In message 21B0197931E1D211A26E0008C79F6C4AB0CAF4@BRAMLEY, Alison Page alison_page@becta.org.uk writes
I think adding this radical pessimism to her character makes her more rounded (no pun intended) than the average SF villain of the time. Her ruthlessness isn't just an inexplicable plot device, but reflects a complete, bleak, world view.
"The human face of the Federation."
Yes, she's not just an Evil Overlord, but someone who's that way for a reason. She doesn't have the bleakness as the series opens - it develops along with the series. She's always ruthless, but I think she becomes more cynical.
I think she genuinely believes the Federation is in the right, that it's a way to stave off anarchy and decline. She's quite sincere when she can't understand why Mellanby (before she realises who he is) won't pay his fine and go home.
As it happens I'd go a bit further than that, as I think Servalan probably does think in explicit terms about these things. I think she is a bit of an intellectual, though a pragmatic one rather than a lover of ideas for their own sake. But I'd be interested to hear other people's opinions.
I think she is. My "ignore the BBC world" rationalisation for the change in her characterisation in series 4 is that by now she's become very bitter and disillusioned about the Federation. She seized power in Star One because she believed that the Federation was in imminent danger of destruction and only the military were capable of dealing with the threat. She wanted the power anyway, but her reasons for taking it at that point weren't purely selfish. Her reasons for wanting it back in Series 4 *are* selfish.