Why is the IOA still allowed to exist?

[escyos]

my previous post was deleted because some people cant handle the truth....

anyway....your opinion is not valid....but you are (hear that mods!)

[MattSilver 3k]

I'd like to think of the IOA that keeps everything glued together. As flimsy and useless as it may appear, losing it would do more harm to the Stargate Program that having it stick around. Who knows what they could do if they got cut off - tell the world, provoke other countries into fighting over advanced tech... Earth would be too busy fighting amongst itself if another enemy came for a visit.

[jcainhaze]

Oh they'd definitely tell and find about a billion ways to blackmail the government/military. I still say dump them permanently. Let the public know about the stargate program etc. The US has plenty of assests to keep everyone acting respectful and proper.

[Deevil]

Oh they'd definitely tell and find about a billion ways to blackmail the government/military. I still say dump them permanently. Let the public know about the stargate program etc. The US has plenty of assests to keep everyone acting respectful and proper.

Let the US rule the world, and continue to speak for the world. Not sure that's the best choice ever.

[jcainhaze]

Let the US rule the world, and continue to speak for the world. Not sure that's the best choice ever.

Did I say any of that, Deevil? NO.

[Deevil]

Did I say any of that, Deevil? NO.

Yeah, ya kinda did.

The US has plenty of assests to keep everyone acting respectful and proper.

The implies that have the 'power' - thus the 'control'.

[AvanGard]

This organization has never made any sense. Apparently, the writers need a bad, stupid organization to develop story lines and create situations to write about. (yes I ended that sentence with a preposition) None of the decisions taken by the IOA have ever had any merit. No character from IOA ever made a right choice. They are, in all meaning of the word, worthless. However, without their stupidity and poor management there would have been a lot less story to tell and intense moments created.

They are allowed to exist because the writers need them. Surely they could have come up with something better, but.

[jcainhaze]

Yeah, ya kinda did.



The implies that have the 'power' - thus the 'control'.

No I kinda did not. You implied it, not me.

[Deevil]

They are allowed to exist because the writers need them. Surely they could have come up with something better, but.

the IOA are essentially the UN, except for dealing with Earth problems they deal with intergalactic ones. They don't run much differently then the UN either - so I'm unsure what you're getting at.

Furthermore, the IOA have made some decent decisions... We are jsut placed to think they are a 'road block' because they have always threatened what our heroes want to do. Although, sometimes, what they wanted to do should have been threatened.

[Giantevilhead]

The military was doing such a great job with the Stargate program. First they pissed off the Goa'uld, then they pissed off the Wraiths, then they pissed off the Ori. If it wasn't for all the plot armor and deus ex machina, earth would be a smoldering ruin by now.

The IOA are basically people who don't know that they're in a television show where everything's going to turn out fine regardless of what actually happens. Their decisions are only bad because they aren't aware of the fact that the writers have already made it so that the main characters are able to overcome impossible odds and fix the very problems that they caused in the first place.

[jcainhaze]

No need for the IOA. Seems like every time the military gets caught up in something that is obviously rediculous (like a 9 year war in Afgan/iraq) its because of the politicians pulling the strings. Remove the politicians and remove the problem.

[AvanGard]

the IOA are essentially the UN, except for dealing with Earth problems they deal with intergalactic ones. They don't run much differently then the UN either - so I'm unsure what you're getting at.

Furthermore, the IOA have made some decent decisions... We are jsut placed to think they are a 'road block' because they have always threatened what our heroes want to do. Although, sometimes, what they wanted to do should have been threatened.

Well, you can't stop there. What are the "decent decisions".
The UN is global, comprised of 192 member countries.
The IOA is usually portrayed in Stargate by 2-5 people.

I am saying that in a story, there are of course the GOOD and BAD sides, and the IOA plays the GREY and DUMB side. I understand why they are put in the show. But it never really made any sense. We could have done without them if the writers came up with something better. Instead, now they need the IOA to develop their story.

[Deevil]

Well, you can't stop there. What are the "decent decisions".

Making the military own up to their decisions.
Putting Weir in charge of the Atlantis expedition.
Putting Carter in charge of the Atlantis expedition.

They are the bigger ones - but they are important.

The UN is global, comprised of 192 member countries.
The IOA is usually portrayed in Stargate by 2-5 people.

There have been more then 2 - 5 IOA members we have seen. Many more then that have been talked about as well. We don't necessarily see everyone, or everything - but it doesn't mean it doesn't reach further.

I am saying that in a story, there are of course the GOOD and BAD sides, and the IOA plays the GREY and DUMB side. I understand why they are put in the show. But it never really made any sense. We could have done without them if the writers came up with something better. Instead, now they need the IOA to develop their story.

That's kind of like saying that they could have written something better then the goa'uld, and we were stuck with them.

I kind of like the IOA, I think there is something very believable about having this organisation, and I think they make a valuable contribution - because leaving it up to the military alone is a DUMB idea. It doesn't mean I don't think they're annoying, but I tend to find politican's annoying too and theoritically they make sense too.

[Flyboy]

I mean, seriously... they aren't exactly needed anymore. The fact that they are still allowed to order the SG personnel around is laughable. There are several reasons why they aren't needed anymore:

• Atlantis is on Earth (As far as we know)
• No big bad (Goa'uld, Ori, etc) = no need for extra funding
• The annoyance they cause to the Air Force

At this point the U.S. Government could cut off the rest of the world from participation in the Stargate program, kick all international personnel out of Atlantis, and tell the IOA bureaucrats to take a hike and there's really nothing they could do about it. I'm not advicating U.S. only participation in the Stargate program, but the IOA model doesn't work and something else would need to be negotiated, especially since none of the other countries have any significant leverage.

The point is that there is no logical reason the IOA should not be allowed to exist any longer. They seem to only be around as a point of contention at this point anyway. They should be done away with. Soon.

That is so disgustingly arrogant.

The IOA exists for more than just funding. The USA has NO RIGHT what so ever to single handedly represent Earth's interests in the universe. So what if they cause annoyance to the USAF? The military is, and always will be a tool of politics and should only ever be employed as the means to reach a political end. A military victory is NEVER the end result fought for. Bottom line, the military must always be controlled by civilian oversight. It's exactly why the head of state is usually Commander in Chief of an armed force.

The role of Homeworld Security is far more than simply day to day gate operations, it's an entirely new branch of defence and it is vital that it has international civilian oversight. Take NATO for example, despite the fact that the US generally always takes the lead in NATO allied operations, it's still dependent on political oversight, it's not just allowed to go off and do it's own thing. Neither should the US Stargate Command.

[EllieVee]

No need for the IOA. Seems like every time the military gets caught up in something that is obviously rediculous (like a 9 year war in Afgan/iraq) its because of the politicians pulling the strings. Remove the politicians and remove the problem.

Military dictatorships are such fun!