Nara's Secret by SlyC

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Nara's Secret

POSTED BY: SLYC
UPDATED: Saturday, July 7, 2007 01:32
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Tuesday, July 3, 2007 8:38 PM

Here's my theory about Inara's secret. I'd really like to know what my fellow Browncoats think.

While listening to the commentary for 'Out of Gas' one time I decided to back up and watch the scene that Tim Minear says contains a hint. The only line that really jumped out at me was Inara saying:
“I don't want to die at all.”
The show is sci-fi after all so I wondered about future solutions to aging, then I thought about the scene in 'Serenity' with Inara, the syringe and the vial...
I think it's a regenerative serum. At first I was thinking that possibly a large dose of it might give her enough strength to fight off Reavers, but maybe she's just looking at it thinking about her life and where it's brought her... Not appearing to age (or even just acquiring an illegal regeneration drug) would be good reasons for her to have run away from Sihnon.

Here's what really sold the idea to me though.
In the 'Heart of Gold' episode when Inara greets Nandi in the cathouse Nandi says,
“And you look exactly the same as the day I left.”
Yes, it's just something people say, but the way Nandi emphasizes the word EXACTLY makes me very suspicious.
Maybe Inara's unchanging appearance is a reason why she didn't contact Nandi.
Also, Nandi, who was a schoolmate of hers is at least in her late 30's.

I was pretty certain of this theory for a long time but while I was writing this up I thought about the yearly Companion physical. (in 'Ariel') That could throw a wrench into the theory but...
a) the drug may be undetectable
b) she may not have gone for a medical at all, just scored more of the drug.
c) you'd think after a decade or so the medics would get wise unless
1) Inara is careful to go different places for her medicals or
2) All registered companions are on the drug....
Whatever the case I went back and watched 'Ariel' and picked up on Wash saying to Inara,
“Big stop just to renew your license to Companion.”
Wash obviously wonders why she needs to be on Ariel just for her yearly physical which definitely shows that something is out of the ordinary.

So there you have it.
Inara is either very old or surprisingly old for her looks with the possibility to become ancient.
I'm pretty convinced.
What do you think?

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 12:43 AM

RIVERGIRL

sounds logical doesnt it

but upon hearing of a Reaver attack would you immediately think of taking a drug that would make you live longer!!!!! not me

Also, I can kill you with my brain.

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 4:03 AM

REDLAVA

Don't want to be the person to shoot a hole in your theory, but I remember Morena told a group of people during a convention, I believe, that the vial that we see in the pilot is actually a defensive weapon that will kill anybody that has sex with her. I heard it on one of the episodes of Firefly Talk several months ago.

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 4:08 AM

RIVERGIRL

that is Tim Minears version
wayyyyy tooooooooooooooo dark

why would you have a poisen that kills a Reaver AFTER he rapes you

Also, I can kill you with my brain.

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 4:16 AM

EMMARIGBY

Well it could stop him from getting round to the whole eating you alive thing!

I actually had a different theory, going from a few things said in the commentaries and on this forum. I think that Inara is dying. She'd been diagnosed with a terminal illness on Shinon, which had shaken her out of her comfortable routine and made her want to travel the verse in the time she had left (Joss said something in Out of Gas about the line "I'm a big girl, just tell me" not necessarily being directed at Mal but a flashback - this would also explain why she keeps Mal at a distance). The syringe could be a medicine that holds back the symptoms. If this was the case then she would naturally be using it as a focus for thoughts of upcoming mortality, or even contemplating taking an overdose.

What do you recon? More or less believable than the other ideas stated?

___________________

Hissssssssss!

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 4:40 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I've been torn between theories of her dying or being much older than she appeared. In either case, the look she had when she took out the vial in the pilot was sort of like her thinking, "Well, this won't help me now" or "That was all for nothing, wasn't it?"

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 4:51 AM

EMMARIGBY

Which, thinking about it, would apply if it was some anti-aging stuff or a course of medicines that she'd been taking to put off dying.

___________________

Hissssssssss!

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 5:05 AM

KATESFRIEND

One theory on another board was that the injections in small amounts took small amounts of vitality from whomever she had relations with. The person wouldn't notice it and would quickly recover, but that the secret of Companions being "energy vampires" was the secret Inara couldn't live with on Sihnon. But since she didn't want to die at all, she hypocritically kept using the drug.

In large amounts, as in the case of Reavers, the drug killed them instantly.

So when she realized in Heart of Gold that she loved Mal, she weighed her love for him with her fear of death, since she hopefully wouldn't want to suck the life out of him. That's why she had to leave. Joss and vampires - gotta love it!

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 5:35 AM

LADYSHELLEY

I love all of these ideas. I have one wrench to throw in the works: River. Everything you're discussing here is mental and would be something River would pick up on quickly, yet we have no indication she is aware of Inara being:

1. Ancient ("wise beyond her years" would take on a whole new meaning!)

2. Dying

3. an Energy Vamp (hadn't heard that one before)

So, how do you add River into the equation? She doesn't act as though Inara is hiding something from her, River is usually calm around Inara (unless there are Reavers on the ship of course), and you would think she would say something to Simon if no one else.

Lady Shelley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.redhawke.org

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 1:23 PM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Quote:
Originally posted by rivergirl:
why would you have a poisen that kills a Reaver AFTER he rapes you

Who says it has anything to do with Reavers. Prostitutes have been raped in real life for quite some time now, and besides the perverse pleasure one would get from it imagine the status some thug would have if he raped a Companion.

A Companion is a symbol of sex and power, someone somewhere is going to think about raping one. Hopefully no one will ever succeed, but if, say, a big luxury liner were taken by pirates and a traveling Companion onboard was raped you wouldn't want them bragging about it would you? No, you'd want them dead. Preferably painfully.

In fact the rumor that someone who raped a Companion would die might make rape less likely even when they don't have time to shoot up (assuming the method were unknown.)

Besides that how, exactly, could you make a poison that would kill the Reaver before he rapes you? Let's say you could make a poison that could kill your potential rapist before he became your actual rapist, how would that distinguish between the person about to rape you and your friend trying to stop him?

If you've got an injection that will kill anyone who has sex with you within, say, six hours of injection, or whatever, then you could inject yourself and then try to run away, kill your potential rapists or do whatever you would otherwise do. If it works then good, you're safe and you wait for the poison to wear off, but if you fail to avoid rape wouldn't you want to be sure the bastards who raped you didn't get away with it?

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Wednesday, July 4, 2007 2:51 PM

JONGSSTRAW

Nandi looks older than Inara because she's had a much harder life than Inara since leaving whore academy. Look at where her place is...some shithole somewhere...look who her "clients" are; they're low-life scum who work for the head scum of the scum town. Betcha Nandi got whacked in the head more than a few times while performing her trade.

Now Inara gets to fly around and bed the nice rich guys like Atherton and Fess; much less wear & tear on her bones than Nandi. The vial she has is only Welch's grape juice, a very rare and expensive delicacy in the 'verse ( like strawberries )...only to be consumed on special occasions, or upon imminent death.

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Thursday, July 5, 2007 9:06 PM

SLYC

If the drug that makes you live longer made you stronger in larger doses then you would think of taking it when Reavers are about to attack.

A defensive drug that kills who you have sex with is interesting and certainly something Companions could make use of... It could well be true, but it doesn't explain the other stuff related to aging. In the case of rape (as opposed to assassination) it would be hard to implement unless you knew beforehand you were going to be raped. i.e. if Reavers were about to attack you.

The idea of River picking up on Inara's secret (not to mention other crew secrets) is also interesting. Luckily for the writers that were on the show River is “a bit erratic”. Not to mention that psychic ability is not exactly an exact science. River can only pick up on what randomly comes to her it seems, and Inara would be very mentally guarded about it.

Nandi looking older than Inara doesn't necessarily mean anything, yes, she just might be older. But it supports my theory so I threw it in there!

Also, I should have put the full quote in of Nandi greeting Inara because it throws more fire onto the question of Inara being old:

“And you look exactly the same as the day I left.
How do you do that out here?”
...
How does she do it?

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Friday, July 6, 2007 2:16 PM

CAPTAINCOUPI

I like the old beyond her physical appearance theory and I think that is the one theory where River wouldn’t throw a spanner in the works. River is working on a different level and I don't think age would be of great concern to her. She might find the difference in Inara's age and appearance interesting for a brief moment but then she would move beyond it.

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Friday, July 6, 2007 6:16 PM

NCBROWNCOAT

One of two scenarios are the most likely IMHO.

First, the syring is connected to Inara's ability to have children or inability. Remember how she cringes (but in sadness I think) when Mal talks about "critters" in OMR?

Also, it could be the weapon that almost killed her.
This theory is connected to why she left Shinon. Inara was a very successful Companion from the start and expected to be the House Priestess. Another Companion got very jealous of her success and attempted to murder Inara. It also likely included jealousy over a high ranking client (Inara fell in love with him and the other Companion just couldn't handle it. It would also explain her reluctance to give her heart to Mal. There was potential for a tremendous scandal that would harm the Guild so it was hushed up as soon as possible.

Inara was persuaded by her House Priestess to go out to the Border area for her own safety (and to be a sort of pioneer Companion) and the vial is a reminder about what almost happened.

I have thought of writing a fic along these lines but I just cannot write Inara. Anyone who can use this plot bunny is welcome to it as long as I get to read it first!

http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/

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Saturday, July 7, 2007 1:32 AM

SLYC

Inara cringes when Mal mentions 'critters' in 'Our Mrs. Reynolds' because she doesn't want to think about him having kids with another woman.

I don't think Inara is reluctant to give her heart to Mal, he simply has to tell her he loves her. That's it, that's all, and he CAN'T do it! He's too afraid of the emotions he feels for her and really can't admit to anyone that he loves them.
What a yutz!

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