Alphas- SyFy Original Series

[Ahriman238]

So, I'm thinking the next season starts with Rosen in prison and the team scattered to the four winds. Possibly with a little kids voiceover reminiscing about 'the day everything changed' and showing footage of Rosen's reveal. Agent Sullivan will after some months convince her government masters either that they really need Rosen or that there's really no way he could screw up even more, and he is released and allowed to put back together his team and 'redeem himself' under far stricter control.

Possibly they will even assign a more compliant pet Alpha to his team. Meanwhile, Red Flag is more dangerous than ever before with all the moderates and dissenters removed, and able to cope better with the public reveal than the government.

[CaptainChewbacca]

The thing is, now that things are out in the open the government can't do as much direct action. Now that the secret is out, corporations can try and make money, and lawyers can try and score political points. I can picture the ACLU defending the right of another hyperkinetic Alpha to play golf or basketball, meanwhile some software manufacturer is offering any alpha with proven mathematical abilities a $1 million signing bonus.

Alphas aren't all moody loners and misfits, they're mothers, fathers, even grandfathers (in Brent Spinner's case). I doubt Rosen could go to Prison, because every news network wants to talk to him and the government would actually have to charge him with something.

[Alkaloid]

I can picture the ACLU defending the right of another hyperkinetic Alpha to play golf or basketball

Christ, can you imagine the field day they would have with Binghamton. Granted, there are some nasty people in there who should be in prison, but I never heard anything about a trial, and a whole bunch of people seemed to be locked up because they were potentially dangerous, not because of anything they actually did.

Agent Sullivan will after some months convince her government masters either that they really need Rosen or that there's really no way he could screw up even more, and he is released and allowed to put back together his team and 'redeem himself' under far stricter control.

Unlikely. What would he be in prison for. Yeah, the government would want to shut him up, but he revealed to the public that not only is the government locking people up for unspecified reasons, but also the identities of several congressman who were influential in the program. There are likely quite a few influential people who might like to know where he is if he suddenly vanishes. And its unlikely Sullivan will go into bat for him. She is a nasty piece of work, and frankly, I doubt the raid was botched that badly by accident. Clay is more likely to try to get him back in charge.

[Ahriman238]

I can picture the ACLU defending the right of another hyperkinetic Alpha to play golf or basketball

Christ, can you imagine the field day they would have with Binghamton. Granted, there are some nasty people in there who should be in prison, but I never heard anything about a trial, and a whole bunch of people seemed to be locked up because they were potentially dangerous, not because of anything they actually did.

They were put their because their powers and personalities made them a danger to society. ie the kid who can start flash-riots and doesn't mind using his power, or the serial killing soccer mom.

If they aren't psychopaths and/or have dangerous powers they can't control, the Alphas get to live out their normal lives. Though all the Alphas we've met so far have had some form of mental disturbance or disability, not all of them have crippling ones.

Agent Sullivan will after some months convince her government masters either that they really need Rosen or that there's really no way he could screw up even more, and he is released and allowed to put back together his team and 'redeem himself' under far stricter control.

Unlikely. What would he be in prison for. Yeah, the government would want to shut him up, but he revealed to the public that not only is the government locking people up for unspecified reasons, but also the identities of several congressman who were influential in the program. There are likely quite a few influential people who might like to know where he is if he suddenly vanishes. And its unlikely Sullivan will go into bat for him. She is a nasty piece of work, and frankly, I doubt the raid was botched that badly by accident. Clay is more likely to try to get him back in charge.

Unlike England, there is no OSA laws here in the US, so state secrets tend to get... complicated. There is a law, the Espionage Act of 1917, and the Sedition Act of 1918 amendment, but large parts of it have struck as unconstitutional. So mostly, people brought in on government secrets sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) sort of like a contract between that individual and the government in which they promise not to tell the secret, and recognize the government's right to criminally prosecute them if they do.

I'm willing to bet a man as deep into state secrets as Dr. Rosen has put his name on at least three of these. And while it may be politically unfeasible to 'disappear' the man who publically announced the government is disappearing people. I can absolutely see them sticking him in a cell for a month or two while they try and decide what to do about him and the public revelation.

For that matter, I see people being very divided over whether or not the whole thing is a hoax. I'm sure if Dr. Rosen's transmission went off in RL, there'd be a thread here within the hour.

[Alkaloid]

They were put their because their powers and personalities made them a danger to society. ie the kid who can start flash-riots and doesn't mind using his power, or the serial killing soccer mom.

If they aren't psychopaths and/or have dangerous powers they can't control, the Alphas get to live out their normal lives. Though all the Alphas we've met so far have had some form of mental disturbance or disability, not all of them have crippling ones.

Yeah, some of them are bad people who need a specialised prison. That doesn't mean they don't get trials.

I agree most we have seen should be there. Except for the tech one, whos major crime seemed to be she didn't want to work for the NSA anymore. and the one who could tell when people were lying. And its been pretty heavily hinted that they are being experimented on.

I'm willing to bet a man as deep into state secrets as Dr. Rosen has put his name on at least three of these.

I agree. Do NDAs still apply if what you agreeing not to disclose is blatantly illegal?

[Ahriman238]

I agree most we have seen should be there. Except for the tech one, whos major crime seemed to be she didn't want to work for the NSA anymore. and the one who could tell when people were lying. And its been pretty heavily hinted that they are being experimented on.

Skylar's 'crime' was working for the NSA, then exchanging heavily encrypted messages with someone the NSA could not identify. Thus leading them to suspect epionage/treason. Skylar didn't just explain herself because she was afraid of the government taking and using her daughter. Whether or not this fear was valid, we'll never know. But as a mother, it was her choice to make.

Well, I suppose breaking into NSA headquarters and destroying the thing she built for them was also a crime.

I agree. Do NDAs still apply if what you agreeing not to disclose is blatantly illegal?

It's a very grey area, and one the courts/government are not interested in definitively settling one way or the other. You might get off, you might not, it really depends on the judge you get. However, there is a very strong bias in favor of 'yes, it absolutely still counts.

EDIT: Punctuation errors.

[Alkaloid]

Whether or not this fear was valid, we'll never know

I suspect we will find out.

It's a very grey area, and one the courts/government are not interested in definitively settling one way or the other

How wonderfully helpful of them.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I agree. Do NDAs still apply if what you agreeing not to disclose is blatantly illegal?

As someone who has signed a few NDA's, after reading the penalties I can tell you that you do NOT want to find out. It comes down to 'Will the people you expose still be in power after you expose them?'

Unless you're 1000% sure, just keep it quiet.

[Ahriman238]

How wonderfully helpful of them.

That's deliberate. If they made a rule one way or the other, it would be harder to make exceptions. This way, if you blow some really nasty secret that needed telling, you can be let off the hook, but they (even the really nasty, illegal ones) still have the very effective threat of the NDAs to keep anyone from spilling.

Governments may not be able to have their cake and eat it to, but they will damn well try in everything they do. And usually arrive at a compromise that "has the flaws of both options, and the virtues of neither."

[Dr Roberts]

Sorry but didn't want to start a new thread. The premiere is finally on 5* here in the UK.