Book is a Cop by Embassy

FIREFLY EPISODE DISCUSSIONS

Book is a Cop

POSTED BY: EMBASSY
UPDATED: Sunday, June 15, 2003 11:13
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Sunday, June 15, 2003 8:46 AM

Book is a cop

Police officers and soldiers are different. The former group is concerned mainly with catching crooks, using the minimal amount of force, and they array their force collectively against individual criminals. Soldiers are concerned mainly with shooting the adversary, they array their force against similar configurations of enemy force, and they are generally most successful when they use maximal, but brief force. The jobs overlap loosely, and every so often soldiers are called upon to do police duty (the Royal Ulster Constabulary comes to mind, and to a looser extent the US coast guard), but in general, although both groups are uniformed and armed, the trades are distinct.

I think that Book is probably a senior police official or federal agent of some sort. We know that the alliance feds and the alliance military are at least a little different, and that there are special factions such as the Blue Hand Group with particular concerns.

Book shows a fairly detailed knowledge of criminal activity, and indeed he was familiar with Adelai Niska by reputation. He handles himself in a fight, but in a small tactical situation consistent with police work rather than a set-piece affair - a shootout rather than a battle.

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And his knowledge of police procedure, a need to call for backup, insiginia, and so forth revealed in "The Message" makes it more clear to me that his world is law enforcement, rather than soldiering as has been speculated.

What is interesting to me is why he left. I think I read once of federal marshalls who in the 1850s were obliged to track down and return fugitive slaves. Surely some of these men must have found the work repugnant and left. Perhaps Book became disgusted at the corruption of the Alliance police. Their might have been some precipitating incident, or perhaps it was a slow accumulation of disgust at the system he was serving. Either way, I'm sure there's a fascinating story to be told about him.

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Sunday, June 15, 2003 8:59 AM

MANIACNUMBERONE

I think what you have said is true, but it doesn't preclude the possibility of Book being an army man... how about if he were an intelligence man, as has been suggested? I really liked the idea in the "Book and Inara know each other thread" that Book helped plan the battle of serenity valley.

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Sunday, June 15, 2003 11:13 AM

JIMMYJAMES

i think you're onto something there. i think i'm leaning more towards this idea rather than him being an Alliance General. He must have been really well known though, for the Alliance to give him the best medical treatment in "Safe".

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do you know what the chain of command is? it's the chain i go get and beat you with till you understand who's in rutten command here

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