Big Damn Inara Theory

POSTED BY: raptored
UPDATED: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 23:35
VIEWED: 34837
PAGE 1 of 1

RAPTORED

Friday, November 11, 2005 9:30 PM

My Big Damn Inara Theory:
1) Okay, what’s in that vial that she pulls out in the Serenity pilot when the Reavers atttack? Joss has said it isn’t a suicide kit, which is what everyone assumes. I think the only other thing that make sense is that it’s something she can inject herself with to make herself go backward in time or enables her to reverse time on a limited basis. Some have suggested the vial is a sort of super-drug she could inject that would make her fight off the Reavers, but we already have “River the Assassin,” so I don’t think having two, (or three, counting Zoe) “warriror women” on the show makes much sense. I think the time-travel also explains a lot about her character. Such as:

A) She’s obviously afraid of giving into her attraction to Mal and getting attatched to members of the crew on a deeply emotional level. This is either because she knows she won’t progress far enough along with them age and time wise to keep up with them (since the reverse time travel somehow keeps her young) and she’ll have to watch them get old and die, which is too painful for her. Or, alternately, she’s actually been through many “previous” scenarios with Mal and the crew before the time frame of the show, and they all ended painfully, so she reversed time and started “all over again.” So she may also know the outcome of these relationships can only bring pain, so she simply avoids them. It also explains why she brings out the vial before the Reavers attack. Time reversal is only to be used sparingly and in the most drastic of circumstances, ect, since it may change the outcome of the future, ect.... (I think she may be an addict of the time reversal drug, or be under orders to use it in order to maintain her Companion status, but that’s a later post.)

B) It explains her “young and old” dichotomy pretty well. When we meet Nandi in HoG, the two were supposed to have gone through Companion training in House Maddrassa (sp?) together, but I think Nandi looks and seems considerably older than Inara, by about 10 years or more, maybe. Nandi even comments on this, saying something to her like, “you never change” or “you don’t look any different.” (Can’t remember the exact quote.) If Inara has been continuously using the time travel drug to keep herself young, she wouldn’t have aged, or else aged but not look any different. She also tells the Shepard in the pilot that he should “have the young doctor” look at his cuts. But to me, Simon and Inara seem to be the same age, at least physically. And she tells Mal in OoG that she likes a shuttle “with a few miles on it,” suggesting she’s been touring and piloting before as a Companion.

C) She seems to get upset as around birthdays and she tells Simon in “OoG” she doesn’t plan on dying. She could be trying to be immortal or have made herself immortal inadvertantly through use of the drug.

D) This is my own interpretation, but I think the biggest fictional influence on Firefly is the Dune Series of books by Frank Herbert. Joss has said that the original Dune is his favorite book, and there are a lot of fictional parallels between that Universe and the Firefly ‘verse. In particular: (from Wikipedia “Dune Universe” article) WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!:

“In Dune, there is only one source of natural melange (spice), the planet Arrakis (colloquially known as Dune). Melange is a geriatric drug that gives the user a longer lifespan, greater vitality, and heightened awareness; it can also unlock prescience in some subjects, depending upon the dosage and the consumer's physiology
Although it is called "spice" and can be mixed with food, melange is truly a drug: it is physically addictive, it has psychotropic effects, and stopping its consumption causes death after a painful period of withdrawal (although taking spice daily extends one's life by hundreds of years). Due to its rarity and value, the group controlling spice production on Dune controls the fate of the Empire.”

I know you’re saying: okay, smarty-pants, explain why she takes out the vial the first tim

KUANGAORUI

Saturday, November 12, 2005 1:04 AM

You obviously put a lot of thought in to this but I think there is a much simpler answer, she is a murderer. In Out of Gas in the commentary the one of the writers says that's there a clue in to Inaras past in the scene when Simon starts to describe what happens when you suffocate and Inara doesn't want to hear it. Now that could be explained away that she doesn't want to know how she is going to die. However if she had smothered some one say a client or a teacher at the academe then she would also be hearing how the person that she killed died. Now as for the "suicide kit" it could be a self defense kit where if the situation were to get a bit rowdy she could put them down or at least put them to sleep. Not the most efficient way I know but it is just a theory. This theory also explains why she signed on with Serenity, a ship that spends most of the time on the on the edge of the solar system. Joss also says in Objects in Space that a psychic is as far as he is willing to go in to sci-fi, and time travel is pretty far out there. Joss also has the habit of setting up a complicated mystery, but giving it a simple answer.

CAUSAL

Saturday, November 12, 2005 1:14 AM

Oh. My God. That's just...well.

Honestly, which 'verse were you writing about?` Joss said the furthest out he was willing to go was psychics. I mean for goodness sake, we're still using projectile weapons! Time travel? I don't think so.

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

DONCOAT

Saturday, November 12, 2005 6:43 PM

I'm not buying time travel, either. How can a drug affect time? A magic hourglass, sure...

However, I think you may be on to something, but have just overcomplicated it. What if it's a life-extending drug, and Inara is actually several centuries old?

Now all your explanations make sense. She can't bear to make close emotional connections because she knows she'll have to watch her loved ones grow old, deteriorate, and die (see Heinlein's Time Enough for Love). She looks younger than Nandi because she hasn't aged since her days at the Academy.

Further, it could explain why she left the Academy. She can't remain anywhere for too long, nor can she accept any prominent public position, because eventually her lack of aging will be noticed. Who knows how many careers she's led, how many lives she's lived? Mal and the others would seem like infants to her.

She looks at the injector when the Reavers threaten because she's contemplating the irony of it: she's gone to great lengths to preserve her life, only to lose it in such a dreadful way. She is, perhaps, regretting her choice at last.

The "Immortal Inara" concept may not be the right answer, but I could buy it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

CAUSAL

Saturday, November 12, 2005 6:49 PM

I'm not sure I can totally buy into the life-extending thing, but it's a damn sight closer than reverse time travel.

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

SIMONWHO

Saturday, November 12, 2005 7:01 PM

I've got my own theory which can be summed up in two words:

Blade Runner.

CAUSAL

Saturday, November 12, 2005 7:06 PM

?

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

DONCOAT

Saturday, November 12, 2005 9:23 PM

Inara's a replicant?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

MISSKITTEN

Saturday, November 12, 2005 9:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
I'm not buying time travel, either. How can a drug affect time? A magic hourglass, sure...

However, I think you may be on to something, but have just overcomplicated it. What if it's a life-extending drug, and Inara is actually several centuries old?

Now all your explanations make sense. She can't bear to make close emotional connections because she knows she'll have to watch her loved ones grow old, deteriorate, and die (see Heinlein's Time Enough for Love). She looks younger than Nandi because she hasn't aged since her days at the Academy.

Further, it could explain why she left the Academy. She can't remain anywhere for too long, nor can she accept any prominent public position, because eventually her lack of aging will be noticed. Who knows how many careers she's led, how many lives she's lived? Mal and the others would seem like infants to her.

She looks at the injector when the Reavers threaten because she's contemplating the irony of it: she's gone to great lengths to preserve her life, only to lose it in such a dreadful way. She is, perhaps, regretting her choice at last.

The "Immortal Inara" concept may not be the right answer, but I could buy it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

I find that to be much more believable than time travelling. Upon being asked if she knows what in the vial, if it's a suicide kit, Morena answered that it's much worse. That's all we know.

*~*~*

"Joss, if you kill him now I'll stuff a compression coil up your ass sideways!"
~ Kaylee, "Serenity in 2000 words or less"

Kaylee's the perfect woman!

TRAY

Saturday, November 12, 2005 10:56 PM

i'm a little surprised no one else has considered this possibility (or maybe you all have and have already dismissed it on another thread), however my suggestion comes in three parts.
-Morena said when asked that it was a truly horrible thing
-in one episode the captain says that the only way to survive seeing the savagery of the Reavers is to become one (I would also surmise that the only people the Reavers would "leave alone" on a ship would be one of their own kind), and...
-we know through the movie that a chemical was used to "pacify" the people of Miranda.

i am suggesting of course that this vial could have a chemical that could result in the same consequenses should someone take it. now i realize that she obviously cannot know that the Reavers were created by the alliance, or that the particular drug they used caused the catastrophy on Miranda, or even that Miranda exists, but who's to say the drug, or a facsimily thereof might not have leaked out. afterall, she never believes, like some of the crew and members of the alliance, that the Reavers are just stories...anyways, that's just a shot in the dark, i'll let everyone tear that theory apart now! :)

BELACGOD

Saturday, November 12, 2005 11:05 PM

There is a fanfic on this site in which Inara, on the way to meet a client who likes exceptionally rough sex, takes a drug that dulls her sensations and responses so she'll be able to satisfy the client without feeling too much pain or injuring herself (at least if I recall it correctly--I couldn't even say which category of fic it was in). Perhaps this drug inspired the other one, and she's planning to go out fighting.

Personally, life-extension and time-travel seem to me to be too wacky sci-fi.

KUANGAORUI

Sunday, November 13, 2005 2:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Belacgod:
Personally, life-extension and time-travel seem to me to be too wacky sci-fi.

Me too, but she is running from some thing. Mal asked as much in Out of Gas, and in Hart of Gold Nandi said it was a shock that se left so I can only see it being something drastic that happened. But the show is too "down to earth" (figure of speech) to go in to time travel or have some youth drug.

YORG

Sunday, November 13, 2005 6:23 AM

I thought it was a suicide kit at first as well.

But since it isn't I had to think it was something else.

If it was a life extension drug, what would be the point of it if you're going to be torn to shreds? None.

Time travel? Although the idea isn't bad, it doesn't fit the firefly verse. Sorry, no offense.

Anesthetic to dull senses? Possibly, that could work.

My ideas:

1. A coma drug to make it seem as if she was dead so the reavers would leave her alone.

2. A highly horrible, deadly infectious disease. If she's gonna die, she's gonna make sure she takes as many of them as possible with her.

3. Super steriods. Afterall, she does have some weapons training, so juicing herself and fighting back might be plausible. A companion might have something like that to prevent someone from forcing entry into her quarters and raping her. Which could also be why she's kind of hiding from her past. Maybe beat the holy hell out of some client who wanted more than he paid for. Or maybe she had been raped before and now carried protection with her.

KHYRON

Sunday, November 13, 2005 6:47 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Belacgod:
Personally, life-extension and time-travel seem to me to be too wacky sci-fi.

I think some of you people are missing the point of this thread. I'd be very surprised if the original poster was being serious. I for one found his "theories" very funny, and I think that was the way they were meant to be.

THIEFJEHAT

Monday, November 14, 2005 10:51 PM

It seems as the months go by and I come to this site, the subject of "Inaria's secret" has come up again and again. When I first posted my analysis regarding it, it was old news then:

http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=4&t=8747

The Cliff Notes are as follows:

1. Inara is terminal and dying.
2. She is much older than she appears.
3. She left Sihnon by her own choice, but she did not want to leave.

Of course this thread focuses on the needle issue, but it usually gets lumped into the overarching "Inara's past" issue.

Do not fear me. Ours is a peaceful race, and we must live in harmony.

SLAYERCHICK

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 4:41 AM

Having just watched Firefly on DVD completely through, i noticed a few things which has lead me to agree with the "Inara having a terminal illness idea". Though it is probably rehash from teh old thread, for the people who have not read it yet, here are MY observations:

1.) Why would Inara have left, as Nandi had said, when she was in line to take over at the Companion House? It was even stated that she had been aiming her sights on the position as well. It would make sense that, if she were diagnosed with an illness of some kind, she would realize that she couldn't continue her old life, hence fleeing for freedom on Serenity. Also, explains her insistence on keeping her and Mal's relationship strictly professional (lying through her teeth, btw :D)

2.) In Objects in Space, when Rivier is "reading their minds", it seems to me that in both Simon and Jayne's cases, they were thinking things which they had either said previously or were going to say later in the ep. (Book then has an interesting quote which leads me to some conclusion that he may have arrested an innocent man, spurring him on to join the monestary) Anyway, Inara says something to the effect of "Just tell me. I'm a big girl, I can handle it." Is she reffering to mal's feelings, or referring back to the revelation of her illness?

3.) In Ariel, when Inara returns from her doctor's visit, she responds to questions about how it went with "Same as last year." Not "Fine" or "good". I think if she is really dying, this wouldbe a normal reaction to answer with.

4.) Futhermore, if Joss indeed said that it was NOT a suicide drug in the pilot episode, it would stand to assume that perhaps it was some kind of medication? Maybe for the pain...which would also agree with the idea that she would take it to dull any pain.

5.) Nothing to do with the show itself, but morena Baccarin, in several interviews, has stated that she'd hate to have Mal and Inara get together, because the chemistry in their sexual tension would be gone. She also said that if they did get together, it would be best for one of them to die. Maybe reading too much into it, but since both Joss AND Morena know the entire backstory of Inara, it could be argued that she'd just teasing us with hints we're not even aware of!

-----

Not sure how great the arguement was, but I hope it gives you all something to think about!

GIANTEVILHEAD

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 5:11 AM

It could be a cosmetic drug. She could have some manner of disfiguring disease and she needs the drug to stave it off.

It could be a poison or STD. Inara said that she supported unification, maybe she was once employed by the Alliance as an assassin, she takes whatever’s in the vial and transfers some sort of disease or toxin into the person she has sex with.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

KUANGAORUI

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 5:29 AM

I like the assassin idea. Maybe she was in some government program similar to River and that's why she left Sihnon.

****************************************
You know what's bad? Animal testing.
You know what's worse? Nuclear testing.
You know what's even worse than that? Nuclear animal testing!!! When will they learn?
****************************************

GIANTEVILHEAD

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 8:54 AM

Maybe Inara is not who she seems. Companions are supposed to be based on Geisha. Young girls were bought and trained by Geisha houses. It is possible that the Companion guilds do the same thing. Perhaps Inara was never trained by a Companion guild. Maybe she was just a regular prostitute and acquired the status of Companion through illegitimate means. It is also possible that she contracted an STD as a regular prostitute and the syringe is a drug that represses it.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

RAPTORED

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 10:56 AM

Hi guys. Thanks for responding! I would have posted earlier but I have a spotty Internet connection....sigh

Anyway, I was serious when I posted this, but I knew the idea was shaky enough that I needed other ideas, and you guys gave really good feedback.

Okay, so probably no time travel. I'm just interested in why she pulls the box out at "that" particular moment before the Reavers attack? Surely there's a significance to why it appears then and at no other time?

My only other thought is maybe we're approaching this the wrong way? Maybe she doesn't want to "use" whatever is in the box, but needs to find a way to destory it so the Reavers don't get ahold of it? Any ideas?

"Where the hell is my spaceship?!"

ENGINEANGEL

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 2:28 PM

she is not a murderer, and joss would never do time travel. i like the idea that it is something that keeps her young (lots of good evidence there) but then why would she take it out during the near-miss reaver passing?

i like doncoat's idea

Quote:

written by doncoat
What if it's a life-extending drug, and Inara is actually several centuries old?

don't know about "several-centuries" old but, life-extending drug would probably work. doncoat gave some good evidence for that as well:

Quote:

She looks at the injector when the Reavers threaten because she's contemplating the irony of it: she's gone to great lengths to preserve her life, only to lose it in such a dreadful way. She is, perhaps, regretting her choice at last.

verygood doncoat! you rock!

i will add to this in a bit.

keep flyin'
EngineAngel

LILKRISTY

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 3:25 PM

Quote:
she is not a murderer,

Why not? I could see it. I wouldn't think she'd be a cold blooded muderer who kills for fun. But I can see her killing with the right motovation. I could even imagine that if she believed it was nessessary she could kill coldly and with percision. Maybe poision could be her weapon of choice. Maybe a client was threatening her or blackmailing her and she slipped something into his tea. Oh or maybe someone was trying to control her. In Shindig it's after Mal makes that speech about her she thinks following hte rules will buy her a nice life even if it makes her a slave that she leaves. Except Inara dosen't really follow the rules does she? Is apparent that a Companion on a ship like Serenity is very unusual. She apparently didn't do what was expected of her and become House Priestess. She dosne't shun Nandi like the Guild instructs.

Ok I'm off and running on a rabbit trail so I'll stop.

I can also see her being able to hide it (a murder) up to a point. Maybe she left because it was about to come out.

Maybe the vial is an STD to infect the Reavers. Don't know.

Really old Inara might work, but the looking at the vial and considering the irony thing just dosen't play for me, especially in light of the actresses cmments about it being something really awful. But then again maybe she's getting ready to destory it so the Reavers can't get a hold of it because extended life reavers would be pretty horrific.

Some really thought provoking comments here. Ya'll really got me to considering.

RISAPHOENIX

Saturday, November 19, 2005 8:48 PM

i think one of the biggest things ive noticed about the show is the fact that its not hugely way out scifi, lasers are used sparingly, theres no faster then light travel. For a sci fi show, its actually pretty low tech. I dont think that if its creators turned away from lasers, theyd really go with time reversal. Thats pretty far out, especially when everything seems to indicate that Joss Whedon was going for a much more realistic, low techish scifi show.

SFFAZ

Saturday, November 19, 2005 9:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by slayerchick:
Having just watched Firefly on DVD completely through, i noticed a few things which has lead me to agree with the "Inara having a terminal illness idea".

i reluctantly and with much sadness in my heart agree with this theory as it fits my view of joss whedon's firefly and his writing/producing - integrity is the closest thing i can come up with, he won't play false by introducing time-travel or, i believe, no life-extension/immortality without more set-up in the 13 episodes of Firefly. sadness becoz

Select to view spoiler:

after book's and wash's death in the BDM

i dont wanna see inara or any BDH's death in the next incarnation, movie/tv series/miniseries/straight to DVD. s'like after buffy's mom died the last thing i was expecting was so many second-tieer characters dying in seaon 6 and 7. still hard for me to watch those episodes on DVD, especially season 7 finale. that's very saddening to watch for me.

Hin

JOSSISAGOD

Saturday, November 19, 2005 10:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
I'm not buying time travel, either. How can a drug affect time? A magic hourglass, sure...

However, I think you may be on to something, but have just overcomplicated it. What if it's a life-extending drug, and Inara is actually several centuries old?

Now all your explanations make sense. She can't bear to make close emotional connections because she knows she'll have to watch her loved ones grow old, deteriorate, and die (see Heinlein's Time Enough for Love). She looks younger than Nandi because she hasn't aged since her days at the Academy.

Further, it could explain why she left the Academy. She can't remain anywhere for too long, nor can she accept any prominent public position, because eventually her lack of aging will be noticed. Who knows how many careers she's led, how many lives she's lived? Mal and the others would seem like infants to her.

She looks at the injector when the Reavers threaten because she's contemplating the irony of it: she's gone to great lengths to preserve her life, only to lose it in such a dreadful way. She is, perhaps, regretting her choice at last.

The "Immortal Inara" concept may not be the right answer, but I could buy it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

The life extending drug thing could also explain why she decided to leave "Serenity" at the end of the series. However, I also buy the terminal illness theory. I guess I'll never know now!

JOSSIS(most deffinantly)AGOD

GIANTEVILHEAD

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:20 AM

Inara may have left the Companion Guild because some dark secret of the guild drove her away. Prostitutes have been used as spies for as long as espionage has existed. Perhaps the guild train companions to “acquire” secrets from their clients. Maybe that’s how the guild retains their power, maybe that’s how they gained that power in the first place. Perhaps the guild became so socially and politically powerful through extortion, using secrets acquired from clients belonging to the higher echelons of various governments.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

GEDEON

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 9:31 PM

Hey Raptored,

I like the way you think, but as you can see, theories are falling one by one.

Steroids is still there though. Whatever her past holds, I see Inara as chosing the right weapon for the right conflict. Using sarcasm against guns don't work, guns against tanks don't work...

Poison or STD to fight Reavers? I don't see it. That's inefficient.

My opinion on it is that she is ready for battle. But she's precious, a beautiful body, and battle usually leaves scars. She doesn't want to fight, but she's certainly ready for it.

Then again, Joss Whedon is stranger than both fiction and reality, so I expect pretty much anything.

Gedeon

QUEENOFTHENORTH

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 10:05 PM

Is there any real evidence that Inara is terminally ill/dying? Cuz I just don't see it. Any terminal illness I've heard of has some symptoms that show themselves. A terminally ill/dying person doesn't usually look perfectly healthy and robust, nor are they usually strong enough to fight against an Operative (even if she did get her butt kicked). Not to mention I don't see the Guild allowing her to continue as a Companion if she is terminally ill/dying. I'm not saying it's impossible, just that I don't see it.

Like books? Go to this thread: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=14862
to find out how to buy mine!

GIANTEVILHEAD

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 1:01 AM

The Companion Guild is based on the Geisha. Geisha houses bought girls and trained them from a young age. Perhaps the Companion Guild does the same thing, although the guild might have a habit of acquiring girls through less than legal means. Maybe that's why Inara left. Maybe one of the responsibilities of the High Priestess is to choose which girls are worthy of the Guild and buy them or perhaps acquire them through other means.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

RIVERNOT

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 1:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Giantevilhead:
Maybe one of the responsibilities of the High Priestess is to choose which girls are worthy of the Guild and buy them or perhaps acquire them through other means.

I like this explaination of her leaving the Guild more than her having a terminal illness. If she left due to illness, why would they let her come back.

As for the syringe, I honestly have no clue.

The anti-aging idea is interesting. However, I really can't sink my teeth into it. Sure, Nandi says Inara hasn't changed and Nandi does look older, but Inara/Morena strikes me as being one of those "ageless beauties" who look roughly mid 20s to mid 30s for most of their lives. Also, Nandi was living under much harsher conditions, which would age her more than Inara in her gentler environment.

I like the deep coma idea, trick the reavers into thinking she's dead already. No fun. Hmmm. However, when the drug wears off, where would Serenity be? Wouldn't it be a reaver ship? So, she'd still be alive and still in reaver hands.

I also like the pshcyo killer bitch drug idea. Turn off the pain receptors, increase the adrenaline, become a berserkr, go down fighting.

IAMALEAFONTHEWIND

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 2:18 AM

Like Captain said, you should read the other thread about what Tim Minear let slip. That's a far more wicked explination than anything anyone here has come up with, which would be fitting. It's why Joss is Joss. It's just so twisted that it would have to be him, and that's the "theory" I'm sticking with. Why would Tim lie about something like that? No reason.

"I don't wanna explode."

GEDEON

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 4:09 AM

Quote:
Well isn't that special...

reference to:
CAPTAIN, posted Saturday, November 19, 2005 - 12:07

Tim revealed that there would be an episode where Inara is kidnapped by Reavers and uses some sort of bio-weapon to kill anyone who has sex with her, and in doing so, kills all the Reavers who rape her.

I don't like this. We are collectivly reaching for straws.

A flag went up when I imagined an episode involving intercourse as a weapon. Nice idea. How are you gonna film that? Can that episode evade censurship? I see so many problems with that storyline as an episode, I have to stop and start laughing. Think about it.

Point of fact: Morena Baccarin, when asked how she prepared for the role of a companion answered: Sex. I had a lot of sex.

Now I have to assume that people working on these projects have a wicked sense of humor in order to work with that crazy cast they have.

Permayhaps, this was a joke on Tim's part.

On the other hand, DON'T STOP THINKING. We don't know what was in that vial, but we might eventually. So keep up the theories. All this fun is retribution to all the fun FOX stole from us. It's people talking, it's gossip, ...

...but noone ends up hanging upside down...

Gedeon

GEDEON

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 4:29 AM

Hey man,

I really didn't mean to bite your head off or anything. I thought it was an odd storyline, hard to produce as an episode. The apparent reference was to an episode with that contexte and, yeah, I'm a rebel and I had to say no.

New theory:

I don't accept the idea of time travel in the Firefly series. But what if...

A stimulant that heightens your senses, your metabolisme, and gives you the impression of slowing time so you move twice as fast as anyone... This is not new. Hellboy has this for Croenen. But this would be chemical, not magical
Gedeon

GEDEON

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 4:42 AM

I kind of wrote you off for a few minutes, but it would appear that you have been rewritten...

You're right, they would go farther than before to suggest this, but it could be done.

Just look at River "feeling" the ship in Objects. That was a hard concept to portray but I think they pulled that off with flying colors.

thanks for pushing a limit I hadn't expected to push...

Gedeon

JSAATS

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 5:35 PM

I think things like time travel are too exotic for Firefly and faster-than-light is also right out as I read somewheres that they didn't want to over complicate things with those damn chrystals or other such nonsense that would pull attention from the charactors or story. One self admitted thing about Joss is that he is no hard-core SF guy. An example of this came from the BDM when we found out that all those various worlds are in one system. I'm no astrophysicist, but the exsistance of such a system seems way too unrealistic. But it isn't my story.

I think that the idea of a death simulator has merit because of 'the Message' episode and because of the reaction of the reavers reaction when Mal shot that guy at the begining of the BDM. One reason to cause her contemplation when she removed the vial may be the fact that she may not have had enough for the entire crew or for that matter, have enough for more than herself. Inara has been portrayed as a very caring selfless person, and the thought of doing something so selfish, well, 'nough said.

As to why she she left the temple, I think it was a combination of a Kirk moment (AKA I'm captain of Enterprize and it just dosen't get any better than this; of course transpose it for Inara's point of view), and, she was bored! She's no paper flower and I see her having a similar background as Simon. If any of you has read 'Finding Serenity', a companion was a compilation of more than just Geisha, and both her attitude and bearing are anything but that of a slave. More like a preistess. My personal take is while she was at the companion temple, she may have realized that there was more to life than what was on the grounds so she exercised a prerogative and left. She may in fact go back one day and become head of her temple but that is not now. She may also realize that being head of her order is more than she is currently ready for.

The reason that she is in better condition than her friend Nandi may simply be the fact that Inara, as a licensed companion in good standing, has the ability and where-with-all to be able to access and afford coreworld medical facilities, while Nandi doesn't. And the concept of anagathic (anti-ageing) drugs are possible because we are currently able to understand why a body ages, but have yet to understand the triggers, or more importantly, how to circumvent them. That's the CURRENT state of genetics! who knows what they might be like in five hundred years! Of course the fact that Melinda Clark is ten years older than Morena Baccarin may count for something too, and the fact that appearance-wise they're about as exotic looking as each other may have affected the casting. Well this is just my buck (two cents adjusted for inflation)

(in a very panicked voice, both hands white knuckled on the control column) "It's O.K., I'm a leaf on the Wind...'

RIVER6213

Sunday, November 27, 2005 2:01 AM

Time travel? You should be slapped just for even thinking that up.

CHESHIRE

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 1:44 AM

*Movie Spoiler Below. Read at your own risk*

I think the vile held a liquid explosive, perhaps a safer form of Nitro (NitroPlus for the sake of this discussion). Think back to the BDM, and the exploding incense trick. If I remember correctly, Inara lit that up before she realized Mal was there; I think she was about to make an exit on her own. Wouldn't it be convenient if you could make things explode by giving them a light coating of NitroPlus? Just dip incense stick and BOOM.

How would a vile of NitroPlus be "much worse" then a suicide kit when being borded by Reavers? A big enough explosion (and I will assume that for the sake of argument that a whole vile of the stuff applied in the right way would cause a much bigger bang then a stick of incense) could potentially breach the hull, causing Serenity to decompress, and killing not just the Reavers, but the entire crew.

BASSGRAVI

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 2:03 AM

I think the time-travle theory is debunked, but what if it was some sort of very communicable disease or something that would kill Inara and the Reavers, but save the crew? It seems farfetched because, well, how would the crew *not* get sick, too...but maybe it's workable.
Honestly, though I'll be happy with the answer from Joss's/Tim's brains rather than my own speculation; I just hope we actually *get* an answer...
otherwise the words "What was in that vial?" are going on my tombstone.

www.angelfire.com/realm2/bassgravi

TRAINEEALTERNATE

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 2:28 AM

I have a slightly less reasonable explanation than actual time-travel, and a more interesting one, though it may not be a very Whedon-esque in its theory, it certainly is an interesting position.

Suppose that the drug does not really take a person through some big quantum mirror or rift or temporal displacement, but rather through their own life. Rather than physically moving through space and time, the drug can move a person through their lifetime experiences. Inara could have used it to travel into her own future for a single instance, and see whether she survived the attack.

This sort of thing was used classic sci-fi style in "Slaughterhouse-Five" (Kurt Vonnegut). In the book, the main character is caught in a time warp, and can only visit events that have happened or will happen in his life. Except...He has no control over when he travels, or 'when' he goes in his life. This, however does not offer much room at all for free will.

It might be possible that the drug can be used to induce 'trips' through one's life, if only for an instance, with no memory of the past or future events.

Though the idea is extremely anti-individualist, it offers a great deal of potential to explain what Inara does. Her strange behavior sometimes, the reasons that she lef the Academy, the way she "doesn't age" when she meets her friend, it can all be explained by her being able to change what part of her life she is in at will.

Just some incoherent ramblings, but they might mean something.

"That's why I never kiss them on the mouth."
"When do I get to get sexed up?!"
"This is my most favorite-est gun..."

SHINYONE

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 11:52 AM

the sexual weapon theory is ridiculous re: the reavers. reavers have been done to death and I imagine that post final battle in Serenity there are few left in the verse. The next villains will be something new, and of course the two by twos with hands of blue.

Nandy says "how do you do it" with a certain knowing and probing look, ther is something to that non-aging theory...

A big Q. is to the nature of the guild. They are massivly powerful, an institution with spiritual leanings... it could be similar to the Bene Gesserit, with massive tentacles into all power structures..

why did Nandy leave? she left to live poor and dusty on a little moon serving barely educated men...

The guild educates and cultivates companions to such a level of sophistication they could theoretically work in many other areas .ie politics, but the guild seems bent on owning the women, developing their personal power only within the constraints of the guild. why is there no way out of it's clutches except to inhabit an outer moon?

GILTHANASS

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 12:40 PM

Ok, I am going to try and bring it all together for a theory of my own. Assuming tim was telling the truth, and assuming the drug WAS in fact a chemical weapon that would kill any who had sex with her, where does that leave us? Well, enter into my flight of fancy for a moment.

The companion house is not what it seems. Someone said that it was a place to spy? I don't think that is the whole truth. The truth is, the companion house is controlled completely by the alliance, and is a front for assassins. Not all companions are assassins, only the most gifted ones, who are the most desirable.

Why do I think this? Well, think about it:

1) Companions are used by affluent people, meaning powerful. These people are going to be the ones that will start problems with the alliance if any is going to be started. This are people that will have large security forces to protect them. However, a companion can just walk right in.

2) Companions choose their own clients. There seems to be a greater need for companions then companions themselves. They are in the position to choose who they "service".

Now, imagine for a second there was a drug that would kill the person a companion was having sex with, but look like a heart attack. Would this be out of the ordinary? Probably not, as there are probably many older, out of shape men that are serviced. Having a heart attack during sex with a companion would not only be rather innocent looking, but the persons family might actually try and HIDE that fact, making it even harder for people to unravel what is actually happening.

If all of this was true, it would explain many things. The vial in the pilot would be her assassination kit. Why did inara choose to go to the outer rim? The answer is, quite simply, she didn't! She only found out that she was to be a choosen assassin (or even that there were assassins) late in her training. Before that, her plan was always to stay, but because she had to basically be a "sleeper" (pardon the pun) cell, she needed to have access to people that were most likely to be a thorn in the alliances side, namely the outer rim.

Why did inara have such a problem with Mal? Because mal was on the other side, and she knew nothing could ever work between them with her working for the alliance. She wanted to leave before he became a big enough thorn to warrent alliance attention, and wanted to avoid getting the order to kill him.

I don;t think she was a cold blooded killer, in fact I am not even sure if she ever HAS killed anyone, but I do think that may be her secret.

SHINYONE

Thursday, December 1, 2005 9:14 AM

gilthanass that is brilliant!!!

DUCKRANGLER

Saturday, December 3, 2005 4:25 AM

Quote:
Personally, life-extension and time-travel seem to me to be too wacky sci-fi.

I realize that Joss never mentioned it explicitly, but I see some similarities between the outer planets and R.A. Heinlein's "Future History" series, especially "Time Enough for Love." In that alternate universe, there really are "frontier planets" where settlers go when "civilized" planets get too crowded and civilized. I don't know if Joss meant for some of those similarities to happen, but a central theme of that series was also life extension. Not only through "selective breeding" by the Howards, but through medical procedures and drugs.

Mark

GIRLASKEW

Monday, December 5, 2005 4:54 AM

Possible theory from my husband...what if she was a plant for the Alliance? I mean, we are never really clear why she's on Serentiy in the first place. Perhaps the Alliance sent her there to spy on these two Browncoats and their crew. I know,so why has she not ratted them out? Well, she's clearly in love with Mal, and wants him to keep flying. Thats why she gets so mad about the whole Saffron thing and why she gets really upset when he sleeps with Julie Cooper Nichol(I forget the name of the character in HoG, that's her characters name on the OC.)Kind of a "do you know what I'm doing, for you" kind of thing. She's sticking her neck out, lying to the government and he just keeps goofing off on her. I donno, its an idea.

Or, or it's a drug that turns her into Alan Tudyk.

Some people juggle geese!- Hoban Washburn

DUCKRANGLER

Monday, December 5, 2005 5:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Girlaskew:
Possible theory from my husband...what if she was a plant for the Alliance? I mean, we are never really clear why she's on Serentiy in the first place. Perhaps the Alliance sent her there to spy on these two Browncoats and their crew. I know,so why has she not ratted them out? Well, she's clearly in love with Mal, and wants him to keep flying. Thats why she gets so mad about the whole Saffron thing and why she gets really upset when he sleeps with Julie Cooper Nichol(I forget the name of the character in HoG, that's her characters name on the OC.)Kind of a "do you know what I'm doing, for you" kind of thing. She's sticking her neck out, lying to the government and he just keeps goofing off on her. I donno, its an idea.

Or, or it's a drug that turns her into Alan Tudyk.

Some people juggle geese!- Hoban Washburn

I've thought that if there's an Alliance spy, it's Shepherd Book.

Mark

DONCOAT

Monday, December 5, 2005 12:20 PM

It stretches credulity to think Mal and Zoe pose enough of a threat to the Alliance that it'd be worth committing a spy to them.

River is another matter, as we've seen, but the timing of events indicates that neither Inara nor Book was after her. Inara was aboard Serenity long before Simon rescued River, and Book came aboard ahead of Simon (though on the same day). Besides, we already know of another of that day's passengers who actually was hunting River.

So Inara-as-Alliance-agent doesn't work for me, unless she's after something other than Mal or River.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

SHUTTLE2

Friday, December 23, 2005 8:10 AM

You know what's weird?? While i was watching the pilot, I didn't think anything of the vile of liquid. Now i have to go watch it again.

ANd i don't know if this means anything, but at times i thought Inara looked, pale, or worn out sometimes. Especially in the movie Serenity. What do you think? It could be nothing.

SHUTTLE2

Friday, December 23, 2005 8:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Giantevilhead:
Inara may have left the Companion Guild because some dark secret of the guild drove her away. Prostitutes have been used as spies for as long as espionage has existed. Perhaps the guild train companions to “acquire” secrets from their clients.

Maybe Inara was sent to keep tabs on Mal and Zoe for some unknown reason....

Hey, it could happen!

SADARA

Monday, December 26, 2005 2:29 AM

The whole theory, that the drug will put her into a deep coma, doesn't work for me.

Zoe: If they board us, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skin to their clothes. And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.

The sick twisted mentality of the Reavers that I get from that quote suggests that if they were to find a death body, they wouldn't leave it alone. They'd probably do something nasty to it. Remember how they found those bodies on that passenger ship? All hung up on the ceiling like that? Inara would probably know how twisted the Reavers are, just from talking with the crew.

BADGERGIRL

Monday, December 26, 2005 3:19 AM

I, for one, am sticking with Tim's theory. It's perfectly logical, what with the advanced technology and medicine of the 'Verse, and as I'm sure it's been said before, it would jerk the Mal/Inara into place. Granted, it would have to be a really fast-acting drug, but I consider it completely possible.

Also, I agree with the theory that the Alliance brings up Companions to glean secrets or become assassins, but that they aren't aware of it during their training. Inara could have left because of that.

However, I do have another theory about why she left: Inara was servicing an Alliance officer (possibly very high-standing), and somehow, he died. Accidents like that can happen, but Inara is terrified. Hides the body, then leaves the House; Inara still has the approval of the Companion Guild because nobody ever found out about her secret.

---------
"Is there someone you are good at talking to?"

KANESKI

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 2:07 PM

Hello...

The VIAL first:

The way the show was shot and aired is a big problem in unraveling this little mystery. The pilot, "Serenity" was made to original Joss Whedon dark world spec, with a few scenes reshot as said in the commentary. Which goes in line with Minear's mention of the drug that kills during sex. If I remember right, Minear's words were to the effect: "Originally, the show was supposed to be much darker, keeping in line with that, we had an idea where Inara survives by having "something" that kills during sex." Reavers rape people to death, so that seems entirely plausible. The actual episodes, from "Train Job" to "Objects in Space" were much lighter, happier, with jollies, after Fox bitched at Whedon.

The reason she didn't take it out during Reaver chase is fairly obvious to me - she had Simon and River in there and the plan was for them to run. There's no need for something so desperate as the sex-killer injection.

So, I'm going for self-defense by sex. It's something that few of us, who love the series and the characters want to consider - Inara getting mass-raped by reavers. That's what would make such a good story. Such an episode wouldn't be so hard to make sensorship/rating-wise. Bushwhacked didn't show the reavers boarding the derelict, but the survivor is enough to convey the effect. Minear does say "I don't know, next question" when asked if that's what's in the vial, but I think he did give it away. Or at the VERY least what it may have originally been. I wouldn't be surprised if the purpose of the vial was changed at some point, but still... the death-by-sex-defense just fits too well within the pilot. It's clear that they have no chance of repelling them by force.

I completely reject time-travel, age-slowing and all that for three very simple reasons: 1) Science fiction, not Science Fantasy. 2) It would me much more widely known if rank-and-file companions had access to it. 3) Technology in Firefly seems to be of the 'better mousetrap' kind: Faster, more powerful, more accurate firearms, but still firearms. Lasers are few and far between and are either ship-sized (like modern battleship-mounted railguns) or short-use and for mostly for show (HoG). Better medicine and methods - but still to solve heart problems. A better and faster way of doing things, but age-slowing still goes into the miraculous category.

Now, leaving Sihnon thing:

Assassin theories first - the look Inara has when the guy in the pilot mentions leaving the Sihnon is regret. If it was an assassin mission, she should be proud/honoured. If it's companions being recruited into assassins during training and Inara leaving because she things it's wrong, well... I SERIOUSLY doubt the Alliance would let it go at that: Invite a person to join an ultra-secret assassin club and let them refuse, keep official records and licences and just hope they won't spill it? Unlikely. Furthermore, it seems a bit reckless to leave a trail of bodies behind companions. And if the target is specified, it would be far too... wrong, even for the Alliance to put the assassin on a randomly-traveling ship. Government control... I'm doubtful. The companion guild struck me as more of a... not independent, but close. I'd say they're part of the Alliance, but not an operational arm of it. Actually being an operative of it would likely mean access codes and cards and such - i.e. "The Operative" in BDM vs the interrogation in Bushwacked - unless companions are higher ranked than an operative of Parliament (not likely), the theory is shaky.

Terminal illness was something I also thought possible, but too much stacks against it. Running from it (flashback in Out of Gas) just makes no sense. And even if Inara meant it when she said she wasn't running from anything, her chances of any sort of cure would be in core systems, not randomly going on the borders. If it's a case of 'see the universe before I die' - look of regret in Serenity pilot smashes it into the ground. The response in Ariel "same as last year" probably indicates everything

KATRIC

Friday, January 6, 2006 1:22 AM

thiefjehat,
Good points.
My first time-be gentle. On the first theory of Inara being terminally ill. In Serenity, when Mal is looking at the capture(picture), Inara is speaking to Kaylee. When Kaylee makes a comment about the captain wanting her(Inara) to stay. Inara says, "that man doesn't know what he wants. I don't have time to waste..." Could be just a simple statement or one with a deeper, sadder meaning. Just a thought.

katric

MISSMADRASSA

Friday, January 6, 2006 6:07 AM

Wow! A terminally ill, Time-travelling replicant assassin Inara... If this show were Farscape maybe.

I'm glad I hit on this thread- this is my current fav daydream subject!

I think her story is so much simpler tha y'all think. If you consider the themes of Belief, Freedom, Love and Family that run through Serenity and Firefly. And agree that Inara is essentially a mirror-image of Mal ( you don't need me to allude to parts of the series, Joss has said this). Then the following theory is totally buyable:

1. Inara loves being a companion. She believes hard that what she does, in its purest form, is art. It is also a political statement for her, she is educated and a true feminist. She recognises however,that the verse is changing and society definition of companion is starting to get blurry. Companions can be powerful and have true political clout but she questions if it is for the right reasons. She could have the ear of the King of Londinium, for instance, but she would have to fuck him to get it. Even in Sihnon, she has witnessed enough hypocrisy and abuse of power to want to get away.

2. This is not easy because Inara is paradoxically an indentured slave. In much the same way as priests, nuns and monks have much of their rights withdrawn, so do companions- it's the sacrifice that elevates them. All companions need to buy their way to freedom, if that is what they want. The best way to expedite this process is to work the rim planets- clients there, although scarce, are willing to pay more for the prestige of being with companions. Inara is, shall we say, raking it in out there. Cheap rent, no house rules, no complications.

3. She doesn't want to stay on Serenity because staying is compromise. It limits her development, financially and intellectually. She overlooks the fact that she has become a better person in the short time she has spent there. It's loss of control she fears, she is already a slave to the guild, why does she want to be further attached to this crew? This man?

4. She will only stay on Serenity if there were no compromise. When she asks " Why didn't you ask me not to (go)?", she wants an indication that some truce could be drawn. That Mal would be able to accomodate her as she is, companion and all, into his life.

After all of those points, here is the back story quick-like:

In Sihnon, during the war, Companions were used as collateral by the guild to maintain ties with the Parliament. Young Inara, groomed for great things, becomes a VERY powerful man's concubine. ? high ranking alliance Officer- who she likes (not-so-bad fellow). She sees a lot of alliance shnanigans though. She may also have gotten pregnant- but since companions have no parental rights, when sugardaddy dies (in Serenity valley no less)she loses her kid.

This makes her angry and determined to get her freedom. Cheap rent, no complications was the plan- but we know better. How is she getting this kid back? Did she make a deal with the Guild in order to get her release papers sooner?
Does Mal remind her of sugardaddy somewhat?

Thinking about stuff like this, usually while I'm at the gym, tickles me some.

Props to ScrewtheAlliance- your fan fic clears up a lot of grey.

RHYIANAN

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 4:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cheshire:
*Movie Spoiler Below. Read at your own risk*

Think back to the BDM, and the exploding incense trick. If I remember correctly, Inara lit that up before she realized Mal was there;

No, actually, she lit it after she realized he was there....don't you remember mal asking her "what are you doing" and her replying "praying for you"? When she says that, she lights the fake incense.

Wash: Yeah, but psychic? That sounds like science fiction.
Zoe: You live on a spaceship, dear.

RACOONBOY

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 6:01 AM

Someone said that Joss likes setting up big mysteries with simple answers, or something to that effect. I skipped most of the posts, so this might have been said already, but what if it was just what Simon and River took, to die so they wouldn't kill her, and she was considering using it in the pilot for that very reason.

Probably not though.

UNSARDONIC

Saturday, February 4, 2006 7:30 AM

Quote:
1) Okay, what’s in that vial that she pulls out in the Serenity pilot when the Reavers atttack? Joss has said it isn’t a suicide kit, which is what everyone assumes. I think the only other thing that make sense is that it’s something she can inject herself with to make herself go backward in time or enables her to reverse time on a limited basis.

Okay... I apologize in advance.. I mean, this is a HUGE thread, going back to November but, the facts of life is that... I just can't keep up with you guys due to my Gigantic Overwork situation... all-y'all oughtta be working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 3 years straight... ..if only so I can get some vicarious sympathy... sniff-sniff

So... at the risk that someone has already mentioned this itty-bitty point... when Inara gives the kit to Dr. Simon, she explains that "It's a standard companion immunization kit"... ...something the good doctor may find of use... what was that someone in this thread said about Joss liking big-mysteries-with-simple-answers??? just... thought I'd mention...

okay, rag on me for SOMEthing-or-other "or your friends will think your a stupid, inbred stack of meat."

LITTLEMOUSE

Saturday, February 4, 2006 8:16 AM

Ganked off www.summerglau.co.uk, from the Transcript of Group Talk from The White Room Convention:
(Ed’s Note: At a writer’s conference last autumn Tim Minear apparently revealed the purpose of the syringe. It was filled with a toxin which when injected into a person has no harmful effects on them but would kill anyone who had sex with that person. The plan apparently had been to have a very dark episode late in the first season of Firefly in which Inara would have been attacked and raped by Reavers and would have survived through her use of the syringe).

------------
"People tell you things all the time without talking. The way they move; the way they aren't talking." -River Tam, R. Tam Sessions: Session 1 Excerpt

UNSARDONIC

Saturday, February 4, 2006 11:38 PM

whoa...

...now that's the first time I've heard that explanation but ummm... that's a particularly dark and morbid one... and it does seem to kinda fit the various rules of The 'Verse.

...especially in light of, if Inara HAD been raped by reavers, well... YOU know... they kinda like to ...ummm... ...GNAW... on ya, a bit... she might've been transformed into, I dunno... Jayne? ...or some other less delectable creature than the one she is...

mumble, mumble, something,something "or your friends will think you're a stupid, inbred stack of meat."

NUCLEARDAY

Sunday, February 5, 2006 3:28 PM

Pardon if I'm stepping on stuff that's been said before. Tried to scan through most of the posts here, but it's entirely conceivable I missed someone posting the same theory already.

Just got done watching "Objects in Space," and there's a couple thoughts I ended up with. River's snippets of the crew's inner thoughts are what I keep coming back to when I'm trying to figure some of these mysteries and as usual, I'm coming up with blanks by going in that direction. (Still wonder if it's significant that Kaylee is the only one who doesn't have one of those 'psychic moments' with River, but that's neither here nor there.)

What got me thinking, though, is Jubal's comment to Inara as he's locking her in the shuttle. The whole thing about men being the stronger gender but only women can bear children... I keep coming back to that comment, it's got to mean something, right?

I saw some other posts about maybe Inara having a child, or possibly something related to that. Can't remember the episode, but I remember Kaylee asking Inara about the Companion's stance on dating. Inara says it's very complicated. Maybe she fell in love with someone before coming on board and had a kid with him? Is that what she's running from?

Also, IIRC, there's the scene with Simon and Inara during the 'Out of Gas' episode. Simon talks about it being his birthday and Inara gives him a sympathetic look... Watching the commentary, I believe it's Tim Minear mentioning that that's one of the clues. Is she thinking of her child's birthday at that point?

The wall I run into with this train of thought would be the vial in the Serenity pilot. Going on a child-bearing track at least. It's rather evil-looking for a contraceptive, and some sort of abortion injection wouldn't help with reavers.

While I'm at it, here's a totally off-the-wall and likely untrue theory: This being sci-fi and considering we've seen in the Message that they can replace most of your insides, maybe Inara is already 'with child', and she keeps it with science-type stuff in a state of suspended animation at a very early stage of development. (Like I said, off-the-wall...) Part of her Companion examination during 'Ariel' could be to check on the state of the fetus. The only thing that helps with this theory, is that it could help explain the vial in Serenity. It's either something to abort the pregnancy, or more likely, an injection to resume it's growth. (ie, she's not looking at the vial and thinking of using it, she's looking at it with regret at what cannot be?) Probably not, but worth a shot.

Still, think so far from what I've seen the most compelling theory is the idea of her being a type of assassin. She's certainly had enough combat training... and remember that Jo/Saph/Bridge had the same sort of training, and used the "goodnight kiss" technique...

Kinda fits. Explains the vial at least... Would Jubal's comment then mean that part of the terms of her being a companion would mean that she can't have children? Fits with the clue from the "dating" conversation, as that could certainly complicate a relationship... But what about the "birthday" clue. Is it that she physically can't have children or did she have one at some point and it was taken from her (or worse)?

Sorry the long post, I got carried away again. (Believe it or not, I cut this down a bit before posting.)

PIRATENEWS

Sunday, February 5, 2006 6:24 PM

"They'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And if very lucky, they'll do it in that order."
-Zoe, Serenity pilot

Many Reaver rapes are "shown" in FireFly and Serenity, fortunately off-camera. BTW, what do Reavers do with all their children, eat them? Which is what Americans, Europeans and Chinese (The Evil Alliance) routinely do, by cannibalizing fetus tissue for cosmetic products and mad-doc research, and cannibalizing transplants from living children (don't sign your Organ Donor Card unless you want to be Reaverized at $500,000 per LIVING "corpse"). A US abortion doctor was recently arrested for microwaving fetuses for lunch (is that even a crime?), which is popular in Commie China.

When you run out of bullets and grenades, the only choice is suicide. Either by saving one bullet for each person, or somehow detonating the entire ship (Mutually Assured Destruction).

Morphine suicide kit sounds most likely, but since when does Joss take the easy way out in a script?

Coma date-rape drug does you no good when you wake up sewn into somebody's clothing.

Terminator STD is realistic, since HIV/AIDS is a bioweapon, but too slow acting for Inara's situation.

Quote:
Ganked off www.summerglau.co.uk, from the Transcript of Group Talk from The White Room Convention:
(Ed’s Note: At a writer’s conference last autumn Tim Minear apparently revealed the purpose of the syringe. It was filled with a toxin which when injected into a person has no harmful effects on them but would kill anyone who had sex with that person. The plan apparently had been to have a very dark episode late in the first season of Firefly in which Inara would have been attacked and raped by Reavers and would have survived through her use of the syringe).

That's solves the problem, presuming the other Reavers don't just kill you. Inara the assassin? Many prostitutes become serial killers. Spies and assassins do work together.... Was VP Nelson Rockefeller assassinated that way, or was it just a normal heart attack while screwing his hooker Megan Marshak, as his official coroner's report alleges?
www.samsloan.com/marshak.htm

Companion Guild is most likely an extortion racket, like Nixon White House counsel John Dean's Watergate wife, like Congressman Barney Franks "suicided" common-law husband, like George Bush Sr's "Jeff Gannon" (aka kidnapped Johnny Gosch). Companions are also Buddist priestesses (no god, just spies for the Alliance and/or mafias). Local police agencies routinely "license" (extort) prostitution rings for reasons of "intelligence gathering" (blackmail of wealthy and influential customers). As Joss points out, the Alliance uses video cameras to spy on every citizen whenever possible, especially on the Central Planets, so it's likely the Companion Guild does the same, if only to keep Alliance politicians from outlawing its career field.

Inara was "chasing" Mal, and wants him to take her (away from all that boring loveless yet "minimally profitable" sex). Serenity pilot makes that clear, which redeems her character somewhat. She's not an evil backstabbing ho that many guys can relate to, er, but not me. Mal is waiting for Inara to quit "whoring" before he drops his guard against her "feminine wiles". Cathy O'Brien is a good example of a redeemed whore, in her case, a "presidential model", a composite of River and Inara, a Hell-on-Earth lifestyle, but with a relatively happy ending so far ( www.trance-formation.com ). Being raped and electrocuted by Reagan, Bush Sr, Cheney, Clinton-Blythe, Hillary, et al was not fun for her, nor was it fun watching girls suffocated to death by holding their breath for 5-minutes during oral rape, as proven by this photo of "Dick" Cheney's "big secret" in the Milwaukee newspaper, showing his obvious attraction for little girls:
www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=13455&goto=nextnewest
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/10/326950.shtml
http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/2004/11/dick-cheneys-other-big-s
ecret.html
www.total411.info/2004

ELOISA

Sunday, February 5, 2006 7:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by nuclearday
Just got done watching "Objects in Space," and there's a couple thoughts I ended up with. River's snippets of the crew's inner thoughts are what I keep coming back to when I'm trying to figure some of these mysteries and as usual, I'm coming up with blanks by going in that direction. (Still wonder if it's significant that Kaylee is the only one who doesn't have one of those 'psychic moments' with River, but that's neither here nor there.)

What got me thinking, though, is Jubal's comment to Inara as he's locking her in the shuttle. The whole thing about men being the stronger gender but only women can bear children... I keep coming back to that comment, it's got to mean something, right?

I saw some other posts about maybe Inara having a child, or possibly something related to that. Can't remember the episode, but I remember Kaylee asking Inara about the Companion's stance on dating. Inara says it's very complicated. Maybe she fell in love with someone before coming on board and had a kid with him? Is that what she's running from?

Also, IIRC, there's the scene with Simon and Inara during the 'Out of Gas' episode. Simon talks about it being his birthday and Inara gives him a sympathetic look... Watching the commentary, I believe it's Tim Minear mentioning that that's one of the clues. Is she thinking of her child's birthday at that point?

The wall I run into with this train of thought would be the vial in the Serenity pilot. Going on a child-bearing track at least. It's rather evil-looking for a contraceptive, and some sort of abortion injection wouldn't help with reavers.

While I'm at it, here's a totally off-the-wall and likely untrue theory: This being sci-fi and considering we've seen in the Message that they can replace most of your insides, maybe Inara is already 'with child', and she keeps it with science-type stuff in a state of suspended animation at a very early stage of development. (Like I said, off-the-wall...) Part of her Companion examination during 'Ariel' could be to check on the state of the fetus. The only thing that helps with this theory, is that it could help explain the vial in Serenity. It's either something to abort the pregnancy, or more likely, an injection to resume it's growth. (ie, she's not looking at the vial and thinking of using it, she's looking at it with regret at what cannot be?) Probably not, but worth a shot.

Still, think so far from what I've seen the most compelling theory is the idea of her being a type of assassin. She's certainly had enough combat training... and remember that Jo/Saph/Bridge had the same sort of training, and used the "goodnight kiss" technique...

Kinda fits. Explains the vial at least... Would Jubal's comment then mean that part of the terms of her being a companion would mean that she can't have children? Fits with the clue from the "dating" conversation, as that could certainly complicate a relationship... But what about the "birthday" clue. Is it that she physically can't have children or did she have one at some point and it was taken from her (or worse)?

I had had similar thoughts about Inara and either children or enforced sterilisation, though of all the massively obvious snippets on this, I forgot about Early's one to her in OIS. Specifically, I was going off two bits that you've not mentioned - the tone of her voice when she says "Families?" in Bushwhacked when they're looking at the derelict for the first time, and the way she reacts to Mal in OMR when he asks her to imagine him with a "passel of critters" around his feet. The latter is possible to read as plain jealousy of Saffron - but if you're assuming that there's something wrong about Inara and kids, it takes on a different dimension.

Just my tuppence ha'penny.

***
http://forums.ffonline.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19
Creative Writing

NCBROWNCOAT

Thursday, February 9, 2006 5:00 AM

The last few posts have had me thinking. The syringe is in a padded box and is obviously precious to Inara. Could it be her unfertilized eggs or even her reproductive organs themselves?

Of course pregnancy would destroy the career of a Companion and they could have been preserved for after she retires as a Companion.

All of us are familiar with freezing invitro fertilized human eggs for implatation later but the technology for preserving a woman's unfertilized eggs for future use is now in it's infancy.

Women in their 40's or over that have fertility problems have the option to use donor eggs but they now have to be harvested and fresh from the donor for invitro fertilization to a receipient that has been prepared with hormone injections. What if you could preserve your own eggs... and what if you could preserve the reproductive system (mainly ovaries)to be "cloned" for later use.

NUCLEARDAY

Thursday, February 9, 2006 12:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:
The last few posts have had me thinking. The syringe is in a padded box and is obviously precious to Inara. Could it be her unfertilized eggs or even her reproductive organs themselves?...

I hadn't thought of that... If you can take out and replace someone's vital organs ala "The Message", it's certainly not too "sci-fi" for the Firefly 'verse. Good thinking.

AGENTROUKA

Thursday, February 9, 2006 10:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ncbrowncoat:
The last few posts have had me thinking. The syringe is in a padded box and is obviously precious to Inara. Could it be her unfertilized eggs or even her reproductive organs themselves?

Of course pregnancy would destroy the career of a Companion and they could have been preserved for after she retires as a Companion.

All of us are familiar with freezing invitro fertilized human eggs for implatation later but the technology for preserving a woman's unfertilized eggs for future use is now in it's infancy.

Women in their 40's or over that have fertility problems have the option to use donor eggs but they now have to be harvested and fresh from the donor for invitro fertilization to a receipient that has been prepared with hormone injections. What if you could preserve your own eggs... and what if you could preserve the reproductive system (mainly ovaries)to be "cloned" for later use.

Seems unlikely to me.

Removing the reproductive system, or even just a part of it is too risky. The vial could so easily be destroyed by accident and then what?

No halfway intelligent woman would risk her future children like this.

It's much more practical to suspend fertility in the traditional way. An implant of a sort, renewed during their annual exams, for example.

The whole "child in a vial" idea seems too risky for the very practical and realistic (psychics aside) Firefly 'verse.

ARCADIA

Friday, February 10, 2006 4:53 PM

Quote:
At a writer’s conference last autumn Tim Minear apparently revealed the purpose of the syringe. It was filled with a toxin which when injected into a person has no harmful effects on them but would kill anyone who had sex with that person. The plan apparently had been to have a very dark episode late in the first season of Firefly in which Inara would have been attacked and raped by Reavers and would have survived through her use of the syringe).

Thanks for the link with the transcript. I am off to read it now. I've heard this rumor before. A friend of mine when to a screenwriting confrence and was lucky enough to have a small session with Tim and a giant session with Joss (he got autographs from both -- even stole Tim's pen!). Tim told them -- very, very bitterly, appearently -- about the Inara raped by reaver story that was rejected by fox. I always suspected that this was what the syringe was for, or at least that it was part of Inara's secret, but then I was told that it wasn't... *confusion* Anyway, thanks for the link.

"Objects in Space"
River: It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think...

LITTLEMOUSE

Friday, February 10, 2006 7:37 PM

No problem! I live to serve. *bows*

Yeah, that sounds like the same conference referenced in the transcript.

------------
"People tell you things all the time without talking. The way they move; the way they aren't talking." -River Tam, R. Tam Sessions: Session 1 Excerpt

CTHAWK

Thursday, February 16, 2006 7:41 PM

I like two ideas presented here. First, the ageless Inara and second, the eggs/embryos/fertilization theory.
I think perhaps Inara may have been hooked on some sort of drug which reduces the effects of age but may lead to some sort of terminal illness. The check up in Ariel (is that right?) could be the regular medical treatment she needs, the River insight in OiS could be here finding out she has been diagnosed, and the comments about her not wanting to die at all in OoG might support her trying to put off the inevitable. If this is not a communicable disease then there would be no reason for her to be disbarred from the Companion's Guild.
Thus if she is older and physiologically altered she may not be able to have children and would use the syringe as a pregnancy method. The look of regret in the pilot could just be her thinking about potential not realized.
I also think the Companion's Guild is not some mysterious front for the Alliance. I believe that it is tolerated and powerful because the companions know many secrets about high ranking Alliance/Parliment leaders. It is a relationship of mutual convenience/benefit where morality is second to profitability and desire. (I think this fits with Joss's ideas about human nature and about power.)
Let me know what you think.

CTHAWK

Thursday, February 16, 2006 7:43 PM

I like two ideas presented here. First, the ageless Inara and second, the eggs/embryos/fertilization theory.
I think perhaps Inara may have been hooked on some sort of drug which reduces the effects of age but may lead to some sort of terminal illness. The check up in Ariel (is that right?) could be the regular medical treatment she needs, the River insight in OiS could be here finding out she has been diagnosed, and the comments about her not wanting to die at all in OoG might support her trying to put off the inevitable. If this is not a communicable disease then there would be no reason for her to be disbarred from the Companion's Guild.
Thus if she is older and physiologically altered she may not be able to have children and would use the syringe as a pregnancy method. The look of regret in the pilot could just be her thinking about potential not realized.
I also think the Companion's Guild is not some mysterious front for the Alliance. I believe that it is tolerated and powerful because the companions know many secrets about high ranking Alliance/Parliment leaders. It is a relationship of mutual convenience/benefit where morality is second to profitability and desire. (I think this fits with Joss's ideas about human nature and about power.)
Let me know what you think.

KLEE99

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:09 AM

This companion/assassin theory has merit.

Why else would a sophisticated woman like Inara join a crew of roughneck pirates? She must have been assigned to them.

But if she is rebelling against her masters, how could she return to Ariel for a medical exam? How could she continue to have dealings with high profile clients without being caught? Perhaps she is good at using false identities.

SPOOTY

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:02 AM

Hi, first time poster, been a lurker for about a month.

From what I gather from the OiS commentary is that Early and River treat people completely differently from others. They treat them like objects too - Objects in Space.

Early deals with every person on the boat differently, Mal is a physical threat so he takes him out first, Zoe a threat so he keeps her locked up, Kaylee is no threat but he knows how to scare her like a little mouse. What is notable about this is the way he takes down Shepard Book instantly and also 'That ain't a Shepard'. Early is borderline psychic, or extremely intuitive as is River (moreso than Early obviously).

Now to pull this back on track, Early would have treated Inara completely differently had she been an assassin and River would be able to see right through her. Sure Early hits her but that's for 'visiting his intentions' and trying to mess with the plan (perhaps cause she would try to surpress or kill him with the use of that vial).

The idea that it's time travel I think is out the question due to it's been stated that Psychic was as far as Joss was willing to take this, but I can see how it could be impressionable because of the nature of the show being Sci-Fi we've no idea what could happen ie.

Select to view spoiler:

when you first hear River has become the ship you've no idea whether to believe it or not without Joss telling you

I'm willing to stick by the Tim rumor, even though it doesn't sound particularily strong. Perhaps we will see more or understand more at a later date but as it stands I think it's safe to assume what we've been presented with, that being that it's a suicide kit and it does sit kinda nicely, even though through watching the commentary and speculating it's purpose leads to more discussions.

Interesting topic all the same, guess I better go introduce myself properly now :P

POEANDFAITH

Thursday, April 13, 2006 1:52 PM

A lot of posts, so if someone said this before my apologies.

I was under the impression that it was a powerful chemical bomb, one strong enough to tear the Firefly into shards...
In order to save herself should Serenity be overrun, she'd plant it and fly her shuttle away. If they were about to reach her, it's a good chance the rest of the crew is dead or worse, and the explosion of Serenity would take out the Reaver ship grappled next to it.

Sort of a darker side to her, and why she looked at it so. Knowing the danger of running the black, she might have brought it for her own safety...but now isn't sure if she has the heart to use it.

Dear Diary... Today, we were kidnapped by hill folk never to be seen again. It was the best day ever.

GIDEONSTARGRAVE

Friday, April 14, 2006 2:40 AM

This is probably going to sound really twee, but I keep coming back to the "Objects in space" reference. "It's just an object, it doesnt mean what you think.."

Could it all just have been a massive red-herring that would have distracted us from something else that would pay off a good two or three seasons down the line? Got to admit, we're all fixating on it as a key to the Inara Mystery, I wonder if that's a little obvious?

SLAYERCHICK

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 11:46 PM

So its official! Morena Baccarin reveals what the syringe is!

And a couple of folks on here got it right!

According to Inara herself, the syringe contains a 'medicine' that would kill Reavers if she was to be raped to death.

http://fireflytalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=133486">

***************************************
Morena Baccarin and Nathan Fillion, when asked about the Mal and Inara dynamic:

Morena: Who knows where this relationship is going.
Nathan: If I had my druthers, if we ever hook up I hope it’s on my death bed.
Morena: You don’t want to kiss me, do you?
Nathan: I do. But not for the sake of the show.
Morena: Good answer.
***************************************
*sigh* even adorable off screen...

DANNIISUPERNOVA

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 12:12 AM

Well, I think that (since they are based on geisha) she might be like a certain geisha I read about who was in line with the samurai and acted not only as a spy but as an assassin for them. I dunno. I personally thought the vial was something to make her super strong or (like in one of my fix) invincible for a while until the drug wore off. *shrugs*

================================================
I love the Castro, because if somebody grabs my ass, I know they're picking my pocket.

DONCOAT

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:25 PM

Okay, for the moment let's assume that the Tim Minear version (as confirmed by Morena) is accurate, or at least that it was the original intent of the "black vial", which might have been changed -- but never mind that.

Let's also assume that the end of the Black Vial plot is also true -- that Inara would take the drug, get gang-raped (destroying the Reavers in the process), but survive.

What then?

Perhaps the drug wears off, Inara recovers, and things progress from there. But... what if the drug's effects are permanent and irreversible?

Now we have a Companion who can no longer have sex... with anyone... for any reason... ever again (unless she wants them dead, that is). What would happen to Mal/Inara if she were no longer a whore, but Mal couldn't have her either?

Just food for thought...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm pointin' right at it!

MARVLGRL

Friday, October 13, 2006 4:16 PM

This is all so "Ninja Scroll" to me. A woman who is so poisoness that she can't have sex with anyone because they'll die.

And don't Reavers like to kill and then rape the bodies? How could she not die?

SLAYERCHICK

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 3:39 AM

No I believe that Morena specified that Inara would be raped to DEATH, as many of the characters in the Verse have mentioned. A killer sex-drug would be a safe guard to make sure that Inara took the Reavers down with her as she died.

***************************************
Morena Baccarin and Nathan Fillion, when asked about the Mal and Inara dynamic:

Morena: Who knows where this relationship is going.
Nathan: If I had my druthers, if we ever hook up I hope it’s on my death bed.
Morena: You don’t want to kiss me, do you?
Nathan: I do. But not for the sake of the show.
Morena: Good answer.
***************************************
*sigh* even adorable off screen...

DONCOAT

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 11:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by slayerchick:
No I believe that Morena specified that Inara would be raped to DEATH, as many of the characters in the Verse have mentioned. A killer sex-drug would be a safe guard to make sure that Inara took the Reavers down with her as she died.

I don't recall that from the Morena interview. I know for sure that Tim's description of the scene had Inara surviving the Reaver attack (though terribly injured), and being rescued by the crew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm pointin' right at it!

SLAYERCHICK

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 11:35 PM

Well, what I meant was that Morena suggested that one would expect that being captured by reavers would mean being raped to death. lol hope that makes me more clear :P

***************************************
Morena Baccarin and Nathan Fillion, when asked about the Mal and Inara dynamic:

Morena: Who knows where this relationship is going.
Nathan: If I had my druthers, if we ever hook up I hope it’s on my death bed.
Morena: You don’t want to kiss me, do you?
Nathan: I do. But not for the sake of the show.
Morena: Good answer.
***************************************
*sigh* even adorable off screen...