QUESTIONS FOR FIREFLY/SERENITY FANS

In the episode ‘Objects in Space’ River hears the thoughts of the other folk on board Serenity.

Uncharacteristically Shepherd Book fiercely looks at River and thinks: ‘I don’t give half a hump if you’re innocent or not! So where does that put you?’

What does that mean?

Also, what is the significance of the name ‘Book’ for the character for whom the Bible is so important?

And is it just coincidence that the names ‘River’ and ‘Reaver’ (both victims of the Alliance) are so similar?

CAN SIMON FIX RIVER OR SHOULD HE JUST HAVE FAITH IN HER?

If I haven't referred to Inara much then I've said even less about Simon and River. Time to address that, but first a pithy statement from Book which could have come straight out of a conversation in the Emerging Church.

In the episode Jaynestown, Shepherd Book finds River editing his Bible in order to remove the contradictions.

Book: ‘River you don’t fix the Bible!’

River: ‘It’s broken, it doesn’t make sense!’

Book: ‘It’s not about making sense. It’s about believing in something. And letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It’s about faith. You don’t fix faith, River. It fixes you.’

Commenting on this dialogue, and on the relationship between Simon and River, Alyson Buckman writes:

‘Ironically, River is like the Bible – she “doesn’t make sense,” and her brother attempts to fix her as she attempts to fix the Bible. As Book says about the Bible, the crew of Serenity must come to have faith in River, which they do by the end of [the episode] “Objects in Space.”’

Buckman, AR, ‘Much Madness is Divinest Sense’ in Wilcox, R & Cochran, TR (editors), Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Science Fiction on the Frontier, (London: I.B. Tauris,2008) p.46.

MORE ON INARA & BOOK

Some of Inara's wisdom from the episode 'Serenity' (Maybe this proves that Book isn't Jonah.)

Book: ‘I've been out of the Abbey two days. I've beaten a lawman senseless. Fallen in with criminals. I watched the captain shoot the man I swore to protect. And I'm not even sure if I think he was wrong. I believe I just … I think I’m on the wrong ship.’

Inara: ‘Maybe. Or maybe you're exactly where you ought to be.’

INARA vs BOOK - MEANINGFUL OR MEANINGLESS CONVERSATION

There seem to be some similarities between the characters of Shepherd Book and Inara. Both have left behind communities; Book left the ‘Order’ of Southdown Abbey for the ‘chaos’ of Serenity, whereas Inara left the Companions’ House in Sihnon where she had at one time harboured ambitions to be the House Priestess. They are both known by their occupation/vocation/calling. Are they both running away from something/someone? Is Book looking for a ticket to Joppa even though he should be going to Nineveh?

Shepherd Book often comes out with pithy statements - as in this exchange from episode 1:

Kaylee: ‘How come you don’t care where you’re going?’

Book: ‘’Cause how you get there is the worthier part.’

As I re-watch the series I am going to look out for ways in which Inara exhibits the same sort of wisdom in what she says.

Or is it wisdom?

Cynthea Masson thinks that some of the pithy sayings used by Inara ‘verge on cliché’ and rather than being full of meaning they are actually used as a way of avoiding actual conversation - ‘an aspect of verbal etiquette in which a Companion would surely be well versed’. Masson, C, ‘But she was naked! And all articulate!’ in Wilcox, R & Cochran, TR (editors), Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Science Fiction on the Frontier, (London: I.B. Tauris,2008) p.20.

Could the same accusation (obviously without the reference to Companion training) be made against Shepherd Book – or against the Church/Emerging Conversation?

THE SPIRITUALITY OF INARA

I haven't said much about Inara yet, but she comes over as a very spiritual character, both as a result of her training and through her lifestyle.

Whedon explains that:

'Companions trained in all the arts, extremely well-schooled. They lived not unlike nuns, worked not unlike geishas, and often rose to political or social prominence when they retired,’

Whedon, J, Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, (London: Titan Books, 2005) pp.12-13.

After describing temple/sacred prostitution in ancient Middle Eastern society, Andrew Aberdein writes:

‘Inara also exhibits a strong spiritual side. She is frequently associated with religious iconography, primarily Buddhist, and both she and Nandi invoke the Buddha in Chinese imprecations. Moreover, Inara explicitly links the sacred to her practice as a Companion, referring to her shuttle as ‘a consecrated Place of Union’ (Jaynestown).’

Aberdein, A, ‘The Companions and Socrates’ in Wilcox, R & Cochran, TR (editors), Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Science Fiction on the Frontier, (London: I.B. Tauris,2008) p.67.

THEORIES ABOUT SHEPHERD BOOK

Jeffery on Savvygeek has a post about possible theories concerning the question 'Who was Shepherd Book?'

He points out that the storyline in the movie 'Serenity' includes a character known as 'The Operative' who was introduced to 'the true background of the reavers' and as a consequence 'relinquished his role as an Operative'.

Commenting on the theory that Book had served as an Operative he says:

'It is possible a similar experience happened to Book. It is possible he went through something that forced him to see the errors of whom he served, and left to become a shepherd, or at least to pose as one.'
http://savvygeek.com/2007/04/30/who-was-shepherd-book/

Certainly Book 'wasn't born a Shepherd' and presumably must have been through some sort of conversion experience.

MORE ON FIREFLY CHARACTERS

I really like Bruce Bethke's description of the characters in Firefly. These descriptions are attributed to his friend 'John the screenwriter':

Mal is 'Han Solo [Star Wars] with an actual backstory ... Rick Blaine [Casablanca] with a spaceship instead of a night club. He's a classic lost paladin; an embittered losing-side war vet with a junk freighter, struggling to eke out a living on the fringes of civilization and the law. But underneath his rough exterior he's still got his honour, his pride, and that sense of justice that forces him to get involved and become a big damn hero, from time to time.'

Wash is a 'classic comic-relief sidekick, who gets to have all the emotional reactions the paladin can never show.'

Zoe is a 'tough chick' who served with Mal in the war - 'she's got the whole calls-him-"sir"-even-when-she-doesn't-say-it-out-loud thing going.'

Kaylee - 'it's really nice to see a woman in the role of the engine room grease-monkey.'

Simon, the doctor - 'there's obviously some bad blood between him and Mal, so I'd have to guess he has a little black bag full of patent medicines that save the day on a regular basis and make him worth putting up with.'

River - 'Buffy' - 'the ninety-pound pixie who can toss around men three times her size when she gets mad ... [probably] the focus of the entire plot.'

Jayne - 'big and tough, none too bright, obsessed with weapons, and probably worth his weight in gold in a fight.' Is the name like 'A boy named Sue'? Or is JAYNE a reference to John WAYNE?

Book - 'the preacher with the troubled past'.

Inara - 'the hooker with a heart of gold'.

Bethke, B, ‘Cut 'Em Off at the Horsehead Nebula!', J (ed), Serenity Found: More Unauthorized essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe, (Dallas, TX: Benbella Books, 2007) p176.

KAYLEE - 'THE HEART OF THE SHOW'

Kaylee (the mechanic on Serenity) also features in the notes on the Bible Study on http://blog.digitalorthodoxy.com/?p=661

' Kaylee seems to peer into Inara’s world and romanticises it, thinking that she gets some rich clients who give her things and make her feel pretty, the rest of the world seems to think this is the case too as her profession has a high status in the planets. Looking in from outside Kaylee wishes that she could have pretty things, be a normal" girl, wear pretty dresses, dance with men to nice music. Kaylee wants to live in the world beyond her own fence, the grass is always greener over there. ... And when she’s faced with the reality she meets people that want to keep her on the other side of the fence, people who look pretty on the outside but are not too pretty on the inside. These people make her feel unwelcome, unpretty. While she also meets others who seem to find her enchanting for who she really is at the same party.'

Similar comments, about the ordinariness of Kaylee's character and the way in which it is seen in the people we come into contact with every day, are made in Burns, M, ‘Mars needs Women’ in Espenson, J (ed), Serenity Found: More Unauthorized essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe, (Dallas, TX: Benbella Books, 2007) pp18-19:

' they had Kaylee's heart, that fragile fear that people were looking down on them, that they weren't good enough or smart enough. ... Kaylee can fix nearly everything, sees the good in everyone, can't handle a gun. ... Kaylee was the beating heart of the show as she tended the beating heart of Serenity. Where have you ever seen anyone like her on a spaceship before?'

MAL VS INARA

Episode 4 'Shindig' is about the differences between the lifestyles of Mal and Inara.

Inara is a companion - high class prostitute - which seems to be a legal and respectable occupation. Mal - who is a unquestionably a criminal (albeit one that the audience is urged to cheer for) - looks down on Inara's profession. The Bible Study on the Youth Ministry Blog relates this to the Biblical story of the one who said 'Friend let me remove the speck from your eye', whilst ignoring the log in his/her own eye.

Note to self - I would like to reflect further on the ease with which the audience (including me) can excuse the criminal aspects of Mal's life.

PRAYING FOR CAPTAIN REYNOLDS

There is a Study on Episode 2 'The Train Job' on http://blog.digitalorthodoxy.com/?p=646
which focuses on the way in which Mal handles the ethical dilemma that he faces once he realises that the job he has accepted involves stealing vital medical supplies.

Reading the notes for this episode in Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One, (London: Titan Books, 2006), p.54, I see that Joss Whedon felt that the act of returning the stolen goods in this episode, whilst not being against the ethos of the show, was a concession to the Network who wanted Mal to be a more likeable character. He is quoted as saying, 'In a harsher version [Mal] wouldn't [return the medicine], because his crew was starving and he needed to get them through'. He seems to have wanted the storylines to reflect the more complex nature of ethical dilemmas rather than a simple right/wrong distinction.

This leads me to ask:
What guidance can the Church/Christians give in the light of such dilemmas?
What right do we have to challenge the actions of others?
How do we remove the planks from our own eyes?

Those questions lead me to another one posed in the Youth Ministry Blog's Study Series: ' How do we approach people who have said that they are not interested in faith or, more specifically our faith?'

This comment arises out of a conversation between Mal and Book in which Mal says: 'If I'm your mission, Shepherd, best give it up. You're welcome on my boat. God ain't.'

Later Book is advised by Inara to pray that Mal returns safely from the Train Job. Book states, 'I don't think the Captain would much like me praying for him.' Inara replies, 'Don't tell him - I never do.'

JUXTAPOSING GOSPEL ACCOUNTS AND FIREFLY STORYLINES

There's some great comments on a Study Series on Firefly on http://blog.digitalorthodoxy.com/ The entry for 13th May focuses on Episode One. As well as commenting on the effects of Mal's experience at the Valley of Serenity and Book's doubts about whether he is in the right place, this study material also draws attention to ...

• The similarities between the crew/passengers of Firefly and the disciples that Jesus called - ' How did Jesus choose the people who followed him? Would we be hard pressed to not find people like the characters in Firefly in Jesus’s followers? The prostitute, the criminal, the priest, the lover, the husband, the mechanic, the doctor, the sick, the abused…'
• Book's response to Kaylee's perceptive comment (made during their first encounter) - Kaylee: 'how come you don't care where you're going?' Book: 'Cause how you get there is the worthier part.'
• The way in which, if we want to be truly missional, we need to make an effort to really pay attention to those around us - to be as observant and as interested in others as Kaylee is - as was demonstrated in the conversation quoted above.
• Also based on that conversation is the question: ' How open are we to people who are on a journey to a non-specified destination? '
• The importance of the table fellowship that the characters share.
• A comparison of Joss Whedon's storytelling technique with the way in which we do, or don't, engage with the stories of the characters that we come across in the Bible.

Some great ideas there. The first and last points make me want to imaginatively explore/juxtapose Gospel stories and Firefly storylines - i.e. putting Firefly characters into Biblical stories and seeing how they react - and vice versa, introducing Biblical characters to the crew of Serenity.

There are four of these study guides online so far - I'll comment each of them over the next few days.

HE'S FOUND GOD BUT ...

Here's the introduction to Shepherd Book's character from http://www.thewebsitez.com/tvcentral/F/firefly.htm

' He is a priest, older and a little wiser than the rest of the crew. It is unclear if Book is on a mission to spread the word of God throughout the universe or on a personal “walk-a-bout.” He’s found God, but he still needs to find himself.'

MORE ON SHEPHERD BOOK

I was very interested to read B. E. Wheatley's blog entry 'WWSBD - What Would Shepherd Book Do'.

http://brackishfaith.blogspot.com/2008/05/wwsbd-what-would-shepherd-book-do.html

Whilst acknowledging that Book is a flawed character, he outlines the way in which the Shepherd demonstrates a missional model of living. Inspired by Michael Frost's book 'Exiles' he writes:

' [Shepherd Book] embraces the call to God’s mission in this world (Missio Dei) he clearly sees beyond the titles smuggler, thief and whore and recognises the fingerprint of God in peoples lives (Imago Dei) and seeks to find where Jesus is already at work and dares to step into that context and work with him (Participatus Christo). He moves outside his comfort zone and finds Proximity with those he seeks to serve and love. He clearly seeks to practice the presence of Christ in the midst of serenity’s crew, living as he believes Jesus would aboard the ship. He embraces material and temporal powerlessness although there is an indication that he had the potential to come among these people from a position of power he instead came as one of them and as a servant. Finally he does in key moments embrace proclamation, he becomes the voice of God in situations far removed from the church. '

As I reread that paragraph I can think of instances from the show which back up each of his comments. For example 'he moves outside his comfort zone' is illustrated by his admission to Inara in Episode 1 'I think I'm on the wrong ship'. She replies 'Maybe. Or maybe you're exactly where you ought to be.'

I presume the statement: 'there is an indication that he had the potential to come among these people from a position of power' is based upon the fact that when Book was injured in the episode 'Safe' the Alliance Commander took one look at his identity card and said 'Get this man to the infirmary at once.' This is another one of the cryptic clues to Book's mysterious past.

I going to continue looking at the character of Shepherd Book through this particular lens as I rewatch the DVD.

B. E. Wheatley goes on to comment that

' What attracts me to [Book] is that the character was created by a self confessed atheist and absurdist, Joss Wedon. I see Joss (alongside the likes of Kevin Smith and Larry and Andy Wachowski) as a key voice for a group of subcultures that I have a massive heart for. To me Shepherd Book is a call to the church from those subcultures about the kind of people they wish we were. To put it simply – They like Shepherd Book but not the Church and I think that means they wish the church was missional.'

This is another fascinating facet of this study - that is addressing one of the suggestions from my post on 25th April i.e. ‘Reflect on the possible journey that led the film maker to produce what you have just seen’.

IS SHEPHERD BOOK REALLY A PRIEST?

In the episode 'Objects in Space', the bounty hunter, Early, who seems to have information about Shepherd Book's background, tells Simon 'That ain't a Shepherd'.

What are we supposed to make of that comment?

I recently read 'Bread and Wine' by Ignazio Silone. Set in the 1930's this book tells the story of Pietro Spina, an anti-Fascist revolutionary who goes into hiding by disguising himself as a priest. Pietro (or Don Paolo as he becomes) is taken aback by the way in which he is treated once he adopts the identity of a 'man of God' e.g. the questions people ask him, the confessions made to him, the way that they expect him to act and the way that his presence in the community is viewed as a good omen. Although he puts up a great deal of resistance, and keeps making the excuse that he is not authorised to serve in this diocese, he is drawn into acting in certain ways because of the garments that he is wearing/the role that he has assumed.

Did a similar thing happened to Shepherd Book? Did he assume the identity of a Shepherd in order to hide from his enemies/a particular situation/himself - and in doing so did he actually (over time) become a Shepherd?

Or is it just that he doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a priest and therefore, in the eyes of Early, can't possibly be one? That prompts the question - how are contemporary 'Shepherds' breaking the mould?

MORE ON MAL

Eric Greene points out how, in Star Trek, 'Spock reflected Kirk's intellect and McCoy embodied Kirk's emotions. Watching McCoy and Spock argue was like seeing Kirk's internal dialogue externalized.'

Similarly in Firefly the characters of Simon and Jayne are set in direct contrast. Simon is devoted to the protection of his sister, he has risked everything for her - in the episode Safe he is even willing to be burnt at the stake with her - Mal shows the same sort of loyalty to his ship and crew. Conversely, Jayne displays a practical self interest and is unable to understand acts of altruism. 'Jayne's strictly rational common sense and Simon's Quixotic and chivalric devotion established the two men as opposites and repeatedly led them to butt heads.'

Green continues: 'Zoe shares Mal's experience as a soldier, the primal bonds developed by comrades in arms, and understands his special relationship to Serenity Valley. Kaylee shares Mal's love of the ship, Inara his emotional guardedness and fear of intimacy; River, like Mal, has been interferred with and wounded by the Alliance. And Wash ... represents Mal's spirit of resistance to authority and is the one most likely to challenge Mal's orders. ... But while the rest of the crew tended to reflect Mal that is, Book reflected Mal that was, but is no more: Mal as a believer.'

After describing the opening scenes of the pilot episode Green writes: 'In a few concise gestures an entire arc was implied and understood. Mal believed once but no longer. While Book, a former sinner we may assume, now believed. It would seem that just as the defeat at Serenity Valley stripped Mal of his belief, something pushed the shadowy Book into the light. While belief in something larger disappointed Mal, that very belief may have saved Book. Thus, like the rest of the crew, Book reflected an aspect of Mal, but it was more of a reflection in the literal sense: a reverse image.' Greene, E, 'The Good Book' in Espenson, J (ed), Serenity Found: More Unauhorized essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe, (Dallas, TX: Benbella Books, 2007) pp80-82.

I want to explore further what it is that brings people to accept faith and what leads them to reject it - knowing of course that there is no one simple/correct answer and that a lot of people today have lost faith in the church rather than in God.

CAPTAIN MAL REYNOLDS - FAITH & BETRAYAL

Captain Malcolm Reynolds - ‘Mal’

‘…a dark, world-weary man, with an unshakeable love and loyalty for his adopted family.’ Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One, (London: Titan Books, 2006), p.26.

I didn’t like Mal at first. Neither did River; in the second episode, Train Job, she commented that his name ‘Mal’ means ‘bad’ in Latin. His character has a complex mixture of good and bad features. A very strong leader, he does not like to be questioned – but he is fiercely protective of his crew.

Nathan Fillion (the actor who plays Mal) said: ‘Someone asked me why he so zealously guards over the safety of his crew and I look at it that Mal gathers to him that which he no longer has within himself. In Wash, he has a lust for life and a sense of humour he’s lost. In Jayne, he has selfishness. In Book, he has spirituality. In Kaylee, he has innocence. Everybody represents a facet of himself that he has lost and that’s why he keeps them close and safe, and yet at arm’s length.’ Quoted in Firefly: Volume One, p.26. I’m interested in exploring his relationships with the others, particularly Book.

The opening scenes of the series begin with his faith – and the way in which it was betrayed. They detail events which occurred six years earlier when he was a Sergeant fighting as for the Independents in order to stop the Alliance from unifying the inhabited worlds under a single rule. He really believed that he could do the impossible. Even in the trenches of the battlefield in Serenity Valley, with bodies falling around him, he could not contemplate defeat. He declared: ‘Our angels are going to soar overhead.’ He kissed the cross around his neck and said: ‘We’re just too pretty for God to let us die.’

Then Zoe relayed the message that no one was coming to save them and that their orders were to surrender. The sky filled with enemy ships and Mal just stared in disbelief.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CHARACTERS

I had to give a presentation about my dissertation at Cliff College on Wednesday. Preparing for that gave me a chance to check out how I would introduce the key story lines and characters from 'Firefly'/'Serenity' to those who've never even heard of it. Here are is the sort of thing that I said (or wanted to say) - eventually this will form the basis of chapter 1 ...

Devised by Joss Whedon, 'Firefly' is set 500 years in the future when the earth has become uninhabitable and other planets have been terraformed (representing our fears for the effects of climate change and our hopes for the continuation of human life).

The series records the journey made by the nine characters who live on a ‘Firefly’ model of spaceship called ‘Serenity’. Life on the planets they visit (in what is known as the 'verse) resembles that in the 'wild west', complete with saloons, hard manual labour and gun fights.

The show's unique features include an interesting combination of the genres of sci-fi and western, and the fact that it is a sci-fi without alien life forms (though some humans have mutated into creatures known as 'reavers').

'Firefly' was cut after just one series. When it came out on DVD it developed a cult following - the support and campaigning of the fans (known as 'Browncoats') led to the production of the film 'Serenity'.

As the show ended prematurely there were a number of loose ends and unanswered questions about the plot. Joss Whedon has produced a comic book to fill part of the gap and fans have sought to provide their own answers to some questions by writing 'fanfics' or working through a role play game.


The characters are pictured here - front row: Zoe (first mate), Mal (captain) and Kaylee (mechanic); Back row: Shepherd Book (preacher), River (sister of Simon), Wash (pilot, husband of Zoe), Jayne (member of the crew), Simon (doctor) and Inara (companion/'legal' prostitute).

To some extent they are a mixture of fugitives, mercenaries and losers who will take any job which pays enough to give them something to eat and sufficient fuel to keep flying. Although they will undertake criminal activities they do exhibit a conscience - SPOILER - for instance, they take on a job which involves the theft of medicine but when they meet some of the ill people who need that medicine they return the stolen goods.

I'll use the next few posts to introduce the characters in more detail and say what interests me about their experiences and personalities.