Book and Inara by Smith

FIREFLY UNIVERSE

Book and Inara

POSTED BY: SMITH
UPDATED: Friday, April 28, 2006 15:14
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Monday, March 6, 2006 6:21 PM

Okay, my brain's tired of all the cloak and dagger stuff! Can someone please tell me, either in facts or educated guesses, what exactly did Book do before becoming a shepard (if he is one at all), and what was in Inara's needle-thingy when the Reavers attacked? Any illumination on either subject would be much appreciated!

Say no more. Evil's still afoot and I'm almost out of that Nancy-bot hair-gel that I like so much. Quickly to the Angelmobile, away!

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Tuesday, March 7, 2006 5:10 AM

GWEK

No true answer exists to either mystery, but we can make educated guesses. There are multiple threads devoted to each of these concepts, but here goes...

The most likely answer for Book appears to be that before he was a shepherd, he was a man who did important and bad things for the Alliance. Early theories included him being the Alliance commander at Serenity Valley or somehow tied to River's Academy. The movie seems to indicate that he was an Operative (and the novelization goes one step further and makes this almost a certainty).

The simple solution to Inara's needle is that it's a suicide kit... even though it's not. To elaborate: In the commentary, Whedon pretty much says "A lot of people assume it's a suicide kit, which is the one think that I'll tell you it's not, but if we never get to tell the story of what it really is, then it works for people to think it's a suicide kit."

Based on a story that Tim Minear tells, it's possible that the Black Vial contains some sort of sexually-transmitted toxin, and that Inara's goal was to take as many Reavers down with her when she died.

The main evidence for this comes from an episode idea Minear tells about Inara being abdunted by Reavers and when the crew find her, she's been gang-raped, and all the Reavers are dead. Another popular theory is that the Black Vial is some sort of "hulk out" formula that would make Inara a temporary killing machine (again, supported by the idea Inara surrounded by dead Reavers).

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 12:10 PM

WASHHEAD

hey id have to agree with you on Book having some sort of thing with the alliance but i always thought that Inara's black vial was a temperary killing serum like it makes sence since it would make her dead for a breaf time making the reavers leve her allown, ya saw from the man from the movie after he was dead the reavers just left him i always thought that the serum was for that and i really cant believe that it was a super fighter serum cause why would a companion need one of those?

"People juggled geese!!"

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 3:21 PM

SPIRITWOLF

Personally, and all my friends agree, it's simply a suicide kit. Which was why she looked a little worried when opening it. Really the super fighting stuff, well they had River, Jayne, Zoe and the Captain... to add another fighter, especially one with hidden talents like River, would only be redundant and I would like to think Whedon is anything but that.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 5:51 PM

EVILDINOSAUR

I tend to go with the book was an operative crowd, it makes sense with his extensive knowledge of all things alliance, his excellent fighting skills (granted they have diminished with age and not using them) and of course his unmarked ident card which gives him complete alliance obedience.

As for the black vial, I like the STD theory, especially since it supposedly came from Minear.

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 7:00 PM

GWEK

The one thing we know the black vial is NOT is a suicide kit. In the commentary for "Serenity" (the episode), he states that it's NOT a suicide kit, but since he didn't get to tell the story, he's okay with folks thinking that for now.

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

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Tuesday, March 28, 2006 7:40 AM

OSYRUS

guess i have to watch the ep again, but I thought it was part of the companions medkit she gave simon for kaylee?

"They dont like it when ya shoot at em...I worked that out myself"

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Friday, April 28, 2006 3:14 PM

GUYWHOWANTSAFIREFLYOFHISOWN

nope

One Day.
One Mission
One Army of Browncoats.

On June 23rd, We Aim To Misbehave.
www.SerenityJune23rd.com

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