Babylon 5: Revelations

[Yukaphile]

I could certainly see him spacing every single officer who rebelled against him in the civil war.

[Aotrs Commander]

I think the death of personality thing they do is a far, far worse atrocity than merely spacing a dude, myself.

[bguy]

I think the death of personality thing they do is a far, far worse atrocity than merely spacing a dude, myself.

Especially when you consider how quickly they execute that particular sentence. The episode Passing through Gethsemane had someone get death of personality literally days after the murder he committed. (I can only assume there is no right of appeal in the Earth Alliance justice system given how quickly that sentence was executed.)

[Yukaphile]

I don't think so. I mean, it's a good punishment for a serial murderer or sex abuser. Just kill their personality, make them into someone who will serve society. Unless you think "programming" someone to be someone else is incredibly creepy. I can sympathize, but for the really hardcore crimes, they had their chance, and wasted it. It reminds me of that line from TDK.

"Those men on that boat? They made their choices. They chose to murder and steal."

That's really what it comes down to, doesn't it? CHOICE. You choose to be what you are. And in the B5 world, a criminal always knows the death of personality is a possibility. But just like in our world, they commit crimes thinking they'd never get caught. And therein lies the problem. Though it does still make B5 as realistic as today's world.

[Yukaphile]

If I had my way, I'd turn a sex abuser into a celibate monk or a murderer into a harmless pacifist. That's an ironic punishment, not just a fitting one that serves society.

[Yukaphile]

@bguy While I don't want to whitewash the corruption in the EA's institutions, I will say he was living on some distant colony, wasn't he? It's possible the colony was like a state, and it's the state vs. federal laws thing we have going on today.

[bguy]

@bguy While I don't want to whitewash the corruption in the EA's institutions, I will say he was living on some distant colony, wasn't he? It's possible the colony was like a state, and it's the state vs. federal laws thing we have going on today.

I think you are thinking about Brother Edward. I was referring to Malcolm, the character that murdered Brother Edward and then got the death of personality sentence in that episode. Malcolm committed his murder on Babylon 5, an Earth Alliance station so presumably under Earth Alliance federal law, and the station has been shown to only be two days travel time from Earth, so it's certainly not so far away that it might necessitate an abbreviated version of due process.

[Yukaphile]

Oh, oops. Sorry, I withdraw my statement...

[Darth Wedgius]

If they wanted to do it humanely, they should increase the pressure in the air lock slowly to, I don't know, 8 or 9 atmospheres first. Then when they space the guy, he just goes all splodey.

https://infogalactic.com/info/Byford_Do ... l_accident

It would be quick, maybe faster than the nerve impulses could really register what's happening. But, while the debris would probably escape Babylon 5's gravity well because of the station's rotation, I don't think the ex-person chunks would escape Epsilon III's gravity well.

So the station and spacecraft around it might be subject to occasional meatier meteor showers.

[Yukaphile]

How much debris do you think ex-person chunks can create?