Inara character notes by ZachsMind

FIREFLY UNIVERSE

Inara character notes

POSTED BY: ZACHSMIND
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 00:02
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Friday, January 16, 2004 10:07 PM

By request, I thought I'd take a stab at describing what I perceive to be Inara in the series Firefly. Please keep in mind this is one opinion, and there will be disagreements. That's a given. This is my take on her, and others may feel free to contribute their own thoughts. Just don't be acerbic about it please. Don't approach this as an attempt to prove me wrong. There's no real right or wrong here. Even if I word something below in a way that sounds like a fact, there could be an argument for an opposing position. Reality is subjective. =)

First off, this topic has been tackled elsewhere in fireflyfans.net and it's worth a looksee to read some of these other threads.

http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=3385
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=2924
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=3099
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=3082
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=3388
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=2547
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=2347

WHAT DO WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN?

Not a whole hell of a lot to be certain. We know she goes by Inara. We do not know her last name. (CORRECTION: Last name is Serra. Still, may be a business name) We do not know if Inara (Serra) is her given birth name or the name she uses vocationally. Odds are it is a 'stage name' of sorts. Companions create an illusion for their clients, and no doubt the 'perfect' name is all part of that. In fact, Inara is quite a facade. We the audience on rare occasion see the character stripped and bare emotionally speaking, but assumedly Inara never lets anyone into her confidence, even and especially when it looks like she does.

We know Inara is a companion, and what that entails is quite detailed more than Inara herself. Unlike present day, there are ways to function legally in prostitution. We're shown the common prostitute in the episode Heart Of Gold, and although they are treated poorly by the men of that planet during the show, it's not due directly to their chosen profession, but due to one of their clients wanting a child from a prostitute he claims is his. It's a different conflict altogether. Prostitution is largely accepted behavior, although still on occasion frowned upon by the more conservative types.

Inara is one of those ladies on the higher end of the spectrum. She often has her pick of clients on any world, and selects them carefully based on both their needs and her own. She's paid very well. She belongs to a guild of companions. She wears lavish yet tasteful clothes and behaves with a strong air of authority and culture. She is among the best in her field, which makes her all the more complex.

Inara could have remained in the core worlds and become a high political member among her companion community. She shied away from politics instead, got on Malcolm's ship, and in the episode Out Of Gas we learn that she bartered a very nice deal for herself with Malcolm. However, why is she bothering to reserve a short flight shuttle on a dated cargo ship? It's never fully explained. Yet towards the end of the series short run, we are given indications that she was considering leaving Serenity, predominantly because it appeared Malcolm was purposefully avoiding the kinds of planets that Inara needed to visit in order to placate her clientele. It should also be pointed out that unlike Malcolm Reynolds, Inara did not support Independent revolution during the war. She preferred to side with the Alliance. So her political views would be more favorable in the core than the outer rim.

This brings us to Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Inara clearly has an interest in him that is not purely platonic, and that feeling is more or less mutual. However, neither fully acts on it because of the many complexities in their relationship, as well as fear of the consequences. Inara knows the sort of man Reynolds is. If he truly fell in love with her he would forbade her from continuing her profession. She prefers her freedom, and so therefore remains aloof and distant, trying to keep her relationship with the captain purely business oriented. However, in Heart Of Gold when she catches Malcolm leaving the bedroom of an old friend of hers who's a fellow companion, Inara takes it well to his face but then when she's alone she bawls like a little girl whose first crush just told her she's got cooties. Clearly there's some irrational feelings going on, but she's able to keep her wits about her enough not to show her cards in public.

Inara is very VERY private and guarded. What she wears in public day to day is a mask. She is uniquely qualified at playing roles in situations like The Train Job where she had to convince a local law enforcer that Malcolm and Zoe were her indentured servants. She was very convincing when she played dumb in front of Saffron, and then later played a good metaphorical poker hand with her at the end of the episode Trash. Granted, she had a royal flush to Saffron's worthless hand in that one, but still it was impressive. It can be assumed that in private moments with Simon or Book she's still playing a role. Admittedly one can also interpret that she does let her guard down with them. However, sincerely she doesn't know them all that well so it seems against her otherwise guarded nature to do so.

Inara can hold her own in a scrape. She knows how to wield and manage firearms. She's a quality swordsman with enough knowledge to train others. She can kick and punch and claw with the best of 'em. This is NOT a damsel in distress. However, we also get the indication that she's running away from something. What that something is we are left to speculate. There is a hint of fear about her almost royal-like demeanor. She chose the mobility and questionable practices of the crew of Serenity for a reason. Why? We don't yet know.

She's got a wide number of connections, and favors she can call in on for most any planet she's visited before. Her reputation does on occasion precede her and it's always good. Though not the equivalent of rockstar like celebrity, she does turn heads in public, and many upper class individuals have either heard of her or met her at a party at one time or another.

It's important to note that occasionally she's referred to as Serenity's 'ambassador' because Inara has a penchant for opening doors that would otherwise be closed to Malcolm and his crew. She's a negotator. A diplomat. A shrewd and patient student of humanity. Her unique insight helps her clients both in and out of the bedroom. She can usually talk her way into and out of any situation.

Oh. One more thing..

THE NEEDLE
In the two hour pilot Serenity when the Reavers were potentially going to board the ship, Inara is seen briefly with what appears to be a hypodermic needle in an ornate case. She never uses it, and we don't see it again for the rest of the short-lived series. In the audio commentary, Joss Whedon hints that this was supposed to be seen initially by the audience as some kind of suicide kit, but that he had other plans for it, which might make an appearance in the film or some other future incarnation of the series.

In a post dated Dec. 11th, Firefly Fan Lindycat posted the following rundown of what the needle could have been. There may be other possibilities, but I think this list covers all the prime bases.

Needle could be used for:

Drugs for pleasure
Drugs for sedation of enemy
Drugs for suicide
Drugs for enhanced abilities
Drugs for suppression of something (illness, some companion programming, ability,...)
Drugs for medication
Weapon (mixing higly reactive compounds to make a sleep agent, neurotoxin)

Until Joss Whedon solidifies this, any of the above answers could be accurate. We simply don't have enough to go on. So if someone wishes to play Inara, and in the course of that wants to incorporate the needle into the storyline, the above list contains possible choices. There's no right or wrong. Just opinion.

------------------------------
"Hang on, travelers..."

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Friday, January 16, 2004 10:38 PM

PAINISSCARY

Interesting, insightful analysis. One minor correction, though: Inara's last name is "Serra," which we learn in "Shindig," as Inara and Atherton are announced upon entering the shindig itself.

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Friday, January 16, 2004 10:38 PM

PAINISSCARY

Interesting, insightful analysis. One minor correction, though: Inara's last name is "Serra," which we learn in "Shindig," as Inara and Atherton are announced upon entering the shindig itself.

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Friday, January 16, 2004 11:14 PM

TALONPEST

In Serenity, Inara tells Book "We're all running from somthing." She is deffinately running from something, although what that might be was never even hinted at. It's not a legal problem, since she's still able to openly opperate and go to the core worlds for medical exams (Ariel). More likely, her reluctance to get involved with Mal is a clue- some romantic entanglement messed things up for her.

She doesn't say anything about leaving until she and Mal have their "truthsome" moment in the end of Heart of Gold. She is obviously very irrational about her feelings for him- she expresses them very vividly when no one's looking- (Our Mrs. Reynolds, Heart of Gold) but when finally confronted, she runs away. Commitment issues, to be sure.

I disagree slightly with you interpretation of the "ambassador" bit- she doesn't seem to actually negotiate landing rights for them, but rather they get to use her as an excuse to land in places that would consider a shadey looking transport ship too disreputable.

Also, we do know that she's trained in the use of a sword, but we've never seen her handle a gun or fight unarmed, other than ducking Saffron's kick in Our Mrs Reynolds. In Heart of Gold she holds a knife to Burges's throat, but I don't reall think that counts considering she was easily elbowed off. She's also the only one who doesn't take part in the raid on Niska's skyplex in War Stories.

As for the needle, we do know it's not a suicide drug, since Joss tells us that in the commentary. It wouldn't make much sense for it to be a medical thing or a pleasure thing, since you wouldn't really want either of those while you're being attacked by Reavers. More likely it's a weapon... though it occurs to me that it could have something to do with what she's running from. Speculation, of course, but it would be a nice tie-in.

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Friday, January 16, 2004 11:52 PM

SOUPCATCHER

I interpreted the knife to throat scene in Heart of Gold differently. It seemed to me that Inara was elbowed off a little too easily. And she didn't seem too broken up over the death of Nandi (I think that was her name) that results from her letting go of the villain. I figured that she was in complete control of that situation. Baby got rescued and Mal's one night stand got killed. Win-win all around.

The one Inara scene in all of the episodes that confuses me is at the end of Our Mrs. Reynolds. It seems very clear that Inara is admitting to Mal that she kissed him and potentially waiting for him to kiss her. The look she gives him after he makes the assumption she kissed Saffron is priceless ("You're such an ass"). Why is she willing to let Mal know at that point in time, but not later? I agree with Zachsmind that it's almost impossible to determine who is the "real" Inara. Much like Mal's almost-corny line in Trash directed at YoSafBrig (I've seen you without your clothes on but I never thought I'd see you naked). But do you think it's possible that in that one moment when she thought Mal was dead and then found out he was alive and impulsively kissed him that we see the real Inara?

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Saturday, January 17, 2004 3:49 AM

DRAKON

I did not get that Inara was not upset that Nandi died. I got the opposite.

Being a companion does mean no other "real" commitments. Very few men want a married woman, (and the ones that do, well, do you really want them for clients?) She CAN'T love Mal, and follow her chosen profession. It has nothing to do with whether Mal looks down on her job or not, it would be bad for her business.

She is selling the illusion of romance and love. And if it becomes known that she has feelings for Mal, well, she is out of a job. Even if it is not known, her "act" will be a bit off, and the client will not get what he is paying for.

I am also not sure that Mal really has a problem so much with her profession as with her social status in the verse. She is highly regarded, considered near aristocracy. Mal, a war hero, ship's captain and honest theif, has far less status in that verse.

Her profession is a fraud, and she is highly regarded. His is honest, and he ain't. So he calls her a whore, and she calls him a "petty theif. And that I think is where the real trouble lies.

There might be issues of the sex, and if there is, it occurs to me that this is probably because of the difference in upbringing. Mal grew up on a frountier planet, on a ranch. Inara grew up in an urban core world. There is an obvious tech level difference between the core worlds and frontier planets, and this would mean a difference in the availablity of birth control.

The availablity of birth control has a lot to do with how sexual morality is structured. It is not a coincidence that the feminist and gay rights movements started shortly after the advent of the Pill. Because the Pill, (along with improvements in sanitation, and disease control) significantly reduced the potential negative effects of promiscuity. Without medical and birth control technology, one has only self discipline to prevent either a raging epidemic, or hordes of bastard children that nobody wants, or will take care of. And that is where moral taboos confining sex to marriage come into play.

"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 9:26 AM

DORAN

Interesting..

I swore I wasn't going to ever tell anyone my thought on this subject just in case they were correct. My ideas are a little out there.. so forgive me.

First, we know that Inara's needle was not for suicide due to Joss' statement, though the writers could just as easily have left the inference that it was for suicide and not touched it in the future.

I do not believe it was for something as mundane as pleasure.. Inara is too good at what she does to need a needle full of artificial fun or female viagra. As we learn in the "Heart of Gold" she was the best. She could take as few or as many clients as she liked and in fact she might not even have been required to see clients at all if she had moved into guild leadership which was a very real possibility.

In "Out of Gas" there is a scene with the doctor that is easily taken at face value.. however here also we hear, from Joss in the commentary, a clue as to Inara's secret. The scene is very short but the main thing that stuck in my mind from the scene is that Inara says, "I don't want to die, at all." What this ends up meaning to me (in light of Joss' commentary) is that when Inara thinks about death she thinks, "present and future death" as if death is weighing heavily on her mind all the time.

When Inara said she wanted to leave Serenity I didn't get the feeling at all that she was leaving because Mal wasn't going to planets she wanted to visit necessarily. Instead there was more of a feeling that she was thinking of running from an attachment to Mal that she knew she could never act on. It was getting all the harder seeing that Mal was starting to have feelings too.

This is getting wordy.. anyway, Inara is running which is why she boarded Serenity in the first place. I believe if she leaves Serenity she'll be running for similar reasons; two possible reasons come to mind.

First, Inara could be terminally or at least seriously life threateningly ill. The needle could represent some life prolonging treatment.

In this scenario, she left her former station and potential leadership because she did not expect to live long enough to rise to power. Also a as companion, she spent her life studying how to please people, through skill with art, closeness, entertainment, and language. .. so Inara couldn't bare to bring the antithesis of these, heart ache, sadness, and loss, to those she loved. She ran not wanting those she had grown to love to have to see her decline.

Similarly, the more attachment that forms between she and the crew especially Mal the more likely she is to want to leave again. It would be very likely that Inara's need for money may stem from her need for expensive exotic medication. If this is the case it may explain her testiness at not visiting planets where she could earn significant moneys.

In my second scenario, I use the same clues to come up with a somewhat fantastical plot.

Inara, because of her station had contact with movers and shakers in the companion guild and by association the alliance elite. In a field of work where youth and youthful traits are sought after, it's only logical that quite a bit of research would have gone into youth drugs.. and the companion guild in cooperation with the alliance certain would have the capital for such concerns.

Inara, not wanting to die, having had to leave to the galactic boonies, and also, according to her friend in "Heart of Gold" not have seemed to age at all, one could make a case that Inara may have stolen one of these drugs from a leader.. perhaps without her knowledge. This scenario seems some what farfetched at first glance but some variation of this plot might well fit.

The first scenario is actually the one I'm leaning toward. :O)

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 11:33 AM

PHLEBOTININ

Doran,

Your "youth drug" scenario is really interesting.

But here's the thing: whether the needle Inara takes out in Serenity (not OIG, unless I'm having a brain meltdown) is (a) medication for her fatal illnuess, or (b) a youth drug to keep her young, why oh why would she be taking it out when it looks like the Reavers may be coming and thus she might die, horribly? How would the drug help then? Unless she's just taking it out to gaze at it while pondering the futility (now that Reavers may be coming) of all her drug-taking efforts to prolong her life or keep herself looking young? I don't know. That doesn't seem right to me.

Maybe the way to try to unravel the Inara mystery is to focus very specifically on why she'd be taking out the needle in possible preparation for the arrival of Reavers.

Unfortunately, I haven't any new ideas about that. Yeah, I know, pretty lame. I love reading other peoples' scenarios and speculation, though. Thanks for sharing yours.

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 1:09 PM

DORAN

"Unless she's just taking it out to gaze at it while pondering the futility (now that Reavers may be coming)..."

That's exactly it. I can't to interpret her action or inaction while pondering the hypo any other way. If it's a weapon it wouldn't be likely to be the type that could stop Reavers (and save their lives) unless by taking it or not taking it Inara might turn into the hulk which to my mind is just too strange.

A weapon would be more likely to be in the form or a virus or nerve agent. Perhaps she has some type of highly toxic agent and the hypo is a vaccine.

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 4:00 PM

SOUPCATCHER

Doran,

Wow! That 'youth serum' idea is pretty cool. I'll have to spend some time going back over dialogue to see how well the theory holds up. But a thought did pop into my head as soon as I read that.

What if the hypo she takes out in 'Serenity' reverses the effects of an anti-aging treatment? It's well known that Reavers eat the flesh of their victims. Suppose that Inara can still be killed but that her body has been infused with anti-aging agents, working along the lines of a virus, that could be transmitted to others. So the hypo will counteract that treatment, making her "normal" again, and keep whoever eats Inara from also getting the anti-aging virus.

Just thinking out loud.

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 4:25 PM

MANIACNUMBERONE

Quote:
Originally posted by ZachsMind:
Don't approach this as an attempt to prove me wrong.

....but this is what we live for.

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 5:14 PM

PHLEBOTININ

What if the serum is meant neither for Inara nor for the Reavers (in the form of a weapon)?

What if Inara was thinking of using the serum on someone else?

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 5:48 PM

TALONPEST

Both very interesting guesses Doran. As far as I know, there's nothing to contradict either of them. And I would never have thought of that youth drug thing... I keep forgetting that despite not having aliens, this is a universe where there are psychics and hot-swapable organs.

I think that had the series continued, Inara would have either given up on being a companion by choice, or else been kicked out for doing something to help the crew. She'd probably have become a bit like Saffron- a con artist. My guess is she would have left after Objects In Space, but gotten into trouble trying to pull a con on her own a few episodes later and Mal would have to come and save her. And if Joss Whedon stuck to his MO, she and Mal would probably get together and have relationship with a tragic, scarring end.

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Sunday, January 18, 2004 7:46 PM

KORASHIME

What if she wasn't sick at all? What if there is nothing wrong with her, or hasn't had anything wrong with her for hundreds of years?

Her injection is her fountain of youth.
And Inara is her current "incarnation". Sort of the same way McLeod did in Highlander.

That would explain why she chose the most unremarkable (to the 'verse at large anyway) vessel in space.

Just spitballing.

Very Respectfully
Korashime
__________________________________
http://korashime.net

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Saturday, January 24, 2004 6:44 PM

SAFFY

That raises another interesting question: What happens to companions who grow too old for the profession? Inara looks to be 28-30, which still gives her a lot of time -- or does it?

If there were a youth serum, wouldn't Nandi, an academy alumna, know about it?

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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 4:40 PM

SAMURAIX47

What I see as part of Inara's profession is a lot like the Geisha of Japan. Women trained in many artful skills, the tea ceremony, music, etc... the role of a companion for men of high socio-economic stature. They are held in high esteem. Even the name could be japanese in origin (i'll check that out with my mom).

Something else i see is that Inara has been to some of these worlds already... she already has a reputation or is known to suitors on some of these worlds. Has she been traveling on the rim for some time now? And just wanted a more reliable way of getting around instead of on the big passenger liners. She seems to have a more independent spirit that suits Serenity, and not being just one of the gals in a brothel. She may have sided with unification 6 years before but i think she wouldn't be for it now, or after being on Serenity for a season or 2 as part of her character growth in the series.

The sponge bath scene is straight out of a japanese film. Can't say which one, but i know i've seen it, possibly on some of the Japanese TV shows i watched when i lived in Hawaii and Japan.

Jaymes

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Wednesday, August 11, 2004 12:02 AM

JAYNEZTOWN

very good posts

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