monster wrote:Of course it does, as it affects his public image. Isn't that what we're talking about? My point is that Durandal could still manipulate the media to justify his action in front of the public regardless of his true intentions.
Guess what, so far as we know he never tried to justify the use of Requiem to anyone. That he's willing to do this so suddenly without covering his bases -is- exactly what I'm complaining about. It's exactly what makes him Zala 2.0 in my book. He's jumping to increasingly extreme measures and no longer shows any apparent interest in his public image.
You don't offer surrender by launching a fleet of warships.
That doesn't mean you ignore a diplomatic call and blast a still distant threat with your super weapon. Even if a peaceful solution seems unlikely you still give your opponents the option. Zala was also resistant to offering or considering diplomatic solutions.
Well, you don't have to compare Truman and Durandal in detail, but Durandal could make the case that he wasn't going to eliminate the entire Atlantic Federation, which is what Truman could also say about Japan, but not what Zala could say about the Atlantic Federation, or even Earth. That's the only point of comparison I'm trying to make between the three.
I imagine Truman would have justified his actions as a means to end the ongoing war above all else. I very much doubt he cared half as much about the Japanese lives that would be spared as the US solders who wouldn't die on X-Day. For both Durandal and Zala their actions indicate a similar but twisted variation. In the end they both intended to end conflict by utterly annihilating anyone who they perceived as a threat. For Patrick, this was a natural progression of his character slipping off the deep end but for Durandal this was a major shift that was artificially accelerated in the last arc.
Using a weapon of mass destruction, regardless of justification, is not the same as the intent to destroy an entire country/race/planet.
Perhaps not, but it is an incredibly overt antagonistic act that feels out of place to the character we met at the start of Destiny. The guy who repeatedly pleaded for public calm and worked tirelessly to maintain good PR.
Even Durandal's statement of dealing with Orb doesn't mean that he is going to destroy the entire country.
Once the fighting with Orb got started Durandal didn't hesitate to target Orb directly, not the fleets of ships already harassing him, but the Earth bound country instead. The biggest difference between that and Zala's final attempted shot with GENESIS is a matter of scale.
Regardless of their victory status, a conflict isn't finished as long as both sides are still willing to fight, and starting a war with Orb is a calculated risk so that Durandal could finish off his major opponents early on and then finally get around to his Destiny Plan, which he believes will ultimately break the cycle and be beneficial for all humanity, including those in the Atlantic Federation and Orb.
Orb wasn't really a threat till he gave them a reason to attack. Sure they didn't support the Destiny plan but, so what? They're a small island nation that can be easily excluded (and Scandinavia wasn't brought up outside the random name drop). If he's afraid they'd rally some kind of anti-Destiny coalition there are more effective means to counter them than giving them the chance to be the good guys.
Oh, and let's just make it clear that I'm not saying I agree with Durandal, and I do view him as a villain. I'm just saying that I don't see this sudden change you speak of where he is suddenly just Zala 2.0. Yes, he used a weapon of mass destruction, but he still could manipulate the media and give justification for his action up to that point, unlike Zala who clearly just wants to eliminate all Naturals.
Zala probably could have justified his actions to his own citizens pretty easily due to the imminent threat of nuclear annihilation. Of course he doesn't try once the crazy train he's riding hits full speed and he orders the annihilation of Earth.
Durandal likewise stops caring about justifying his actions. Once Djibril's out of the picture and the Destiny Plan is made public, he no longer feels the need to try and maintain his public image. Blast the dregs of the AF and provoke Orb into a final showdown.
Also I would point out Durandal still has good reason to care about his public image while Zala does not. Zala is in sight of his ultimate goal and once the deed is done wouldn't need to worry about anything else while Durandal still has to actually set up and maintain his Destiny Plan.
