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Date Posted: 15:10:51 10/16/05 Sun
Author: Stake the Lurk
Subject: The Alliance made more than just one "unfortunate mistake"
In reply to: Dlgood 's message, "Re: It parallels "The Train Job" actually" on 10:07:57 10/09/05 Sun

“The story wants us to see the events on Miranda as damning and a fundamental blow to the Alliance. Some would see this as an unfortunate mistake, instead. Not as damning of the Alliance, but indicative that the Alliance is trying to do the right thing, but needs to get better at it.

Indeed, "Serenity" would have been a much better story and shown much better characterization of the operative if this had been his own conclusion.”

This an interesting question, and it points to something I’ve realized about the recording. We are generally led to believe that the Miranda disaster--the attempted mind control, the death of 30 million people, the creation of the Reavers--is the Alliance’s greatest crime and that learning about this causes the Operative to renounce the Alliance. But Miranda is not the Alliance’s only crime.

As it stands, it *might* make sense for the Operative to view this as an unfortunate mistake, but a sign that the Alliance is trying to do the right thing. But the recording implies something else. Not only did the Alliance try to control minds, not only did they kill 30 million people, not only did they create the Reavers--they covered it up. Instead of admitting to a mistake, they hid it (self-interest rather than interest of all). The Alliance could’ve used its power to clear out the Reavers straight away, but instead they’ve been denying that Reavers even exist, letting them raid the outer planets unhindered. Not exactly “making people safer.”

So, it’s not just that the Alliance made this one mistake that killed lots of people, but then they tried to cover it up, killing lots more people. And if the Operative had been successful in keeping a lid on the secret, the Alliance would have continued to allow the Reavers to massacre the border worlds. They would continued to have denied their existence. This is what crushes the Operative; even if the Alliance had good intentions on Miranda, there are no good intentions in letting the Reavers have free reign when Alliance firepower could stop them.

So, I feel the Operative’s change of heart is indeed merited. The recording not only shows the evil of good intentions, but also shows the Alliance’s cowardice in living up to its own ideals. If it really wanted to help people, it would have protected them from the Reavers. But instead it is taking no action--worse, it is trying to convince everyone that there is no Reaver problem at all. That, I think, is something even a true believer like the Operative would not find an “unfortunate but acceptable mistake.” The ideology of helping people (whether they want to be helped or not) is hollow for the Parliament, which chose not to help people but instead to allow the carnage to continue.

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