>Not to rain on your parade, but most people portray them as as Evil
>because they ARE!

I doubt that. Was Lyta Evil? Talia (not counting her implanted persona)?

>Yes, the Psi Corps might have been a good idea at first, but what the
>corps has become by the time we are introduced to it in B5, it has
>become a self sustaining monstrosity, in which you are either with
>them, or against them.

The problem is actually mostly the fact that the Corps *knew* about the shadows a hundred years before B5, so they were trying to get themselves into a situation where they could fight them without having to worry about mundanes. That, and the Vorlons got to the first Director, and sort of imprinted there "order is good, make sure everyone follows your directions" ideology. Hell, he was *helping* the underground...

>So, if your a Psi, your options are limited: Join, physcial
>incarceration, or chemical lobotomy. This does not sound like an
>organization with the best interests of others in mind. And once in,
>you're whole purpose in life is to be on the lookout for people like
>yourself who have refused to make one of the three authorized choices
>above. Oh, and let us not forget that the Shadows had probobly
>already infiltrated deep into the Psi Corps command structure by the
>time they're introduced as well.

Shadows, no. Vorlons, Yes. And so what if you join the Corps? really, all it means is that you wear a pin that anounces that you are Psi, abide by their rules and regulations, and submit to a psi-scan once every 6-18 months, depending...Not a horrible thing is you ask me...

>Can people be happy in the Corps? Yes. Is the Corps evil? In my
>opinion.

Not in mine. Bester, I'll not argue. Hell, most of the psi-cops, I won't argue. But the Corps itself, no, not at all.

>Is there a reason for the Corps? Not in its present form. Rather,
>the Corps should have become a testing, education, and monitoring
>organization, with its enforcement powers limited to the use of psi
>powers in the commision of crimes, or other such unethical behavior.

And what about deathbed-scans, criminal deep scans (with a proper warrent, or permission) and the like. Think of the Psi-Corps as a government run Psionic's Guild. And think of the lengths that many guilds went to to stop someone else from doing their work?

>In fact, though we never see it, this was probobly the original intent
>of the Psi Corps when it was originaly chartered, before it became
>twisited into the organization that we've all come to know from B5.

See, that's the problem. We *don't* see the organization in B5. We see a madman, with his groupies, and flunkies, and the like. And most of the time, Psi-Corps and earth-dome sanction what he does, because there is a need for it, and he's very good at what he does. But then the Regime changes, and the winners (the "Good" teeps) hunt him down, and kill him. Now, I'm not saying that bester's not a madman, but you shouldn't base a *very* large organization (teeps being something like 2% of humans, Psi-Corps holding about 60% of them) based on the actions of him.

--
-Pasha
Corps is Mother, Corps is Father.
I have no loyalties but the Corps.