Here's a much better link to explain the Oiran culture:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Oiran
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Oiran
A question about Firefly/Serenity & Traveller
- Thread starter PFVA63
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Spelling? I don't need no stinking spelling!
Another thought regarding registered companions in the 'Verse: it is interesting to me that Mal doesn't seem to share the high regard for companions. I've thought that perhaps this comes from the dual origins of the Alliance. The Alliance is supposed to be an, er, alliance, between the U.S. and China. The companion tradition in Firefly would seem to come from the oriental side of things. Mal comes from the American side, and has an attitude towards it that reflects that.
I couldn't get my sister to watch Firefly when it was on the air, but later we did watch the DVDs. She's rather an uberfeminist, and was somewhat skeptical about the whole idea of companions when I was explaining the show to her. However, when watching "Jaynestown", during the scenes where Inara is bucking up the confidence of her young client, she exclaimed "Oh, she's a sex therapist!" Ever since then she has been quite enthused about the concept of a companion.
I don't think it's so much a lack of regard for companions per se - he seemed to like the women at Heart of Gold just fine in that episode - it's more his relationship with Inara and how he thinks of her. It's touch on a bit in scenes through "Shindig". He loves her, hates what she does because of it, can't communicate it to her normally, and so it goes with the sniping. But he doesn't do it with the prostitutes who aren't companions.
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