Whale Wars

Just watched the season finale of Whale Wars on Animal Planet.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society sends their ship, the Steve Irwin, to Antarctica 'enforcing' international law banning whaling in the sanctuary area. The Japanese take advantage of a loophole in the law that says they can kill up to X number of whales for scientific research, but they can't waste any part of the whale so the Japanese have a canning operation on one of their ships for the 'extra' whale meat.

Three areas of discussion: a) the film, b) the crew, c) the mission.

a. The Film - There were way too many summaries of what we saw just three minutes earlier. There wasn't enough drama I guess - and yet, I still have questions about how everything worked.
b. The Crew - I think everyone except the captain and the guy under him were sincere. They genuinely want to make a difference and care about the whales. It looks to me like there's a more permanent group of the crew and the temporary group. The temporary group are enthusiastic, but it must also be something of a lark for them so they're game for anything. The more permanent group are interested in helping make this a success.
As far as the captain and his assistant (the guy who broke his thumb)...well, I just don't think I'd click with them if we ever met. There's something about both of them that rubbed me the wrong way.
I also thought it was odd that they even bother calling the captain "Captain". I mean he's no Captain Stubing - HA! Naw...I just think if someone is going to use a military term, then they should be acting military. And the captain didn't seem very military to me. He stayed in his cabin most of the time. That guy who should be captain is the one from the Netherlands with the girlfriend on board. He seemed to have a lot on the ball and cares about the whales. Maybe the captain has just been in the game so long he doesn't have the energy to act as excited as the newbies all the time. It could be just the contrast. The people on the ship seem to respect him a lot and they certainly know him better than i do.
c. The Mission - saving whales is a good thing, but is it more important than pursuing nonviolent change? That's the real question I think. What are you willing to give up to save someone (or somewhale) else? And what about your own soul (assuming everyone's soul is damaged by negative and violent behavior)? Is that worth damaging?
I think the right answer is nonviolence is the most important thing. If only people could be galvanized to work together toward one common goal. Everyone could stand in front of the whaling ship (or rather in boats in front of the whaling ship) and the whaling ship would have to do the violence. Would anyone be willing to give up their lives in that manner? Why is it easy to see giving up life in the course of violence, but not so easy to envision it in the course of acting nonviolently?

So, I applaud the people's enthusisam and sincerity and willingness to sacrifice on behalf of the whales. But, I can't condone their actions.