Shepherd's Church

Lore & Background

Instead, the text focuses on Derrial Book's personal path from Henry Evans to a Shepherd. After his discharge following the IAV Alexander disaster, which involved the loss of 4,000 aboard, he was beaten by Alliance soldiers and left in a homeless shelter. It was there, while eating a bowl of soup, that he had a spiritual revelation prompting him to join the church. He trained as a Shepherd and, ten years later, left the church as a missionary. His journey led him to take passage on the transport ship Serenity, appearing in the show's pilot episode. The text also notes that prior to the 2007 Browncoat Cruise, Joss Whedon emailed actor Ron Glass specific facts about Book's past to answer fan questions.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Book's life began when he ran away from his abusive father and fell into a life of crime. He was then recruited into the Independence movement. As tensions rose between Independents and the Alliance, Evans volunteered to infiltrate the military as a spy, accepting a video transmitter implanted in his eye. After killing a man named Derrial Book and stealing his identity, he joined a law enforcement agency where his ambition attracted military attention. When war broke out, he attempted to orchestrate a simultaneous six-planet strike to end the conflict 'in one day.' This plan instead resulted in a massacre of Alliance forces, including the loss of the IAV Alexander and 4,000 people aboard. Discharged and dumped on a nearby planet by escape pod, he spent years as a homeless man until beaten by soldiers. Waking in a shelter and eating soup, he received a spiritual revelation that changed his path entirely.

Reader's Guide

Ten years after this revelation, he left as a missionary to board the Serenity.

Did You Know?

• Shepherd Book was originally named Henry Evans before he killed a man and stole his identity.
• Evans volunteered to have a video transmitter implanted in his eye to spy on the Alliance military for the Independents.
• Book's spiritual revelation occurred while he was eating a bowl of soup in a homeless shelter after being beaten by soldiers.
• The massacre at the IAV Alexander resulted in the deaths of 4,000 people aboard the starship.
• Joss Whedon personally emailed actor Ron Glass facts about Book's backstory prior to the 2007 Browncoat Cruise.