Do think bi han and nitara actually..did it
OP, I don't know why, but your blunt statement (or was it a question? Well, let's say it is) had me in stitches. I really like it, so thanks for reaching out to me!
So, did Bi-Han and Nitara bang do naughty things under the covers? To answer you honestly… part of me thinks they did, part of me thinks they didn't. But let's try to be objective, shall we? Analysis below 🤓👇 :
YES
There's those famous intro dialogues between Nitara and Scorpion, and Nitara and Omni-Man :
Scorpion: That Bi-Han works alongside you...
Nitara: I've had stranger bedfellows.
Omni-Man: What are you, Damien Darkblood's girlfriend?
Nitara: I've had stranger bedfellows.
This term, "bedfellows", was probably not chosen by NRS by chance, precisely because of its equivocality and the fact that it means 2 things:
English isn't my first language, so what I understand, but perhaps wrongly, about the first definition is that it doesn't imply that people who share a bed are necessarily romantic or sexual partners.
That being said, here's an explanation of the origin of the term, and its two meanings:
This other website gives even more context (it's very interesting!).
With that in mind, my personal interpretation is that Nitara could be using the second meaning of the word (i.e. "an associate or collaborator") when replying to Scorpion about Bi-Han, but that, to Omni-Man's question, she could be implicitly confirming that she slept with even weirder guys than Damien Darkblood himself (which is an understatement). Again, I'm not a native English speaker, so I may be approaching the problem the wrong way. In any case, I think the fact that she uses the same sentence twice to answer both is intended to confuse the player, to make them wonder about the nature of the relationship she and Bi-Han have, or might have had.
However, I decided not to leave it at that. Wanting to know whether or not Bi-han and Nitara might have exchanged a little more than an alliance in principle, I thought I'd check out the translations of these two intro dialogues in other languages. After all, NRS has confirmed that MK1's intro dialogues are canon, so… what's canon in one language… is bound to be canon in others, right?
I know Spanish, and a little Portuguese and Italian, so I opted for the corresponding dubs. As for French, it's my mother tongue, but since I always play MK games in English, I discovered the French dub while researching the subject at hand. And that I was in for a good surprise is the least I can say!
Here are the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese translations to start with:
Scorpion: Quindi Bi-Han sta lavorando al tuo fianco...
Nitara: Ho avuto alleati ben più strani.
Omni-Man: Cosa sei, sei la ragazza di Damien Darkblood?
Nitara: Ho avuto alleati ben più strani.
Scorpion: Que Bi-Han esté trabajando contigo...
Nitara: He tenido aliados más extraños.
Omni-Man: ¿Eres la novia de Damien Darkblood o qué?
Nitara: He tenido aliados más extraños.
Scorpion: Você está trabalhando com Bi-Han...
Nitara: Já tive aliados mais improváveis.
Omni-Man: O que você é, namorada do Damien Darkblood?
Nitara: Já tive aliados mais improváveis.
These are literal translations, where the words "aliados" and "alleati" obviously mean "allies". What's strange here, however, is that Nitara calls Damien Darkblood an ally, some sort of a business associate (of course, that's not really what the sentence means, but let's pretend it is, it'll be quicker) when Omni-Man sarcastically asks her if she's his girlfriend. Hence the fact that I think the English meaning that applies here to "bedfellow" is not "ally", but "lover". Well, we can imagine that the budget and specifications didn't allow the translation teams to pay for an extra line of dialogue, and that they had to overlook the play on word with "bedfellow" in the context of the game. That's why what she says to Omni-Man doesn't really make sense.
But if I've saved the French for last, it's because the best is yet to come. Here again, Nitara says exactly the same thing to Scorpion and Omni-Man… except that compared to the other 3 languages, it's not the word "ally" or one of its synonyms that has been chosen, but…
Scorpion: Le fait que Bi-Han œuvre à tes côtés...
Nitara: J'ai eu des amants plus étranges.
Omni-Man : Tu es la copine de Damien Darkblood ou quoi ?
Nitara : J'ai eu des amants plus étranges.
Kuai Liang's and Nolan's lines are accurate translations, so so far so good. As for Nitara, she uses the word "amants" to translate "bedfellows". And that's where it gets funny, because "amant" means "lover". Quite simply. So Nitara is saying that not only guys more or less the likes of Damien Darkblood, but also Bi-Han have been her lovers. Literally. Well, if this confirms that the use of the word "bedfellows" changes meaning depending on whether she's dealing with one opponent or the other, it also shows that the various translation teams got stuck with the damn word—again certainly because budget, because specifications; and probably because there's no word in any of these 4 Romance languages that could convey the double-entendre of bedfellow (at least I can't think of any in French). And, while in the 3 languages above, Nitara's response to Omni-Man is therefore inconsistent, in French it's the opposite, and there's no doubt Scorpion must have wondered if there was alcohol in the blood she drank at breakfast...
I wonder if the French dub is the only one to have favored the use of the word "amant" (after all, isn't French the language of love?) over that of "allié", or if other languages are also concerned.
But since the intro dialogues are officially canon (as I said above), it's not out of the question to think that Bi-Han and Nitara slept together… in French. That said, what my analysis shows is that this is clearly a translation error. From a canonical point of view, then, it doesn't add up, although it has to be said: between Nitara, who could seems to have dated freakier creatures than the demon Damien Darkblood; Bi-Han, who could in the near future be dating Sareena, also a demon; and Nitara, who is a vampire, there could be more than one thing in common between the latter and Mister Grumpypants. They seem to like the same type of personality (and Bi-Han, in any case, seems to appreciate strong-willed girls, femmes fatales). My conclusion is that from a purely headcanonic viewpoint, imagining them sleeping together makes sense. On the other hand, on a canonical level, it absolutely doesn't. So let's move on to the
NO
What we need to bear in mind is that, even if they've teamed up and formed a temporary alliance to serve their common interests, these two are first and foremost enemies, and warriors acting in times of war.
Bi-Han wants to conquer part of Earthrealm to establish his Lin Kuei as a new, powerful and independent nation. At this point in the story, he has become a kind of warlord who acts on his own, with no one above him to command him, but who must survive if his clan, his family, is to flourish.
As for Nitara, she's on a mission, sent by her Coven to explore the Realms and find "livestock" to exploit so that her people can resist the extinction that threatens them, no more, no less. The Vaeternians want to enslave humanity to ensure their subsistence. As Bi-Han is part of this very humanity, he is nothing more than prey for her:
Scorpion: If you would only feed on lower species...
Nitara: Humans are a lower species.
And he knows it. Nitara, for her part, knows that the prey that is Bi-Han and all the other Earthrealm and Outworld fighters will seek to get rid of her at all costs. On this subject, the cryomancer's words leave no room for interpretation:
Nitara: Vaeternus's advance will not be stopped.
Sub-Zero: I will drive a stake through its heart.
Nitara: Turn a cold shoulder, and I'll drain your warm blood.
Sub-Zero: Shao may have helped you, but I won't.
Nitara: The Arch Elder wants to sample Lin Kuei blood.
Sub-Zero: She'll get none, Nitara.
On the other hand, if she considers humans an inferior species, I suppose she'd be disgusted at the idea of having sex with any of them, even though the vampire is an erotic creature par excellence, and the Vaeternians intend to breed humans like cattle to ensure their livelihood.
And as far as Bi-Han is concerned, I don't see how such a man, who has too high an idea of his own dignity due to the education he has received and his awareness of his role in the cosmic order (he's basically an aristocrat of the spirit, an epigone of the Nietzschean superman) and refuses any form of control, could agree to satisfy his most basic needs with such a woman, who considers him an animal. Once again: he's a warrior and a warlord, and what's more, he's Chinese. No doubt he's been fed The Art of War by Sun Tzu. No doubt he knows that "the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
Subdue the ennemy without fighting? How could you do that? Well, why not through seduction and sex, among other things? I think we're getting to the heart of the matter here—for a sentimental or sexual relationship implies showing oneself vulnerable to the other. We lay yourself bare to the other person, literally and figuratively. We reveal all our most intimate secrets, fantasies and why not, kinks to them, the very ones we strive to hide from the rest of the world the rest of the time. So for these two, having an affair would simply be signing their death warrant, or committing a crime of high treason against their people. It's a very, very serious strategic error. Nitara could bleed Bi-Han dry. Bi-Han could freeze Nitara's heart. And it would all be over for one, the other or both. Or, each could sell to other enemy factions the most confidential information possible about their true-false deceived lover and true victim. This would weaken them considerably; it would condemn them to universal shame, make them easy targets, and their flock with them.
In warfare, knowing your adversary's secrets gives you enormous power over them. And Bi-Han is well aware of just that:
Sub-Zero: I've learned your secrets. Have the others?
Kenshi: Is that the Lin Kuei's new tactic? Extortion?
Sub-Zero: If your subjects learn your secret...
Mileena: You dare threaten me, Bi-Han?!
Sub-Zero: The Netherrealm must hold many secrets.
Quan Chi: None which you're ready to hear.
Sub-Zero: I don't have a twin.
Sub-Zero: Our father was a man of many secrets.
Sub-Zero: Keep your nose out of my affairs.
Peacemaker: Dude I'm gonna blow sticky green snot all over them.
In the art of war, knowing each other's secrets is indeed a powerful weapon. Bi-Han knows this. Nitara must know it too. If she has been chosen by her Coven to carry out this mission, then she must be extremely competent. And if she has collaborated with Bi-Han, she must have observed the man and got to know him and his methods. That's why neither of them could risk satisfying their sexual desire (supposing they had any) with the other, even if they wanted to, deep down. The most implacable discipline must prevail. Let's not forget that war is a profession, and as with any profession, there are rules. Eventually, the only case in which sexual relations with an opponent would be authorized would be for espionage purposes. But for that, you need spies, and subjects in the enemy camp who have no idea who they're dealing with. Not warlords, who must remain under cover, preserving themselves at all costs. As we know, Bi-Han has spies here and there:
Li Mei: I'll find your operatives in Sun Do.
Sub-Zero: They'll escape by hiding in the shadows.
Spies... these are the ones who could afford to seduce and dishonor their opponents. Here, sex is not a distraction or a pleasure to be satisfied in order to achieve happiness for oneself, for the other or for both: it is an act of violence, an act of domination, an act of conquest, an act of war, an act of supremacy.
This is why, canonically speaking, I personally believe that it's impossible for Bi-Han and Nitara to have slept together, and impossible for them to do so in the future.
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