Inara's Secret Speculation

[Xander]

Okay so you don't go from being a respected companion who is having her fair of clients and living on an inner planet to lodging with criminals on Serenity without a reason. What do you think Inara's big secret is, the reason she chose to board Serenity and run away almost.

It can't be something criminal because she is still a registered companion, so more likely its is to do with emotional pain. Some people have suggested its connected to her line in 'Out of Gas', which was "I don't ever want to die." Perhaps someone close (her mother?) died and she just couldn't cope? I dunno, just wanted to start some talk on the lovely Inara.

[StuckinTraffic]

Not a clue, but I've wondered about that myself. Nandi kind of lets out that she was well-respected in her House and that it was a shock when she gave it up. That points to some tragic event in her life, imo. What that event was is a mystery to me. As far as I can tell, there haven't been that many clues. Just the comment she made to Book about wanting to see the 'verse, and the one you mention, Xander.

[Lyri]

in my opinion it's got something to do with the training house. Nandi mentioned that Inara could have gone on to run the training house, until she left, so maybe something happened there that she didn't want to be reminded of, but then changed her mind when she decided she needed to be away from Mal?

[StuckinTraffic]

in my opinion it's got something to do with the training house. Nandi mentioned that Inara could have gone on to run the training house, until she left, so maybe something happened there that she didn't want to be reminded ofThat's possible. Could have been the death of someone she cared deeply for, or....and this is my own personal theory....when she was in training, she fell in love with one of the trainers.

[Lyri]

she fell in love with one of the trainers.
but aren't the trainers supposed to be women?
i was thinking of something like a client that went too far?

[StuckinTraffic]

but aren't the trainers supposed to be women?
i was thinking of something like a client that went too far?I don't know, are they? Still, no reason she couldn't have fallen in love with a woman, either. You're right, could have been a client that went too far, too. I didn't think about that.

[Xander]

But how do you mean, the client went too far or Inara did? Because if the client went too far sure it'd be upsetting for Inara but he would just be blacklisted, and maybe even the Alliance would get on his tail depending on how bad he was.

[JollyApe]

Personally I think it's got something to do with the fact that she doesn't seem to want to die at all. And she seems so much older than she's supposed to be so I think it might have something to do with that.

Somehow she's kept from dieing? And if she hadn't left people might ahve started to wonder why she didn't age.

I think there was some sorta line in Heart of Gold as well, when Nandie said she didn't look a day older or something to that extent.

[buffhead]

It could be something to that effect, but it could also just be cus she got bored and wanted a change. Maybe she just wanted to have a wider range of clients, or she wanted to travel, or something. I dont know, Im not sure. But maybe, someday we will find out.

[Kindred]

Personally I think it's got something to do with the fact that she doesn't seem to want to die at all. And she seems so much older than she's supposed to be so I think it might have something to do with that.

Somehow she's kept from dieing? And if she hadn't left people might ahve started to wonder why she didn't age.

I think there was some sorta line in Heart of Gold as well, when Nandie said she didn't look a day older or something to that extent.

This is along the lines of what I've always thought, either because she has some sort of disease or is significantly older than she looks.

On the disease angle, there's the syringe (which could be medicinal) and her commenting to Simon that she doesn't ever want to die. Not just as a comment though, it seems to have some weight to it. And she had that prolonged doctors visit in Ariel, which could or could not be just an "annual physical".

Thoerizing that Inara has either prolonged her life or doesn't age are a few hints: Again, her comment to Simon and the syringe which could be some sort of drug. When she meets Nandi and they embrace, Inara greets her as "Mei Mei" (little sister), and don't get me wrong, Melinda Clark is a beautiful woman, but Morena Baccarin seems a bit more youthful to me. Back that up with Nandi telling Inara that she looks exactly the same. Maybe this is just a nicety, or maybe it's something more significant, a hint. Also, there's mention of companions having to train for years and Inara was on track to become priestess, right? Well, how many years would it take for one to really become proficient? I have no idea. And perhaps this is reaching, but in the pilot there are a few times when Inara is frozen but the dialogue continues, specifically when her client asks her about her past. Maybe this signifies her existing or living outside of normal time, or maybe it's just pretty.

Excuse my hypothesizing.

[Xander]

Some nice ideas there Kindred, something I had never thought about. But why would she want to live forever, a simple fear of growing old? I dunno, I'll ponder over it.

Best be a sequel, we need to know your secret Inara!

[Kryptonite]

wow. these theories are great. i never even thought about anything like this before. it does make sense that she wouldnt be ageing (sp?) but i do think if that was really the case, joss would have pushed for that to be shown more

[Allycat]

I dunno akasha_sXe... Joss never made any efforts to really tell Book's story! I think this "not aging"-theory is a good one!

[Anita Blake]

Joss always starts planning things, surprises and the such way ahead of the time. He definitely lays out the show before hand, like in BTVS at the end of season 3 when Buffy has the dream with Faith in it and she says "little Miss Muffet counting down 7-6-0" or something like that. Then that many days later, Buffy jumps off the tower at the end of season 5 and dies. Or Like in the first season of BTVS before you find out Angel is a vamp, there are all those little clues, but you don't really notice them until you know that he's a vamp and watch them again.

I think that eventually things would've happened on Firefly if it had been allowed to continue and we would've gone "Oh, that makes sense." But I guess Joss, just dropped them for the movie. 'Cause Book never got to tell us his secret, and there were no really secretive weird comments from Inara.

We need to go to the alternate universe where Firefly is still on the air. And where people juggle chickens.

[Black Eye Guy]

I found this in the
'[Whedonesque] New Firefly and Serenity cast UK convention transcripts' It is one of the transcripts:

Q – In the Pilot when the Reaver ship appears and they are all preparing themselves Inara has a box with a hypodermic needle in it – the implication is strongly that it is a suicide kit but Joss expressly says in the commentary that it is not – what was your feeling that it was?

Morena – I know what it was.

Nathan – Me too. Do you know what it was? (To Summer)

Summer – Yes.

Nathan – We all told her what it was but we’re not allowed to tell you.

Morena – I can’t tell you. It’s not a suicide thing. It’s much worse than that.

Summer – So super cool.

Morena – It’s super cool and super disgusting and sad.

Nathan – and totally awesome and top secret.

Morena – Use your imagination.

Nathan – I’ll tell you what I’ll call Joss Whedon and see if we can tell you and then I’ll put it on the internet.

Summer – Smart question.

(Ed’s Note: At a writer’s conference last autumn Tim Minear apparently revealed the purpose of the syringe. It was filled with a toxin which when injected into a person has no harmful effects on them but would kill anyone who had sex with that person. The plan apparently had been to have a very dark episode late in the first season of Firefly in which Inara would have been attacked and raped by Reavers and would have survived through her use of the syringe).

If thats true that would have been a really dark episode!!

[Wicked]

wow, why would she even have something like that? bit of a drastic precaution.

[Black Eye Guy]

But it does make sense that she would have it, in her line of work!

[Wicked]

true. just seems really drastic. thnk something like saffrons lipstick would be easier. inara doesnt seem like the killing type.

[Lyri]

true. just seems really drastic. thnk something like saffrons lipstick would be easier. inara doesnt seem like the killing type.
no, Inara doesn't seem the type to kill people...but you have to remember that we're talking about Reavers! they aren't people. i think anyone, even Inara, would resort to murder rather than being raped to death by these creatures.
i would have loved to have seen this ep, if only to answer the question that is now buzzing around my head after reading this...does this serum, or whatever it is, wear off? or, once injected into your system, does it become a perment part of you? 'cause that would really screw up Mal and Inara's relationship!

[Xander]

I'd imagine it would wear off, or she'd be able to get an antitode. It would really screw up her profession but maybe that would have been Joss' intention, as a way of her having to completly change her life. Similar to Giles in season four.