Shepherd Book was abused as a boy, and lived on the street for a while. He wasn’t born under the name Shepherd Book, BTW. He joined up with the independence movement, and volunteered to be a spy on the Alliance. He was an officer until he led a brilliant defeat, after which he was discharged. He later lived in a monastery for a time, and became the preacher we all know:-)
TL;DR: Book’s official status within the Alliance (and therefore on his ident chip) was that of a retired Alliance commander. This would result in VIP treatment at most Alliance facilities.
I’ll outline his entire known history in the spoiler tags below. Most of this is outlined in the comic “The Shepherd’s Tale“, which is essentially Book reflecting back on his life while dying at Haven.
Early Life
Originally named Henry Evans, the man we know as Derrial Book was born on a border planet to an abusive father. At the age of ten, he ran away from home and became adept at survival on the streets. He eventually garnered some reputation as a thief & criminal, but ended up joining the growing Independence Movement.
Life as a Browncoat
In the four years before his Alliance assignment, Evans quickly became known for his vicious skills in combat – easily (and brutally) taking down entire squads of Alliance soldiers during missions. When the Browncoats began looking for a long-term operative who could infiltrate the Alliance military as a double agent, Evans volunteered. He needed a new identity, so he murdered a random citizen named Derrial Book and took that name as his own.
Life in the Alliance
Once in the Alliance, Book began a “meteoric” rise through the ranks. He was seen as totally committed to the cause and earned a reputation for using savage tactics against the Browncoats, quickly becoming known as a master interrogator. Because of his rising rank & influence, Book found himself increasingly able to both damage the Alliance plans as well as cover up losses or information leaks. He quickly became a vital asset for the Browncoats, but also one of their most guarded secrets.
Retirement
Book eventually found himself in command (or perhaps XO) of the IAV Cortez, an Alliance cruiser which oversaw an operation intended to end the Unification War in a single stroke. Book himself was in charge of the operation, which involved committing massive resources into striking multiple targets at once. Due to Book’s involvement, however, the operation was actually a huge ambush. Numerous forces were lost, including the total destruction of the IAV Alexander and all 4000 crew. Considered one of the largest defeats in Alliance history, the entire operation was swept under the rug and Derrial Book was quietly discharged from Alliance service.
Life at the Abbey
With the Independent Movement crushed soon after, Book wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He wandered the outer territories, weary of his life and drowning his sorrows in alcohol. At one point, he finds himself at a church and comes to see religion as a way to atone for the many people he had killed throughout his life. It apparently worked, as he eventually ended up at theSouthdown Abbey on Persephone. Book finally found peace tending the Abbey’s garden, but knew he couldn’t stay there indefinitely.
Life on Serenity
After an unknown amount of time at the Abbey (but presumably several years), Book decided to leave and get back out into the galaxy. The Abbey had access to the Cortex, and Book had tired of watching others suffer along the rim. He announced his intention to carry the Lord’s message out to others, and this leads us directly to his introduction in S01E01 “Serenity”.
As for your specific question, his ident chip reflected his official status with the Alliance – a retired Captain or Commander. Especially in a medical situation like that, a status like that would require any Alliance officer to render immediate assistance.
Henry Evans had a troubled childhood and was a criminal for a time before enlisting with the independence movement. As a member of The Independence he volunteered to spy on The Alliance. He killed a man named Derrial Book assumed his identity to enlisted in the Alliance Military. While still working as a spy for The Independence he quickly worked up the Alliance ranks to become a prominent officer. At a key point during the war he intentionally lost a major battle dealing a crushing blow to the alliance and leading to him being discharged. This loss was so crushing that the alliance made a point to wipe all record of it out. Meaning on paper shepherd Book is nothing but a retired prominent Alliance officer. After being discharged he “found god in a bowl of soup” while at a soup kitchen and decided to join an Abby. He eventually left and ended up boarding Serenity.
Biography
To the crew of Serenity, Derrial Book’s past was a mystery. He indicated early on that he was a shepherd who had been living in theSouthdown Abbey and that he never married.[1] In truth, “Derrial” was not even the shepherd’s real name, but rather the name of a man he had killed.
Book, whose birth name was Henry Evans, lived as a young boy in dread of his highly abusive father. He would listen to music to take himself to a peaceful place in his mind, only to be beaten. He finally chose to leave home, but after ten years had merely established himself as a successful thief, adept at avoiding law enforcement. He was then recruited by the Independence Movement, a representative of which having been impressed at his excellent combat potential. In four years he honed his fighting skills, easily defeating heavily-armed federal agents singlehandedly. Evans was not known among his Independence peers to attend their meetings, but he showed up for one and there he volunteered to take part in a highly-sensitive mole operation. Since the Independence organizers had learned that the Alliancewas creating warships, they plotted to plant a long-term mole to rise through the ranks of the Alliance and subvert them at every turn. Henry’s left eye was extracted and replaced with a biorobotic camera and transmitter, which would provide excellent surveillance. To join the Alliance, he needed a new identity. So he lured an unsuspecting young man named Derrial Book into an alley, murdered him with a garrote, and took on this name permanently.
In four short years, he orchestrated a “meteoric” rise through the Alliance ranks and was selected for the officer corps from the law enforcement on Jiangyin. He utilized brutal beatings on captured Independence members—men and women alike—which impressed his superiors. After six years, he was an officer aboard the I.A.V. Cortez, where he directed the final movement of an Alliance operation to ambush Independence transports on a massive scale: six installations on different planets and at least one space-borne transport convoy were raided by Alliance forces at the same moment, but each was ambushed. It was the “single greatest disaster in Alliance history”. The most prominent loss was the destruction of the I.A.V. Alexander and the loss of all 4,000 souls aboard; elsewhere, about 300 soldiers were captured. Book was immediately discharged without trial and thrown into an escape vessel in disgrace.
He lived as a derelict for six years after until he experienced an epiphany about his place in the universe while staring into a bowl of chicken soup. He was suddenly seized with purpose, and joined the Southdown Abbeywhere he remained for a decade, until he finally chose to leave the abbey—on good terms and with encouragement—and become a missionary. He then joined the crew of Serenity.
Book frequently made references to Christian theology and consulted and quoted the Bible. But Book later expressed concern that he was being corrupted by living on Serenity and he left the ship[5] and moved to the planet Haven. There he was killed by an Alliance soldier sent to destroy Haven after Serenity managed 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 shot down the A.V.-Sparrow that attacked the settlement.After taking down the ship, Mal told Book that he did the right thing, to which Book replied, “Coming from you, that means almost nothing.”
“I don’t care what you believe. Just believe it!”~ Book’s dying words to Mal
well, I suppose you do, since you already know what I’m about tot say.
Love. You can learn all the math in the ‘verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don’t love, she’ll shake you off just as sue as the turn of the worlds.
Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down, tells you she’s hurting before she keels.
Grave of the Unknown Prospector
On To The Golden Hills
— RIP —
On this site is the grave of the unknown prospector. A reminder of the great sacrifices made by our ancestors, who explored and settled the western frontier, and especially to the memory of each and all of the pioneers of Mono County, whose resting place is known only to God. May they rest in peace.
Erected 2003 by E Clampus Vitus, Bodie Chapter No. 64.
Location. 37° 53.2′ N, 119° 5.403′ W. Marker is near Lee Vining, California, in Mono County. Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 120 and State Highway 395/120 on State Highway 120. Click for map. The marker is approximately 5 miles south of Lee Vining. Marker is in this post office area: Lee Vining CA 93541, United States of America.
Meng said, A man is willing a home for Her, A woman is willing a family for Him. First line of the poem, indicates the man, talking about the home. Second and third line talk about the way of the couple.
An image of the wedding ceremony, a new couple walk through the red carpet. Taoyao, just like the nowaday’s Wedding March, describes the wish to the new marriage.
这首名为《Streets of London》(伦敦街头)的歌,写的是伦敦街头的老人,以及歌手对老人的悲悯情怀,苍凉的画面、忧郁的吉他声,安抚着无数落寞的心。不知道几十年后我们不再年轻,那时回想起来会是何种心情,是否像歌里唱得那样,当繁华落尽,等待我们的将会是什么。雨带着一点怜悯在哭泣,为不止一个被忘却的英雄和不在乎他们的世界……
Ralph McTell – Streets of London 倫敦的街道
Sprial Staircase
Have you seen the old man
你可曾见过那么老的一个人
In the closed down market
在市场打烊后
Kicking up the papers with his worn out shoes
拖着他破烂了的鞋子踢着被丢弃的报纸
In his eyes you see no pride
在他的眼睛里你看不到自豪的神采
Hands held loosely at his side
双手散漫的垂在身旁
Yesterday’s paper, telling yesterday’s news
过期的报纸上,写着过期的故事
So how can you tell me you’re lonely
你怎么能告诉我你是孤独的呢
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
说太阳都不肯为你散发光亮
Let me take you by the hand
让我牵着你的手
And lead you through the streets of London
带着你走过伦敦的街头吧
I’ll show you something
让你看看那儿发生的事情
To make you change your mind
它们会把你来改变
Have you seen the old girl
你可见过那年华不再的女子
Who walks the streets of London
姗姗走过伦敦的街头
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags
披着她灰脏的头发和碎破的衣服
She’s no time for talking
她没有空儿停下来聊点什么
She just keeps right on walking
就只是一劲儿向前走着
Carrying her home in two carrier bags
带着两只旅行包,那是她的全部家当
So how can you tell me you’re lonely
所以你怎么能告诉我你是孤独的呢
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
说连太阳都不肯把你照耀
Let me take you by the hand
让我牵着你的手
And lead you through the streets of London
带着你走过伦敦的街头吧
I’ll show you something
让你看看那儿发生的事情
To make you change your mind
它们会把你来改变
In the old night cafe at a quarter past eleven
十一点一刻,古旧的咖啡夜店里
The same old man sitting there on his own
还是那同一个老人独自坐在那儿
Looking at the world over the rim of his teacup
越过他茶杯的边缘看着这个世界
Each tea lasts an hour, and he wanders home alone
每一杯他都会喝一个小时,然后拖着孤独的脚步回家去
Have you seen the old man
你见过那些老去的男人们吗
Outside the seaman’s mission
他们结束了海上的漂泊使命
Memory fading with the minor ribands that he wears
记忆和他佩戴的缎带一起慢慢褪色
In our winter city the rain cries little pity
在这个城市的冬季,细雨呜咽出辛酸的惋惜
For one more forgotten hero
为着被遗忘的英雄
And a world which doesn’t care
和这毫不为此牵挂的世界
So how can you tell me you’re lonely
所以你怎么能告诉我你是孤独的呢
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
说连太阳都不肯把你照耀
Let me take you by the hand
让我牵着你的手
And lead you through the streets of London
带着你走过伦敦的街头吧
I’ll show you something
让你看看那儿发生的事情
To make you change your mind
它们会把你来改变