their names are. Book is the only one among them with only a first name. "The only people with first names are rock stars, and the Pope." Of course, he is religous, he might be the Pope.

Now add all this information together with the fact that Book is a character that's a complete mystery, and that he's got a great many secrets, it's plausible that he might give an alias. Am I saying that this is exactly what Joss wanted people to think? No. But is it possible? Yeah, it is.

BTW, you have a point with me having no cause to say that "call me..." wasn't a sufficient western term. The word choice however is slightly suspicious in his cercumstance. Like I said before, all I'm doin' is tryin' to make people think.

One further addedum: I get obsessed over a lot of things. Thankfully, so far, the things I get addicted to only hurt me finacially.

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"The two saddest people in the world are those who grow up too fast, and those who stay young too long. The former misses the transition that explains everything, and the latter miss what may yet come." -Jack T. Ripper, fictional musician

SHAWNEE

Friday, March 4, 2005 2:39 PM

Is there anyone else who doesn't entirely trust the Shepherd? I think he's up to no good.

EMBERS

Friday, March 4, 2005 3:15 PM

myself I think he is good, and is wanting to do good...
I believe his 'confession' to Inara at the end of the first episode was a true one. He left the Abby hoping to do good, and instead he is on a ship which is forcing him to remember his past:

because MY theory is that he was a big important General (or politician) in the Alliance, and he helped defeat Mal...
and he signed off on the experiements done to River and other brilliant children...

so my theory is that he is guilty for the past,
and has secrets to hide from everyone around him.

JMPO and I am almost always wrong
(I've never guessed where Joss was going correctly before...ever)

BATMARLOWE

Friday, March 4, 2005 4:55 PM

Since we know Book has a mysterious past and it's a heck of a coincidence that a religious man would actually be named "Book" I think it's safe to assume "Book" is an alias. As far as the use of the word "called" goes, Americans use the word "called" to mean a name different from your actual name. Like Oz's name is Daniel but everyone calls him "Oz". However the British use "called" the way use "named". So that may explain so much use of the word "called" in the Whedonverse considering what an Anglophile Joss is.

ZEEK

Friday, March 4, 2005 5:41 PM

I tend to think Book is probably an alias. Though his being a shepherd or his cover of being a shepherd works here. Lots of priests I've known have gone by titles like Father Mike or Father McGlenn. All they use is one name, first or last. So Shepherd Book isn't an oddity in the verse most likely.

The one scene that makes me want to believe he's actually a shepherd is the story about the "natty thing" that wash misses. Not that a good covert op couldn't make up stories on the spot but it just seems so real to me. Like Book really does have a past as a shepherd that he can tell stories about. He's obviously got some other stuff in his past too though.

I like the theory that he's part of the underground movement that helped get River out of the academy. Not that it explains "I don't give half a hump if you're guilty or not. So where does that put you?" or his alliance speedpass ident card, but I still like the theory.

SHINYSEVEN

Friday, March 4, 2005 6:06 PM

For all we know, part of becoming a Shepherd is taking a new religious name--the Abbey might have had a Shepherd Revelation, a Shepherd Grace, etc. FWIW when I write stories I usually assume that his first name is Ignacio.

And I think that he started out *pretending* to be a Shepherd and then became one by in fact praying and comforting his flock.

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