Fridge Brilliance
- The first time we see Alrik on screen, he seems faintly irritated when Kamala is brought up, and makes clear that he's much more interested in trade agreements. This seems to establish him as heartless and uncaring (Picard even comments on it later). But this is a man who's planet has been at war for a hundred years, and he's finally on the cusp of a treaty that can put an end to it. Being fixated on final negotiations would be reasonable in any case. We know almost nothing about the internal politics of Valt Minor, but after a century of war and untold numbers of dead, it's almost certain that there would be hardline elements who would oppose negotiations and want to continue fighting. The marriage ceremony may be symbolic, but it also means that, once he signs, Alrik will get his literal perfect mate. Even if Kamala wasn't intended as a bribe, her mere presence could put Alrik's impartiality in doubt. It's not impossible that warhawk elements could use that to reject the peace treaty. Since Alrik can't reject the marriage without offending the Kriosians, his best strategy is downplay it as much as possible, make it absolutely clear that she's not a factor in negotiations, and come home with a treaty that favors his planet as much as possible, so his judgment can't be questioned. Far from being unreasonable, he was doing exactly what a good leader should do in that situation.
