Alison wrote:

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.

I'm not convinced Servalan's bleak world view by Rumours was necessarily present at the start of the series. She gives me the impression of being curiously innocent and almost optimistic in S1, especially. One of the nice things about the series to me is the way in which even the villains' characters are radically developed as time passes. Servalan, like most of the other main characters, gets her uniquely personal tragedy (Children of Auron) and I see this affecting her world view.

I've commented on this before, but Servalan apparently ages far more than most of the others throughout the four seasons. In SLD (S1) she could easily be 19--21; by Animals (S4) she looks more like 40. The obvious changes in dress and make-up (white to black, innocent to vamp) seem symbolic of the change in attitude.

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'd tend to agree, but just as a back-of-the-envelope feeling (says she valiantly trying to pretend that this is FC and I don't need to back up my vague feelings....)

Tavia