#however she's so deliberately an enigma that even the creators had trouble pinning her during ama responses so ymmv

[clonerightsagenda]

This is well-trodden ground but when it comes to the debate about how much Maxwell cared about Hera, I think it's relevant that in "Memoria" - the most dramatic expression of how much she cares and how far she's willing to go to help - she's about to override Hera's desires and delete memories without her consent until they realize what Pryce did. She wasn't actually giving Hera a choice, even after Hera was very clear that she'd rather die.

My take on this is that Maxwell is not attached to very many people, but she does consider AI people and finds them, in general, more preferable to humans. However, she is perfectly willing to betray and kill people - human or non-human - if that's what her job requires. Betraying Hera doesn't mean she never thought of her as a person; it's an indication of how she's willing to treat people.

Double however, though, I don't think Maxwell sees it as a betrayal. The SI5 are arrogant. Maxwell is no exception. ("It's very complicated; you wouldn't understand it." "I never cut the wrong wire.") She's the doctor, and the doctor knows best. Deleting Hera's memories to save her from getting replaced by a dummy is for her own good. Taking control of her and planning to wipe all her memories after the mutiny instead of just killing her is also for her own good! Some people have to be dragged kicking and screaming toward improvement. I believe Maxwell would see her actions at the end of season 3 as proof of her valuing AIs, rather than as evidence she doesn't when the chips are down. And I think it is, in a twisted way. She wasn't nearly as concerned about any of the humans' fates.

Ironically out of the SI5, I think Maxwell might be the least viscerally disturbed by the restraining bolts and Pryce and Cutter's plan to 'perfect' humanity, although she'd be annoyed by getting bolted herself. Perhaps it is for the best she died before season 4 and never experienced the temptation.