What is THE ALLIANCE?
POSTED BY: zeke023
UPDATED: Monday, January 26, 2004 14:22
VIEWED: 6051
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The Union of Allied Worlds.
Is it a representative democracy, a republic? Are there elected officials? Ambassadors exist (they keep teasing Inara that she is one and Book thinks they are serious). Ambassadors to what? Are there different governments to be Ambassadors to?
How is order maintained? How does the police force work? How do they communicate? Does the Cortex on one world connect to the Cortex on another? (this has to be the case as the warrent on simon came out over the Cortex - but then why couldn't Serenity use the Cortex to get help in 'Out of Gas'?)
What is Interpol?
How is government different on Core planets versus fronteir planets?
Was Patience an elected official or do rim planets just operate under the rule of whoever owns the land?
Help?
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Obviously without going Foxhunting we can not be sure of the answer to a lot of those questions, but I think the key to understanding the alliance is when one of the commentaries (and isn't the Fox disclaimer about how all comments etc are only personal opinions of the people involved - not Fox statements - funny!) mentioned that the Alliance is more of a corporation than a government. Imagine that the only people with the money and motivation to invest in interplanetary expansion would be businesses hoping to set up mining contracts etc. Fast forward a few hundred years, and the space corporations have grown to such a massive size with whole planets as "employees" that there are only 2 left. Joss tells us that one is an American business and one is Chinese, they then merge to form the Alliance. This is a monopoly gone mad, and without a powerfully armed Monopolies and Mergers Commision, not much could be done.
The point of all this I think is that the planetary governments that had been set up would still resemble a business hierarchy, with promotion opportunities, probably a board of managers/directors (depending on how high you go) and probably some CEO with the power of God (I wonder if his name is Book?). I'm sure there is a large amount of corruption aswell, and so it is entirely possible for people to "buy" their promotions into the position of planetary governor, or if they are not under heavy Alliance supervision then ruthlessness will win out. Elections do not seem likely in this kind of scenario, unless the candidates are elected by their bosses, rather than the public.
From what I understand of the Cortex, it is like the internet. A wireless connection can be made in some places (on a planet, in a heavily populated system) but when out in the black the signal has too far to go before it can be picked up by a relay station or similar.
Most of all, the primary motivation of the Alliance is not what is best for its citizens, but profit. In many cases this is the same thing, because the better the economy of the Alliance the better its subjects will live, but at the cost of the individuals freedom when weighed against possible profit increases. Nice eh!
Course, this is just my opinion. Anyone want to prove me wrong?
-Bob
"Live with a man for 40 years. Eat the same meals, speak with him on every subject, then tie him up and hold him over the mouth of a volcano. On that day, you will meet the man".
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I wast thinking more of the "Civil War" model that Joss puts forth.
The Alliance is like the Union. It is very business like - the reason for the civil war was all about the South and its raw materials and production (not slavery - that came later). That is a government which is very business like by nature of being a corrupt and capatalistic. However, there are still elected officials and politics - they're just not so straight and narrow.
Are there any references to politicians and such? Any references to elected officials or otherwise? hmm....
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>> Are there any references to politicians and such? Any references to elected officials or otherwise? hmm.... <<
Inara's client in "War Stories" is a 'councilor'. Council of what, who knows. The only information we can assemble is that:
1) She has her own private bodyguard hence is probably mid-level or better in some heirarchy.
2) She has enough power or influence that Inara thought there was a possibility she could help in resucing Mal and Wash.
3) She has authority to access medical equipment, apparently specialized equipment.
Very vague.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Momaw:
Inara's client in "War Stories" is a 'councilor'. Council of what, who knows.
Perhaps 'Councellor' means something in the criminal justice field? Don't they sometimes refer to lawyers as councellors?
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Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:Quote:
Originally posted by Momaw:
Inara's client in "War Stories" is a 'councilor'. Council of what, who knows.
Perhaps 'Councellor' means something in the criminal justice field? Don't they sometimes refer to lawyers as councellors?
I think it was like as in member of a council, one of the rulers of that planet. She certainly had some pull.
There is a cut scene where Inara visits the Councilor at her home. Her husband opens the door and is somewhat grouchy about visitors late at night. The Councilor is freaking because apparently, hubby does not know about his wife's other side. She figures Inara is going to blackmail her into going against Niska, who is too powerful, too well connected, and too dangerous, to go against. Either way, the councilor loses.
But Inara covers for the councilor by thanking her for the donation she made to a children's charity. Leaving hubby none the wiser.
"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"
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I think that, more than anything, the Alliance is a just a government. Its a large Federation of former nation states (worlds?) that have united for the purpose of putting an end to war. It has all the negative qualities one would expect from a government with the kind of power to approach such a lofty goal.
So far, all we've seen is Mal's particular perspective of that government and it's been mostly negative. That's pretty natural considering his experience, but there've been plenty of indications that the Alliance has more in common with the modern U.S. than with something like Nazi Germany.
A government that size leaves plenty of elbow room for evil people to do their will so we get bad people doing bad things aka the blue hands people. Just from the way Mal has dealt with some of the individual Alliance officers he's run into I think he's aware they're not all bad. I'd bet his question would be: "Is the peace and stability brought about by a large powerful government like the Alliance worth submitting to an impersonal bureaucracy that is largely indifferent to the suffering of individuals and small communities 'on the rim'?"
Regardless of its inspiration, someone has pointed out (I think it was on here somewhere) that the political situation in Firefly is not so much like the South after the U.S. civil war but really more like the American colonies might have been in the early 1800's if they'd lost the war with Britain.
SergeantX
"..and here's to all the dreamers, may our open hearts find rest." -- Nanci Griffith
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Quote:
Originally posted by Drakon:
There is a cut scene where Inara visits the Councilor at her home.
You know much, Drakon. Where is this little pearl of knowledge from? Have you seen this clip? Maybe you swept the cutting room floor?
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Quote:
Originally posted by Saint Jayne:Quote:
Originally posted by Drakon:
There is a cut scene where Inara visits the Councilor at her home.
You know much, Drakon. Where is this little pearl of knowledge from? Have you seen this clip? Maybe you swept the cutting room floor?
I had the same question. Please share, Drakon!
RIVER
Purple elephants are flying.
MAL
Good. Thanks for the update.
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