Alan's Occasional Shoot First Tendency
Intro
Alan Carter,
when left to his own devices in strange or high-stress situations,
has an occasional "shoot first and ask questions later" tendency,
either in direct or indirect actions.
In other cases, where he is not on his own,
but is asked an opinion, it may come out with
the same tone as well, in some cases.
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Comments
Note, however Alan's apparent military background
(rank: Captain),
where quick decisions away from -- or too short a time for --
command feedback can become inevitable at times,
so the trait could be from a combination of factors,
including training.
Such a tendency can be needed in many intense circumstances,
yet can make for some "rough edges" at times, however,
when he is on his own or thrust into a leadership role.
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Examples
- "The Full Circle": wants to shoot John(?)/caveman,
but his aim is deflected by Victor hitting his arm.
- "The Full Circle" (again):
wants to shoot (to kill) a cavewoman as she aims to kill Sandra,
but is stunned by John after the latter is warned (by Victor)
that "Carter's down there with a ray gun."
What Alan did not know is that the cavewoman is actually
Helena.
- "Space Brain" pre-emption discussion.
- "Space Warp": while
he is in temporary command,
a rampaging alien creature suddenly appears on Alpha,
seemingly from nowhere.
Alan orders it to be "kill[ed] on sight",
only to be warned by Helena that the
creature is an ill and delusional
Maya.
He changes his order moments before she confronts security guards,
and otherwise handles the crisis calmly.
Counter
- "Dorzak":
Alan is willing to give Sahala a chance,
despite several reasons not to, starting with...:
Sahala, seemingly unprovoked,
attacks Maya on sight.
Even though Alan's loyalty is to Maya,
(speculation follows)
perhaps he (unconsciously?) recognizes a reflection
of his own tendencies, and believes there just has
to be some reason Sahala felt she had to
staser Maya on sight.
Yet Alan's loyalties are clear,
for when Sahala later attacks a guard and grabs his stun gun,
sets it to kill, and points it (mainly) at Maya,
Alan strips the gun from her hand,
and gives her a rather stern look as she is taken away.
Yet he still continues to support her otherwise,
and Sahala is later proven correct (regarding Dorzak, not Maya).
See Also