SPOILER! - Book's Past Revealed?!

[The One True b!X]

So during the Jewel/Morena panel at Serenity LA on Saturday, Morena got to wondering out loud whether or not she could finally just reveal what Inara's big secret was. She herself figured she probably couldn't, but the audience and Jewel suggested she simply call Joss and ask for permission. (Morena, however, said Joss doesn't pick up the phone when she calls.)

During their Sunday panel, joined by Christina Hendricks, the subject came up again -- including after Nathan had arrived to join the women on stage.

So Nathan called Joss.

After a brief conversation, Nathan said that Morena couldn't tell.

Moments later, Nathan's phone rang. It was Joss calling back.

When he got off the phone, Nathan said that Joss had offered a compromise: Morena couldn't reveal Inara's secret, but could reveal Book's.

After some conferring with Nathan because she couldn't remember if she actually knew it, Morena announced the following:

Book was a dirty cop.

Now comes the next great moment of Browncoat debate: Was Nathan ever really on the phone with Joss, or was he just BSing everyone? But he got called back, so he was clearly on the phone with someone. Nathan also said that of course Ron knew Book's secret. But earlier in the con Ron had said he didn't know. Nathan said he was a liar. At closing ceremonies, Ron reminded us that it's Nathan who is a liar.

So: Is it true? Did Joss really tell Nathan on the phone that Book's secret could be revealed in exchange for continuing to protect Inara's?

Let the debate begin! And next time someone talks to Joss, ask him.

[AlanFalcon]

Posted on Whedoneque, huh?

As I posted here (http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=31642#31642) - I thought it was interesting that if that was Joss calling back, his ringtone is the sound of Crickets Chirping.

At least he's able to reach Joss, even though poor Morena isn't.  That'd be the thing that makes me most suspicious about the whole thing -- who's going to answer Nathan's phone call and not Morena's?! 

Oh, and listening to Ron's answer at DragonCon about knowing about his past, he skirts the issue and says things like "in a scene I didn't really have to know if I had brothers or sisters that kind of thing, so I didn't know that kind of thing" and seems to answer the question without ever directly answering it.  If you think about it, didn't Ron have to know something about his character's motivation for the line in the opening to Objects in Space?  Nathan was definitely ready with that quote, so if he was making all this up, he'd at least put a good amount of thought into it.

[sadimac]

Posted on Whedoneque, huh?

And my, did our people online ever go up.

So, if I am to believe Ron's old answer or Nathan's new one, my gut says trust Ron. Of course, if Joss had made a decision and hadn't told Ron... On the other hand, Nathan likes pranks... But Morena implied it was something she might have been told... But as someone mentioned somewhere, Ron did play a cop before, so that would make a kind of jokey sense as a misdirect... Head hurts. It's easier to simply accept what was said. Which leads me to...

What does "dirty cop" mean? There's a lot of kinds of "cop." And a lot of kinds of "dirty."

[WonderSheep]

Hah! If it's true, then I was RIGHT ALL ALONG!

Stick that in your marzipan pie plate, bingo!

[Jecca]

Fascinating.  Just fascinating.

I find it *believable*, but I'm not sure I believe it - based on who's speaking.

[sadimac]

3867 Views? Golly.

[Macerator]

But if Book was a dirty cop, then why was he given such hush-hush treatment when he was gut-shot?
And now this just makes me want to know what Inara's secret is. You'd think with Firefly being irrevocably dead Whedon would let the secrets out.

[Sarrava]

Firefly the tv show seems to be irrevocably dead, however more movies have not been ruled out, and there are more comic books on the way.  Joss has more 'Verse stories to tell, and to me, the fact that he still wants to hold on to some secrets means that he has not given up hope of having future opportunities to tell them.

[Browncoat Bill]

According to episode #60 of Firefly Talk, here are 5 things Joss faxed over to Ron Glass regarding Book and his past:

1. There will be a Dark Horse Comic released next year about Book called The Shepherd's Tale
2. A part of Shepherd Book is artificial
3. He found God in a bowl of soup
4. Book is best known for his greatest failure
5. "Derrial" is not his real name. He took that name from a man he killed.

Sounds very interesting!

[Otter]

1. There will be a Dark Horse Comic released next year about Book called The Shepherd's Tale
2. A part of Shepherd Book is artificial
3. He found God in a bowl of soup
4. Book is best known for his greatest failure
5. "Derrial" is not his real name. He took that name from a man he killed.

Sounds very interesting!

These are the 5 things that Ron revealed to us on the browncoat cruise.

[Browncoat182]

Hello all,

My first look at the forum and the first thing I see is this tasty topic.

My thoughts:

1. If there is a Dark Horse Comic comming out, the phone call could have been false or at least misleading. Joss has never spilled the beans prematurely before.

2. I find it likely that Book was somehow similar to the operative in serenity, and the bounty hunter Jubil in Firefly, Objects in space. It seems that the Alliances operative all have certain traits....intuition and supremely informed preparation.
  So maybe Book the operative killed a Preacher, and lost it...and assumed his life as a shepard as penace.

3. In objects in space, River Tam opens with her walk through the ship and her POV of psychic impression on the crew. When we get to book..he angrily says ,"I dont care if your innocent or not!, so where does that put you?. 

4. clearly there is an explaination for his understanding of the alliances covert actions, and weapons training.

5. clearly there is explanation for his royal treatment by the alliance medical ship.

just some thoughts.

[The One True b!X]

What Book said to River in OiS is actually consistent with the idea of him being a dirty cop.

Actually, if Joss told Ron he could mention 5 things about Book on the Cruise, that's consistent with the phone call between Joss and Nathan being real and legitimate. If he'd let Ron "spill the beans", no reason he couldn't let beans be spilled elsewhere as well.

[Mitch]

Here's my take.  Book was an operative (or something similar).  Like the operative in the movie, at some point, he lost his faith in what he was doing.  He believed, but then had that belief taken away.  So, he found something else to believe in. 

I admit, there are some holes in this, but it does explain how he knew so much about the underworld and why he was treated the way he was by the Alliance. 

[BigPop]

Nay, y'all have it all upsidewards;
Book was high military and in charge of MIRADA PAX PROJECT and when he found out what happened there, he snapped and found comfort in the mission and has tried to do right ever since.

BigPop

[Rusty]

Nay, y'all have it all upsidewards;
Book was high military and in charge of MIRADA PAX PROJECT and when he found out what happened there, he snapped and found comfort in the mission and has tried to do right ever since.

BigPop

Don't think so.  If he had that knowledge, the Alliance probably would have had him killed.