The Politics of Dissent

I don't understand this quest at all. Our goal is to steal the documents and use them to show the public how bad of an idea this is, so that they'll make sure their Senators vote against it. But the page wants to make it about freedom of speech, and argues that taking the documents would stop the Senator from expressing his views. I don't know how it could do that, unless he's too braindead to remember his own views and has to refer to his documents to know what he thinks. =P But my Consular apparently bought it, because "I'll help you out" is the Light Side choice. (I would have thought the Light Side choice would be to refuse to get involved in politics right at the beginning of the quest, but whatever.)

And then, when you go back to Spirakris, you deceive her and let her pay you even though you didn't do the job. This is after you've just spent the last ten levels getting Light points for refusing to ever lie about anything ever.

What the hell, Bioware?

It seems like this quest should reward "common sense" points instead of light-side or dark-side points. Initially when I saw that deceiving the original questgiver was the LIGHT side choice, I was also surprised. In almost every other quest, the character that most convincingly acts like "the good guy" is the one you go to for light side points, while the character who plays off "greedy, rigid, or evil" will offer a choice for dark side points.

Thinking about it more, you were asked (in a matter of only a few sentences) by an almost over-the-top innocent, previously unknown girl to steal documents that she claims will expose a senator for preparing to propose (not do) something terrible, nonsensical, and unpopular. The senator's page asks you to let due process take its course. Now, based on the voice acting and the way that video games almost always give the person at the keyboard a hint as to "true" intentions, it's assumed that the girl is honest and the guy is working for an evil senator. But really...what are the odds that the girl is part of some small, grassroots campaign struggling to uphold the ideals of the republic - which managed to pinpoint the location of such secretive documents? What are the odds that she or the group just wants whatever is in that package for their own gain?

Sadly, considering the "moral choices" - if you can call them that - in much of the rest of the game, I doubt this was so thoroughly analyzed by the devs, and it seems more just like a random glitch or fluke of choices.

Ignoring how ridiculous it is that your character seems absolutely nonchalant about hopping right in to high-end government espionage with a bunch of people he doesn't know, over an issue he knows nothing whatsoever about, this seems to be yet another anvilicious quest, where to get light side points, you basically have to be Stupid Good (assuming of course that everyone is telling the truth, cause, y'know, I certainly have no clue who this Senator is). I did like the 'Jedi stand for peace, not for freedom' retort though. Even if that's kinda BS too, considering some of the stuff going on on the first planet.

I generally play my Jedi characters as trying to be legitimately good, but I had to take the darkside points on this one. :P

With the entire premise of being directed to go to Coruscant, from Tython, based on a "dark presence" developing there, it would make sense to a Jedi character that perhaps this Senator Parvil, who allegedly wants to ally with the Sith empire, could very well be that dark presence. Yet it is a dark side choice to expose him?

Choosing to steal government documents aside... the alignment and companion affection options throughout the entirety of this quest are inconsistent and do not make any sense.

The mission was thought about enough to spark discussion, at least. I think this is more of an issue of having a few well thought out conundrum choices in the game in a sea of mediocre, more simple choices for Light and Dark points to "perceived" right and wrong. On one hand, it's inconsistency in game design. On the other, life isn't just full of difficult, deeply involved questions. There's simple, yes or no answers and those that have a "good enough response".

We could go on about it, but from a game design perspective, this mission is certainly out of step with others. No right answer, but I think the hard coded Dark and Light attributes are wrong here.

OK...what? The aide says "I could even forget I saw you. Here, take these old documents, lie to the people trying to prevent an alliance with the Sith, and you'll get light side points. OR take the real documents, prevent the sith alliance, AND GET DARK SIDE POINTS?"

I'm so confused.

This quest almost made me stop playing. As a Jedi, allying with the Sith is deplorable, and the Senator is obviously corrupt to even propose such a thing. But its DARK SIDE points to expose him. The argument about freedom to put it to a vote is rubbish; not to bring politics into this but look at how many bad decisions Congress passes because they're allowed the "freedom" to put it to a vote.

This quest, along with turning in the two Jedi lovers, is one where I will always take the Dark Side option, because it's the RIGHT option. As my Consular said in one of the choices: "Jedi are about peace, not freedom".

On the other hand though, I really like how it makes you THINK, and the options aren't "Goody two-shoes" or "Mwa ha ha ha I'M EVIL" kind of choices.

I made an account just so I could comment on how much this quest completely destroys all immersion in the game, and is blatantly idiotic. You are approached by somebody with a story that's so bad that if they were asking me for a dollar I'd tell them to beat it. They aren't asking for a dollar, they are asking you to STEAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS and possibly collude in what might easily be treason for no reason other than they asked you to.

It displays a contempt for democracy, common sense, and is quite frankly the best example of why I'm going over to the Sith side. The Republic storyline is so bad I can't stand to level this toon anymore.