--- Dana wrote:
Even though he's more of a Dr. Who fan, my boyfriend has seen B7, and made what I thought was a good point. If the Federation had only one limiter, or only a few, why not implant it in Blake, whose violent impulses were likely to cause a lot more damage than Gan's?
The initial treatment of Blake, turning him into a loyal Federation citizen was much more thorough than just sticking a limiter in his head. The Limiter didn't stop Gan helping blow up Federation bases, rescuing Avalon, chasing after IMIPAK and Orac and attacking Control.
I suppose, after the resistance made contact with Blake, and the Feds decided to fit him up and send him to Cygnus Alpha, that they didn't imagine that Blake would escape from the London onto a blooming great battle cruiser. I mean that was all rather bad luck !
And, by the way, why did the Federation have to go to the trouble of actually conditioning kids to believe that they were molested by Blake? That would make sense if there were a well-publicized show trial, where TV clips of the tearful child victims might lead to widespread revulsion against Blake. (Although why anyone would then be deterred from political subversion because of Blake's personal failings...)
Smearing one's political opponents is a tried and tested part of the business. I agree that it is irrational to move from "Blake is a paedophile" to "Resistance to the Federation is a bad thing" but it is a move that people quite frequently. When Roger Casement was on trial for Treason, the Cabinet released his diaries which contained detailed accounts of his homosexual activities. Quite what this had to do with Casement's support for Irish independence is unknown, but it did help to ensure his conviction and ensure that pleas for mercy were more than usually muted.
But in fact, the fabricated evidence was simply input into the prosecution marble that went into the Justice Machine. Perhaps they could have fabricated evidence that didn't have inconsistencies for Tel Varon to spot if they didn't have to waste time conditioning the "victims."
I think the important line is where Varon tells Blake that the children have all been tested by lie detector. The Federation judicial process, apparently, does not need the presence of witnesses as all statements have been verified before they are entered into court. Presumably Varon would be able to challenge elements of that testimony, as Thania did in Trial, had he been aware of Havant's activities before the Trial.
Stephen.
____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie