I had put forth the argument in another thread that in AD&D terms, the Klingon empire is inherently Lawful Evil. In posing a UFP example, I pointed to Kodos the Executioner. The difference is society vs individual in that case, so not quite on point. Watching Cloud Minders a few mins ago, I see that Ardana lied, if not smudged, its way into the Federation. For Stratos is the face of Lawful Evil in the Federation. Perhaps an argument can be made for Lawful Neutral.
First, the definitions from PH/DMG 1e:
LAWFUL EVIL: Obviously, all order is not good, nor are all laws beneficial. Lawful evil creatures consider order as the means by which each group is properly placed in the cosmos, from lowest to highest, strongest first, weakest last. Good is seen as an excuse to promote the mediocrity of the whole and suppress the better and more capable, while lawful evilness allows each group to structure itself and fix its place оз compared to others, serving the stronger but being served by the weaker.
LAWFUL NEUTRAL: It is the view of this alignment that law and order give purpose and meaning to everything. Without regimentation and strict definition, there would be no purpose in the cosmos. Therefore, whether a law is good or evil is of no import as long as it brings order and meaning.
Droxine could be argued to be lawful neutral. She sees no violence or harm in applying "the rays" to Vana, but later questions her father if they are so sure of their ways. Droxine also commits to go to the mines and may have a slow alignment drift towards lawful good.
The High Advisor however, I would suggest, is fully cognizant of all he does and the pain he chooses to inflict "It is most persuasive...". He goes on to later argue the Troglytes are a totally inferior species leaving McCoy to quip "It's pretty hard to overcome prejudice." As the embodiment of the society, Plasus is lawful evil by these terms.
How did goodie-two shoes Federation get such a society? What do we know? It is said somewhere the UFP typically only admits unified worlds absent of intra-planetary warfare. Ardana is contacted by a UFP scout, is excited to join and gives a show of their orderly society, arranging for the mines to be shown in their best light and all the wondrous blessings of society. A little wine and dine and the inspectors leave with glowing reports, un-informed of the growing, if early malcontents amongst an entire society glossed over.
The UFP so enamored of the art, the learning, the anti-grav tech and perhaps most especially the Zenite are happy to check the boxes with what is essentially a cursory glance when a more focused glare should have been applied.
I read the summary of the novel mentioned and the collapse of society after Kirk leaves. It's certainly one take that can be gleaned.
Cloud Minders ends on a shot Droxine and then the beam-out. Droxine, the youth-in-doubt of what has been said to be true but is learning maybe not, a hopeful next generation looking to a better future.
So of course, you take this notion and crap on it with warfare and so on. I didn't catch when it was written, but it ties in with the modern effort to destroy all the stories of hopefulness that came out of the 70's; Trek, S.Wars, D.Who and more I am sure.
The novel presents an interesting take on the Ardana situation being a hundred years later. It reminds me of the Marvel Star Wars comic of Lando returning to an abandoned Bespin that faces collapse -with a short-circuiting Lobot running rampage.
I'd like to think better of the Ardana outcome, but as McCoy says, it's hard to overcome prejudice. Oppressor's become angry when the oppressed resent the situation imposed and things escalate with each side blaming the other, neither prepared to back down.
In this case, we have the UFP intervening and with no stake in either side and some power to wield for and against both sides. With Kirk's report and the last-minute nature of the situation versus the risk of millions of deaths, we can presume various UFP bureaus would be kicking into action and some very harsh diplomatic statements at least.
There's likely few-to-no reasons the mines could not be automated. There are likely few-to-no reason some air-conditioning and filtration could be installed into the living quarters. There's likely few-to-no reasons some surface domes could not be built. To the Organians Kirk says the UFP offers an end to "...hunger, disease and hardship."
Hardship. The Troglyte's lives define the very word. This is a situation where the UFP would have multiple fronts from economic, technological, educational, cultural experts, envoys and other specialists who can move in to reduce the inherent prejudice if not actual racism of the society and integrate the Troglyte's while lifting them to higher standards.
That starts with Droxine's generation. It's likely that Plasus' generation could never accept Troglyte's. Hopefully with Federation aid, the transition could occur on the faster side. The automation of the mines alone would put that portion into the past fast. They would still live down there for the most part, so there is no sudden population shifts. Indeed, Stratos could easily be expanded or a second city born as well. They have the talent and the pool grows as the Troglyte's intelligence returns. The sub-surface living becomes easier with filters, A/C and the end to 'work' as they knew it.
Or you go real-world with faction vs. faction with ever-increasing desperation and violence over decades unleashed into abject misery, destruction, lingering death and pain. Fathers, mothers, children, pets, wildlife, all.
When the fictional world is hopeless, where does the real world look to better?
