Derrial Book

Infobox character
colour = #fc9
colour text =
name = Derrial Book
series = Firefly


caption =
first =
last =
cause =
creator = Joss Whedon
portrayer = Ron Glass
episode = 13, 1 movie, 6 comics
nickname =
alias =
species =
gender = Male
age =
born = mid to late 25th century
death = circa 2519
specialty =
occupation = Preacher
title =
callsign =
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives = Unknown; "never married"
residence =
religion = Christian
nationality =
lbl21 = Homeworld
data21 = Unknown
imdb_id = 0003820 Derrial Book is a fictional character played by Ron Glass in the science-fiction/Western television series "Firefly" and its sequel movie, "Serenity". He is a Shepherd (the literal English translation of the clerical title "Pastor", from the Latin), and provides frequent spiritual advice and perspectives for the crew of "Serenity".

Production details

During production of the film "Serenity", Book's first name was Meria,Fact|date=December 2007 and it appears as such in the documentary "Re-Lighting the Firefly". [Whedon, "Serenity: Director's Commentary", "Re-Lighting the Firefly"] However, by the time the film was completed, Joss Whedon changed his first name to Derrial, which is the way it appears in all printed official works based on "Firefly." [Chambers, "Serenity Role Playing Game"] Whedon, "Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One", 166.]

Casting

Glass, a veteran actor well-known for his role as Detective Ron Harris in the television sitcom "Barney Miller", had never tackled the science-fiction genre and was hesitant about this role when his agent approached him. However, once he read the script he "...fell in love with it." As Glass notes:

"The thing that was galvanizing for me was the characters, so the environment was secondary. I was happy to see how Book would unfold in that kind of environment and it worked really, really well."

Costume design

Glass states that Whedon and the costume designer Shawna Trpcic "had a pretty clear idea of how they wanted him to look," and how he appears in the pilot with a distinctly priestly collar and scant possessions "was a strong reflection of the character..." For the role in the film "Serenity", Trpcic changed her decision to have Book in loose, baggy clothes when she saw what great shape he was in, so she designed a tight tee-shirt to show off his chest. [cite news|date=2007-10-25
url=http://newsblaze.com/story/20071025060021tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html
title=Ron Glass - Barney Miller/Serenity chats with Judyth Piazza
publisher=NewsBlaze.com
first = Judyth
last = Piazz
accessdate=2007-12-09]

Character background

Book's character during the series is that of a preacher, and though Glass discussed with Whedon about making him more Buddhist, Whedon explained that the character of Inara Serra was to be the Buddhist-type and Book more of the "fundamentalist Christian guy." Glass, himself a Buddhist, found it intriguing to play this role:

Whedon conceived the character because he felt that faith was important to people dealing with being that far out in space. As Whedon states, "Shepherd Book is somebody I would probably get along famously with, except we don't agree about anything." He also wanted to give "a voice for the other side." [Whedon, "Serenity: The Official Visual Companion", 11.]

One of the underlying aspects of the show is Shepherd Book's secret past. He holds some sort of priority status within the Alliance, and on numerous occasions has demonstrated a depth of knowledge in a number of fields one would not expect a clergyman to be familiar with, including space travel, firearms, hand to hand combat, and criminal activity. Glass enjoyed this aspect of the role as well: "Though rather mysterious, it was absolutely clear that he had had a very full life before he went off to the monastery and took on that responsibility. I loved the fact that he could save your soul but he could also kick your ass. That's a really great combination to play."

In the fourteenth and final episode of "Firefly", "Objects in Space", Simon berates the bounty hunter Jubal Early for assaulting Book, a Shepherd. Early only replies, "That ain't no Shepherd." [Whedon, Firefly: the complete series: "Objects in Space" ] In the DVD commentary "Firefly", Whedon states this is due to Early's intuition and ability to quickly size people up. He also comments that Early's methods for dealing with each crew member are custom-tailored to their personalities. Early disposes of Mal in a straight-forward manner; Joss then notes that Early's method for taking out Book is equally straight-forward, alluding to a similarity between the two otherwise different characters. [Whedon, Firefly: the complete series: "Objects in Space" commentary]

Another hint to Book's mysterious past is shown in the episode "Safe". When Book is accidentally wounded, Mal is forced to seek medical help from an Alliance cruiser. The commanding officer, after tersely dismissing Mal, changes his attitude once one of his officers shows him Book's identification. Though the exact information on the card is never shown, the crew does note that it affords Book urgent and immediate access to the medical facilities on board, as well as free passage for "Serenity" without the expected inspection. [Whedon, Firefly: the complete series: "Safe"]

On the 2007 Browncoat Cruise, Ron Glass revealed with Whedon's permission several facts about Book, including that Derrial was not the shepherd's real name, but the name of a man he had killed.cite web |url=http://www.serenitystuff.com/2007/12/12/ron-glass-announces-a-shepherds-tale-comic/ |title=Ron Glass announces “A Shepherd’s Tale” comic, reveals (some) secrets |accessdate=2008-04-13 |date=2007-12-12 |work=Serenitystuff.org - News blog ] This was part of an announcement for a comic book series based on Book's past, titled "The Shepherd's Tale". Scott Allie, editor for the "" comic series, confirmed this announcement, and stated that Dark Horse Comics was aiming for a late 2008 release. [Allie, Scott (March 2008). "Transmissions from the Cortex". In Wheedon, Joss & Matthews, Brett, " #1". Milwaukie: Dark Horse Comics.]

Character biography

The character is almost always referred to as "Shepherd Book" and is a Christian of an unknown denomination. The original script for pilot episode "Serenity" includes this scene establishment:

"We see, passing through frame, Shepherd BOOK. " […] " His clothes are plain and instantly identify him as some kind of Protestant minister."Whedon, "Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One", 23.]

Throughout the series, he makes references to Christian theology and consults the Bible. Shepherd Book, in the pilot episode for the series, indicates he has been living in the Southdown Abbey and has never been married. [Whedon, "Firefly: the complete series: "Serenity"] Throughout the series there are references to monks at the Southdown Abbey as well as Biblical quotes. [Whedon, "Firefly: the complete series: "Out of Gas"] Shepherd Book makes references, in both the series and the movie, to having some level of insider knowledge about how the Alliance works. When Mal asks him about this he states: "I wasn't born a Shepherd," but declines to explain further. His biography is never fully explained.

In the comic "", Book expresses concern that he is being corrupted by living on "Serenity" and leaves the ship. [Whedon, "Serenity: Those Left Behind"] By the time "Serenity" begins, he has moved off the ship to the planet Haven. In the film, Book is killed by an Alliance soldier sent to destroy Haven after Serenity manages to shake an Alliance assassin known only as "The Operative". However, he was not a passive figure in the events leading up to his death; he defended Haven and "killed the ship that killed them". [Whedon, "Serenity", DVD.]

Major themes

Relationships

*Malcolm Reynolds - Glass approached the relationship with this character as a reflection of his former self. He felt that it was Book's desire to have Mal see the brighter side of himself, but knowing he could not confront him directly, he instead has to do this obliquely. [Whedon, "Serenity: The Official Visual Companion", 100.] It was a confrontation with Mal, in which Book lost his temper to the point of striking him, that cemented the Shepherd's decision to leave "Serenity". [Whedon, "Serenity: Those Left Behind"]

*Jayne Cobb - Book has a generally friendly relationship with the normally gruff and unsophisticated Jayne. During the series, they are seen joking with one another during chores and seem to regularly lift weights together. In "The Message", they even engage in some philosophical discussion about death and people's reactions to it.

*Inara Serra - Initially, Book does not agree with Inara's work as a companion, but when they begin a friendship, they learn from each other, and he begins to respect her.

*Kaylee Frye - Book and Kaylee form a relatively immediate bond of friendship, as Kaylee is the crew member inviting passengers aboard in the pilot episode "Serenity," including Book. Later in the episode, when Kaylee is recovering in the infirmary after being shot in the stomach, Book watches over her and holds her hand. In the episode "Safe," when Book is shot, Kaylee reciprocates, saying, "He did this for me once." ["Safe"]

Notes

References

*cite book | title=Serenity: The Official Visual Companion | publisher=Titan Books | location=UK | year=2005 | author=Joss Whedon | id=ISBN 1-84576-082-4
*cite book | title=Firefly Official Companion, Volume One | publisher=Titan Books | location=UK | year=2006 | author=Joss Whedon | id=ISBN 1-84576-314-9
*cite book | title=Serenity: The Role Playing Game | publisher=Margaret Weis Productions, LTD | location=US | year=2005 | author=Jamie Chambers | id=ISBN 1-931567-50-6
*Cite visual |title= Serenity |director= Joss Whedon |medium=DVD |distributor=Universal
*Cite visual |title= Firefly: The Complete Series | director= Joss Whedon | medium=DVD | distributor=20th Century Fox
*cite book | last = Whedon | first = Joss | authorlink = Joss Whedon | title = Serenity: Those Left Behind | publisher = Dark Horse Books| date= 2006 | location = Milwaukie, OR| isbn = 1-59307-449-2

Further reading

*cite book | title=Serenity | publisher=Pocket Books | location=US | year=2005 | author=Keith R.A. DeCandido | id=ISBN 1-4165-0755-8
*cite journal | last = Greene | first = Eric | authorlink = Eric Greene | title = The Good Book | journal = Serenity Found | pages = 79–94 | publisher = BenBella Press | location = Dallas, TX | date= 2007 | id=ISBN 978-1-933771-21-2