FIREFLY EPISODE DISCUSSIONS

Inara / BDM

POSTED BY: WYTCHCROFT
UPDATED: Sunday, February 24, 2008 10:51
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Monday, February 4, 2008 3:10 AM

WYTCHCROFT


there's already been plenty of useful posts from people about Inara and her moon -
but everytime i watcht he out-takes from the BDM i get a different feeling about things -
e.g. was Inara trying to set up her own establishment? a sort of Guild for the rim?
would the sihnon based Guild stand for this - or are they purely Core oriented?
Nandi's backwater home would seem to indicate a lack of interest in the further worlds. But post BDM? i suspect the guild may have a desire to expand./strengthen.
Maybe Book wasn't a Shepherd
and Maybe Inara's invaded moon didn't belong to the Guild... but i think there would be reactions from both...

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Monday, February 4, 2008 6:52 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Inara and Sheydra were trained Companions, Inara still a member of the Guild in good standing, didn't see anything indicating Sheydra wasn't the same.

Registered Companions retained status throughout the verse.

Sheydra established Training House, but the pupils where not of the caliber needed for Registered Companions - Inara said they had no discipline, she was trained since early childhood, and these trainees were far too old for full training.

Don't see any reason the events of BDM would change anything regarding the Guild.

I didn't see anything stating Madrassa House on Sihnon was the sole authorized House in the verse.

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Monday, February 4, 2008 7:45 PM

PLATONIST


That would be an interesting twist, wytchcroft.

I've always assumed the Training House shown in the BDM was a satellite house, established to expand the Guild, on the rim, but still Guild regulated.

In Those Left Behind, Inara says something about needing to get to her "duties", as Mal is not taking her. Meaning? That she had been offered a teaching position at a newly established house to train potential Companions to survive away from the core, as she did on Serenity, with mixed results. Which begs the question, can or can she NOT even return to Shinon?

And, how come the Operative was able to coerce her into setting a trap for Serenity if we are to believe Companions have a high cultural status? She seemed powerless in denying the Operative, and after she escaped the Operative is shown having tea! The Guild may have political power within the Alliance, but it doesn't seem to be extended to their individual members.

It just reeks of blatant inconsistency with her role and character, no wonder why Joss left it to the DVD deletes.







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Wednesday, February 6, 2008 3:25 AM

WYTCHCROFT


Quote:

Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Inara and Sheydra were trained Companions, Inara still a member of the Guild in good standing,



well - that's debatable given dialoge in both the pilot and Bushwacked.

Quote:

Sheydra established Training House,
but the pupils where not of the caliber needed for Registered Companions - Inara said they had no discipline, she was trained since early childhood, and these trainees were far too old for full training.



right - so who were they? The Guild trains from a young age - if Sheydra set up a training house in the rim then does she pay dues to the guild in the core? What makes this any different from Nandi's house of women?? Are there rival guilds etc.

OR - if too old for 'FULL' training perhaps (as with Geisha) there are differing types of companion... but watching the training footage - i aint convinced.

The more i look - the muddier it gets:)


Platonist, you seem to me to hit several nails on the head!:) There's a lot of intriguing and frustrating questions... also: did the Guild tell the Operative where Inara was? are they culpable in whatever damage the SWAT team did? etc

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Wednesday, February 6, 2008 8:26 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by wytchcroft:
Quote:

Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Inara and Sheydra were trained Companions, Inara still a member of the Guild in good standing,



well - that's debatable given dialoge in both the pilot and Bushwacked.


Which dialogue? What disputes she is still a Registered Companion? In TTJ, The Sheriff checked several times her papers and documents - if she was no longer a RC, would they not have found out before releasing their catch (Mal & Zoe) to her? All of the episodes have her status as RC repeated - are you saying she is lying to everybody, she is no longer a RC? She gets appointments from her Registry status in the Guild - that's how her "respectable clients" find her. Are you saying this is all fabrication?
Quote:


Quote:

Sheydra established Training House,
but the pupils where not of the caliber needed for Registered Companions - Inara said they had no discipline, she was trained since early childhood, and these trainees were far too old for full training.



right - so who were they? The Guild trains from a young age - if Sheydra set up a training house in the rim then does she pay dues to the guild in the core? What makes this any different from Nandi's house of women?? Are there rival guilds etc.

OR - if too old for 'FULL' training perhaps (as with Geisha) there are differing types of companion... but watching the training footage - i aint convinced.

The more i look - the muddier it gets:)


Platonist, you seem to me to hit several nails on the head!:) There's a lot of intriguing and frustrating questions... also: did the Guild tell the Operative where Inara was? are they culpable in whatever damage the SWAT team did? etc



She is registered, and she is a business. When the Operative finds her, it is as simple as looking up the address of your neighborhood business.

Nandi has no Guild affiliation, and she seems to desire none.
Sheydra may be trying to start one up - one must start someplace. Not all trainees will continue on - even where Inara trained. There will still be training available to those who pay, even if they do not intend to become RCs. Sheydra's could be similar to a RC prep school, or any lesser non-affiliated training - regardless, having 2 RCs raises the esteem of any training facility, moreso on the rim.

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Thursday, February 7, 2008 12:19 AM

WYTCHCROFT


Quote:

Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Quote:

Originally posted by wytchcroft:
Quote:

Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Inara and Sheydra were trained Companions, Inara still a member of the Guild in good standing,



well - that's debatable given dialoge in both the pilot and Bushwacked.


Which dialogue? What disputes she is still a Registered Companion? In TTJ, The Sheriff checked several times her papers and documents - if she was no longer a RC, would they not have found out before releasing their catch (Mal & Zoe) to her? All of the episodes have her status as RC repeated - are you saying she is lying to everybody, she is no longer a RC? She gets appointments from her Registry status in the Guild - that's how her "respectable clients" find her. Are you saying this is all fabrication?





NO no no. just wondering as to her standing with the guild - no way do i doubt her Companion status.

as to hints in the tv show - well, is she "running" from something or not? why does she truck around in the rim when the best work would be in the core... when she could have been 'high priestess' (apparently) even?






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Thursday, February 7, 2008 8:49 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Running from one individual House would not end her membership, right? Being a Registered Companion means being in the Guild, right? She would still be free to associate with any House.
Since no man is allowed to run a House, surely this bitchy catfighting happens a bunch among RCs.

Where she not in the Guild, her comments in Shindig about blackmarking Atherton among all Registered Companions would have little meaning.

Not disagreeing regarding her "running" or not, just that it should not affect her Registered status.

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Friday, February 8, 2008 12:16 AM

WYTCHCROFT


Quote:

Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
[B}

Not disagreeing regarding her "running" or not, just that it should not affect her Registered status.



that is really interesting!:)
thanks - you've made me consider guild structures (independent houses for example)and licensing issues i might well have pushed to one side.


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Friday, February 8, 2008 1:28 AM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


An undercurrent of idea I detect is that it would somehow be less lucrative as an independently available RC compared to in House. Although she was reportedly very sought after in the Madrassa House, in a business sense that's not the best way to rake in the most dough.

Think about it - you're in a House with mutlitudes of other RCs. This is not like hookers today - they are not hard to find - but the House would be more inconvenient for most of the verse. An independent, on the other hand can go anywhere, choose anybody on hundreds of planets and moons, effectively without competition - while the Housemates are certainly in0-Houose competition. A reasonably scheduled and dependable travel craft would surely be more profitable.
Really, the only downside is that Mal has to avoid civilized places while on the run with the Tams. Otherwise I wold think Inara being the independent contractor would be more lucrative.

The guild status of Inara and Sheydra should not be affected - not sure about Nandi, if Nandi cared. On Nandi's planet, the house was run by a man which she ran off - this is against guild law, and laws of the Alliance for RCs - so Heart of Gold was clearly not set up to be for RCs.

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Friday, February 8, 2008 2:45 PM

TRAVELER


There may be other types of training in the Guild. There may be more occupations than just Registered Companions in the Guild.

There may be other types of careers a person could go into depending on the education you get in the Guild.

It can also be like a convent where you go to live a spiritual life. I got the impression Inara was not a practicing Companion anymore. She was just a teacher.


http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Sunday, February 10, 2008 10:22 PM

ASARIAN


Quote:

Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:

An undercurrent of idea I detect is that it would somehow be less lucrative as an independently available RC compared to in House. Although she was reportedly very sought after in the Madrassa House, in a business sense that's not the best way to rake in the most dough.

Think about it - you're in a House with mutlitudes of other RCs. This is not like hookers today - they are not hard to find - but the House would be more inconvenient for most of the verse. An independent, on the other hand can go anywhere, choose anybody on hundreds of planets and moons, effectively without competition - while the Housemates are certainly in-House competition.


Indeed. Furthermore, I think there's nothing unusual about Inara's travels. Magistrate Higgins wasn't surprised to see Inara operate 'out of office'; not Atherton; nor Sheriff Bourne; nor the young pale guy that says, "If you've selected my proposal to hear, the honor that you do me flatters my.., honor." Rather, everything about their demeanour indicates that it's quite common for them to 'commission' Companions off-world, instead of visiting them in-house. If anything, Companions function more like call-girls. I reckon that, like a Geisha, young Companions join a Guild House, where they live, especially during their apprenticeship. This House organizes their training and work schedules, and is the point of contact for customers. However, successful, experienced Companions can choose to go off on their own, much as Inara chose to leave Sihnon, and work independently.


--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

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Monday, February 18, 2008 10:26 AM

HISTORYPHIL


Is the Guild a mega corporation like Blue Sun that essentially controls every aspect of their employees’ lives? In which case Inara is an employee of the Guild and each of the Houses is just a branch office of the Guild, or at best a franchise of the Guild.
Or is the Guild more like a regulatory body that sets ethical guidelines, and training standards for licensing (i.e. Registered Companion)? If that is the case then Inara is an independent businesswoman and each of the Houses is an independent business establishment.
It seems to me that the Guild as regulatory body better fits what we see in Firefly. Inara is free to go where she wants, accept or reject any client, take a job at any House, or even establish a House of her own. As long as she abides by the rules of the Guild neither her status as an RC nor her standing within the Guild is jeopardized.


Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.

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Monday, February 18, 2008 10:47 AM

OUT2THEBLACK


Quote:

Originally posted by HistoryPhil:


Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.



If that's your signature , HistoryPhil , it's high-larious !

That's so funny , I've gotta steal it for my own , occasional personal use...

One more thing...Introduce yourself somewhere , so you can have a proper Welcome !

Love meetin' the new folk...What's yer interestin' story ?

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Sunday, February 24, 2008 10:51 AM

WORLDOFHIGLET


These are really interesting points. The whole business with Inara/Companions is, IMO, designed to make people think about these issues. Me, I thought she trucked around with the scoundrels because she was in love with Mal, but I'm probably just a hopeless romantic!

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