The true Book... by Honorbound

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

The true Book...

POSTED BY: HONORBOUND
UPDATED: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 14:10
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VIEWED: 3915
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Thursday, April 17, 2003 4:56 PM

Ok, so of course there are many reasons why I would like to see Firefly back on the air, but one of them is to finally put to rest the many questions buzzing around in my head about Book.

What is his real background?

Why is he really away from the abby?

How does he know so much about guns, combat, the Alliance, the thug world, and other similar things?

What was up with his 'oh so special' credentials that made the Alliance drop everything to help him when he was shot?

And of course, why is he REALLY on Serenity? Was it just a fluke, or wasn't it?

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Thursday, April 17, 2003 5:16 PM

HOTFORKAYLEE

Some mysteries are better left as mysteries. Maybe one day Joss will let us know.

Quote:
I don't give half a hump if your innocent or not, now where does that put us?

--Book

Quote:
Do you wanna see the real me?

--Mal, could definetly see Book using that line.

I'd love to learn the answer but the imagination can be a powerful thing.

Quote:
"Are you saying I'm being deceived?"
"I'm not saying anything. I did not say anything then, and I'm not saying anything now."

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Thursday, April 17, 2003 9:27 PM

MANIACNUMBERONE

What does Shepherd Book tells us about himself?

He has come recently from Southdown abbey, possibly on Persephone. This is where Book served as a monk. He is also called a preacher, a missionary, and of course, a shepherd. He used to sail in a Firefly-type vessel a long time ago. At least 20 years. He learned many things at the abbey, among them are gardening and rabbit hunting.

Here is a quote from an interview with Ron Glass telling us about his character. Thanks Ron!

Quote:
"He's somebody who's looking after humanity, caring for people. But he also has another side -- he'll kick your a--, too."
With that, Glass lets out one of many hearty laughs.
Book is "clearly a man of letters, he's clearly a man of the (spoken) word. He has a big heart, and he's really interested in people's humanity, people's advancement and people's consciences.
"At the same time, I think he lived a lot of life before he became that person. I think it will be fun to watch it unfold."

Here is a little more of what we know about Shepherd Book:
Year: 2517

Location: Eavesdown Docks

Book avoids a ship docked at the Eavesdown Docks called the Brutus. The Captain of the Brutus tried to get Book to take a ride on his ship. Brutus, if you recall, is the name of Caesar's classic betrayer. By not accepting a ride with the betrayer ship, Book shows that he is loyal, and this one action (I feel) places his character almost beyond normal reproach.

Destiny: Serenity takes on Shepherd Book as a passenger to Boros.

During this voyage, Book proves himself to be the bad-ass which Ron Glass said his character would be. Book disarms and easily knocks out the lawman mole, in the cargo bay, during the scuffle right after Kaylee gets shot. He also stands up to an armed Jayne, by not allowing Jayne to kill the mole.

Item: 54-R Sniper Rifle

Shepherd Book describes this weapon from just the wounds of dead men. (War Stories.) He implies his knowledge is due to having used one on rabbits at the abbey, but that sort of knowledge does not come without comparison. He must know what other bullet holes look like as well.

Vehicle: Fast Burn Rocket Shuttle

Type of shuttle typically equipped on space stations. Book describes this shuttle from burn tracks on Ezra. This shows him to be a person with knowledge of tracking. Perhaps, a former bounty hunter? (War Stories.)

Location: Scrap house:

Book is the only one on Serenty who has previous knowledge about the electric-field nets which outlaws set up in space to capture space ships. Six breakers around the inside of the ring structure create the net when activated. It is used to strip parts off the captured space ships or just steal the whole ship. A failure in one of the six breakers shuts the whole net down, as we saw in Our Mrs. Reynolds.

Space Vessel: I.A.V. Magellan

The Alliance Cruiser where Book gets his wounds treated, positioned an hour from Jiangyin. (Safe.) Book was wounded and he show his ident card to the officials from the I.A.V. Magellan who wouldn't offer help to them. When the official ran the card and found out who Book was, Book was immediately treated. This is special treatment. This is a mystery.

Person: Jubal Early

Jubal Early, a bounty hunter, says about book, "That ain't a Shepherd." How does a bounty hunter know Book? Again, the question of Book's past.

----------------------------------
Who's winning?
I can't really tell, they don't seem to be playing by any civilized rules that I know.
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Sunday, April 27, 2003 12:22 PM

MOONDOGGY

MAybe the reason why Book became a Shepard was he done some very bad things in his past and wanted to make them right some how. Then again he might not have like the ways things were going under Alliance rule so he went to where he could change his way life around.

~ Don't get mad. get Firefly~

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 12:25 PM

TALRIUS

Here's a theory. He's a lawman. Or a bounty hunter.

--------------------------------------------------
DOBSON: I'm supposed to be meeting my wife's sister. I've only got a few days to see her...

ZOE: I wish there was another way...

DOBSON: Oh, no, no. That woman is like a dragon. I mean, I believe she has a tail. If there's any other moons we need to visit, or if we could just
fly very slowly...

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 12:55 PM

LERXST

Interesting. Maybe he's from their version of Internal Affairs.

_________________________________________________
Cap'n, can I have money for a slinky dress?

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 12:57 PM

TALRIUS

Maybe.

--------------------------------------------------
DOBSON: I'm supposed to be meeting my wife's sister. I've only got a few days to see her...

ZOE: I wish there was another way...

DOBSON: Oh, no, no. That woman is like a dragon. I mean, I believe she has a tail. If there's any other moons we need to visit, or if we could just
fly very slowly...

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 1:28 PM

KAYTHRYN

I think Joss is just messing with our minds. He wants us to think that Book has this crazy past, that he can't be trusted, or he can, or *brain fries*.

But maybe Book is just a Shepard.

He could have an important name or some innocent connections with the Alliance and that's what got him into surgery when he was shot (Safe Episode). I've got some 'connections' with the President, but that doesn't mean I know government secrets, or that I’m a spy.

And about his shady knowledge? Well just because he knows that stuff doesn’t mean he’s ever really used it before. He might just have a love for that kind of stuff. (Guns, space ships, and he probably just reads the news papers-- and that‘s how he knew about Niska). I know people who enjoy studying the mechanics of guns and cars, read all of the Popular Mechanics, and love to shot targets, but don’t have any military training or shady backgrounds. They just love to learn about that kind of stuff. I bet Book is just a really smart, able kind of man.

Of course Joss won’t let us know this until each and every fan has pulled out their hair because of the drawn out suspense due to Books past.

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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 1:31 PM

TALRIUS

Quote:
Originally posted by Kaythryn:
Of course Joss won’t let us know this until each and every fan has pulled out their hair because of the drawn out suspense due to Books past.

You're probably right. He might have helped some official and now that offical likes him and would help him out.

--------------------------------------------------
DOBSON: I'm supposed to be meeting my wife's sister. I've only got a few days to see her...

ZOE: I wish there was another way...

DOBSON: Oh, no, no. That woman is like a dragon. I mean, I believe she has a tail. If there's any other moons we need to visit, or if we could just
fly very slowly...

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 3:06 PM

MAGUINAN

I was thinking about this earlier and came to the same sort of conclusion that Kathryn did. I think Book does have connections with the Alliance (or some "wholly owned subsidiary" thereof) but maybe just a family connection. Like, perhaps he's the youngest brother of some high-up alliance hotshots (a lot of second and third children have gone into religious ministry, historically speaking). He would have had all the same education and training as his older siblings (guns, technology, politics, etc) but not much of any opportunity to use it. Kind of like Inara's swordfighting education.

At any rate, I don't think Book can be sinister or have any sort of evil/ulterior motive because of that one scene between him and Inara in "Serenity" where Book just about breaks down. Glass's good acting aside, there's no reason to have that scene if he turns out to be mal-intentioned towards the crew. Whatever his past (would have) turns(ed) out to be, I think he's as lost as the rest of them.

-maguinan

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Sunday, April 27, 2003 7:53 PM

ZELDA

I'm with the idea of Book as former Alliance. It's the medical treatment thing: it struck me as very VA Hospital, you know? Automatic treatment for vets and all of that. I don't particularly think he's high-up and still sinister, I just think he probably fought for the Alliance during the war and then had an epiphany and went to the abby.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2003 12:23 PM

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

If Book really did have some kind of high position or pull, why didn't it come up in "Bushwhacked?" He was questioned by the Alliance, and wouldn't they have checked his ID then? True, Early didn't seem to think he was a shepherd, but this was the man who described himself as "having a mighty roar;" in other words, Early misses a few things. Clearly there's plenty to suggest there's a lot to Book, but few conclusions to be had.

I would be disappointed if Book were not a shepherd. I would be surprised if he was not something else as well.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2003 1:59 PM

TRAGICSTORY

IMO, I did not see the Alliance questioning as an attempt to gain information, but more an attempt to railroad someone (eventually Mal) into taking the blame for the Reaver attack.

Personally, I think Book was Alliance. Probably an assassin. Someone who would have good connections, yet be able to walk away when no longer needed. (Of course I love Kenshin so that is probably where I got the idea)

"Societies are supported by human activity, therefore they are constantly threatened by the human facts of self-intrest and stupidity." --Peter Berger

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Tuesday, April 29, 2003 2:10 PM

KAYTHRYN

You know what I was thinking? (I hope not)

In Bushwhacked Book was of course asked to identify himself so maybe he showed them papers from the Abby that confirmed that he was Shepard Book-- but in Safe, when he was shot, he gave them his ident card (I bet like a drivers license and birth certificate smushed together) that said his full name (maybe real name) and all that good special Alliance stuff that got him into surgery. That’s why his Alliance connections didn’t come up in Bushwhacked.

--I still don’t think Book was an Alliance spy or General. That kind of past was just too heavily hinted at. If that’s what they want us to think, then it’s a pretty obvious that it’s not going to be that way.

-------------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

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