Slayer Squads and the Slayer Organization

[XavierZane]

We were told in issue #1 that there were 500 active slayers in ten different squads. Since then information about the squads has been parceled out bit by bit. Here's what I can gather:

1. Slayer Central, Scotland, led by Buffy and Xander, 50 - 100 members
2. Barcelona, Spain, run by "Donna", seven members
3. Southern Italy, led by Andrew, 10+ members

These three were the first confirmed, all in issue 1. Since then no mention has been made of the Barcelona squad. In issue two we have:


3a. If you count the Slayers surrounding Andrew while he gives his fireside chat, there are about 30. So he has at least that many.
4. Large group of girls being trained by Giles in a place that looks Russian-y to me. Is this a squad, and is Giles supposed to be leading it? When Giles and Faith ride off into the sunset in NFFY to play social worker to slayers, is Giles taking Faith back here? Or is he just visiting in this issue?


In The Chain we get a look at what we learn in Issue 11 is Rona leading the Chicago squad, so:

5. Chicago, USA, led by Rona, unknown number of members. Besides Buffy and Xander in Scotland and Andrew in Italy this squad has received the most name dropping and seems to play the largest role in the story.

No Future For You tells us:

6. Cleveland, USA, led by Wood, unknown number of members. In addition to the larger squad, Faith has also been working here, probably due to the Hellmouth. The two seem to be affiliated, but Faith isn't a member or leader of the squad. But Faith goes bye bye with Giles to locales unknown.

Wolves at the Gate confirms one more:

7. Tokyo, Japan, led (now) by Satsu, unknown number of members.

More importantly, I think, is that we get a little insight into how Buffy and Co. talk about their organization. "The Tokyo Office needs a new field leader," says Satsu when she asks for her promotion at the end of the arc. Now, is field leader the highest authority? Or is there an overarching bureaucracy that we've yet to see? Is there a difference between a squad (like the very small Barcelona squad) and an Office (like Tokyo and Scotland)?

In the first issue of Time of Your Life we get one more confirmed squad, as well as an implication for a second.

8. Manhatten, USA, led by Vi(olet), unknown number of members. But, considering it's "vampire heaven", I'd assume there's a lot of Slayers needed.
9. Kennedy has her own team, which is part of a (larger?) force that Willow can command without coordinating with Buffy. I'd say this is a squad of Willow's/Kennedy's which we always sort of assumed existed but of which nothing was mentioned. Where are they based from? Brazil?
10. ???

So, we have seven definite squads (3 in America, 3 in Europe, 1 in Asia) with two maybes (maybe in South America, maybe in Russia), one definitely not mentioned.

Where do you think the remaining squad(s) are located?
Do you think the writers even plan to stay faithful to the 10 squads remark?
How do you think the Slayer organization is organized? How autonomous do you think the squads are? How much power do you think people like Andrew, Rona, and Vi actually have?

Personally, I think they're organized like a mixture between terrorists and a franchise. Every squad (Office) is basically autonomous, free to add and remove Slayers as they see fit (Rona sending Simone to Andrew), expected to take care of business in their particular corner of the world however possible, free to train and educate their Slayers in any way they like, unless they get a direct order from the up above. But the only 'up above' seems to be Buffy and Xander (and maybe Willow and Giles), who only get word or send word when something goes catastrophically wrong (like Simone going rogue or the Scythe being stolen.)

If then...Buffy didn't know about Simone until Xander told her, Giles was acting in his own capacity and was not planning on telling anyone, Willow and Kennedy arranged a mystical death without Buffy (or Xander?) knowing, Andrew set up his Decoy!Slayer in Rome with the Immortal without needing to explain his reasoning, etc. They seem to be a very, very loose confederation with little to no hierarchical authority. Buffy expects her orders to be followed, but only when she's directly giving them. If she isn't around, then she trusts those that she's put into power pretty much completely. Even her own squad, in Scotland, seems to mostly be in the hands of Xander, not her own. Certainly a far cry from the military organization everyone initially made it out to be, and also a far cry from the autocratic general we saw in season 7.

But what do you think?

[Nina]

I always thought that there were too many slayers in LA. You would say that there would be 2 slayers from LA ... (Buffy and Dana makes already 2), we found out that Gunn has 3 slayers in his basement ... slayers who know what they are and what Gunn is. They can fight, which would mean that they are trained. And how big is the chance that he cought all the slayers in LA?

It doesn't make sense to put a squad in LA because there are places where they are needed more ... but somebody collected those girls there ... and trained them. Maybe UCLA students who didn't want to leave LA? A mini-squad when Angel would lose control (or become evil) ... ?

[vampmogs]

Great post, I definitely think that the hierarchal structure of the slayer organisation is something worth thinking about. In 'Time of Your Life' Buffy admits that they're finding their way as they go, at this point I don't think it's been fully established yet. After all, the whole organisation really is only one-two years old.

To answer a couple of your questions,

Where do you think the remaining squad(s) are located?

I think there's probably one in Australia ( a boy can dream ). In 'Never Leave Me' it is stated the Watcher's have causalities coming in as far away as Melbourne. If they have a base there, it's obviously for a reason, perhaps there's some demonic activity going on? So Buffy probably has a base there. The rest, not entirely sure, most likely England?

Do you think the writers even plan to stay faithful to the 10 squads remark?

Hopefully, consistency is key. I'm all for it expanding as they go along, but if it does they should mention it within the text hopefully.

How do you think the Slayer organization is organized? How autonomous do you think the squads are? How much power do you think people like Andrew, Rona, and Vi actually have?

Basically, I agree a lot with what you've already stated. Buffy clearly isn't always aware of the full story, which to me indicates that the people who are running the squads have a fair amount of authority at their disposal. I'd say they have as much authority as Xander, after all he called it "his squad" in 'Time of Your Life.' Buffy can call in and pull rank on all of them squad leaders, but when she's not around they're in charge. I’m guessing she can easily contact them whenever she wishes, like she did Aiko in Tokyo or Xander did to Andrew.

But I think it’s rather worrying that Rona and Andrew can happily switch slayers between squads without having to inform Buffy about it until something goes wrong. She should be more involved.

[-beardo-]

there is just under 2000 slayers altogether, and 500 working with buffy. i doubt that there is an office in L.A as
1. They would know L.A is in Hell
2. They know that Angel and his team can deal with demonic threats in L.A.

Those slayers that Gunn has got are probably the part of the 1500 that are not working with Buffy. I think we may see the number of slayers working with buffy grow as buffy probably has people recruiting new slayer as well.

The way I see it is there are ten squads all with a headquarters and then you have a boss of each headquarters and buffy the overall boss. I would put Xander as the boss of Scotland headquarters, so on.

Like you stated there are a squads we haven't seen, there is probably one in Brazil like you said, and probably one in Australia I like to think.

[KingofCretins]

They wouldn't know LA is in hell, actually -- that fact is concealed from the outside by an immensely powerful glamour. The Slayers there are more than likely unaffiliated. I assume they decided to give LA a wide berth because of Angel and W&H.

I also think Kennedy is freelance, not a squad leader -- Willow talks about keeping her out of reach, and she can't be out of reach and under Buffy's command at the same time. I think that Kennedy is like Faith, an independent contractor, sort of Willow's personal Slayer.

We know for fact that there are teams in --

Scotland
Tuscany
Barcelona
Tokyo
New York
Chicago
Cleveland*

*I don't think any text has ever officially connected what's going on in Cleveland to Buffy's organization directly, so I'm not sure we can say for certain this is one of the 10 teams. Wood may have organized his own group of Slayers there, for instance.

Giles location appears to be somewhere in Eastern Europe, and that makes sense demographically for a team. I also expect there should be a team somewhere in the American South -- Tampa, Atlanta, New Orleans. Perhaps Caridad or Shannon is overseeing such a team.

Places there probably aren't teams -- the Middle East and China.

China, by population, would theoretically have had a large number of Slayers... but probably don't, since their government's rules about having children leads to extreme gender-selective abortion and a 60% male birthrate.

In the Middle East, I think it would be impossible to maintain the safety of a team -- a bunch of super-powered young women would be a significant cultural lead balloon.

So, if there is a Slayer team in the East, my money would be on India. It's the least dangerous, politically, and has the huge population likely to A) produce a lot of Slayers, and B) enough demon activity to require their presence.

My next bet would be Australia.

As for the heirarchy -- Basically, Scotland is the flagship. Xander is the captain of the flagship, and Buffy is the admiral of the fleet. Their word is law everywhere, we haven't seen any different. Their orders supercede the orders of the squad leaders.

[dinamo]

In China and the Middle East, they could maybe have one or two slayers who are from the area but are on their own. Perhaps they've been contacted and know what they are/who they are but having teams there isn't really possible so they could have a few slayers who are native to those areas who know how to fit in/blend in and who just kill what they see rather than hunting in particular areas.

[XavierZane]

I also think Kennedy is freelance, not a squad leader -- Willow talks about keeping her out of reach, and she can't be out of reach and under Buffy's command at the same time. I think that Kennedy is like Faith, an independent contractor, sort of Willow's personal Slayer.

I agree up to a point. I think Kennedy is Willow's personal slayer, loyal to her before Buffy. But Kennedy definitely makes a reference to 'her team' in Issue 16. This is the same team that Willow sent ahead to recon the area before she and Buffy arrived. That would point to Willow being a squad leader, but she's been out of the world for six months. So I think either she was a squad leader and ceded her leadership to Kennedy or Kennedy was always the squad leader and Willow has basically appropriated Kennedy and her forces as her own. Or, Kennedy is unaffiliated, and Willow has collected her own cadre of Slayers separate from Buffy.

Which leads me to think of those 1500 unaffiliated Slayers. How many do you think are actually 'living normal lives'? Gigi sure wasn't, nor are those Slayers shackled in Gunn's basement. How many different organizations and powers have Slayer collections now? How many individual warlocks and tempting Slayers one at a time like Rodin/Gigi?

[Nina]

Maybe offices like W&H create their own slayer army? I can see some girls getting payed for their work. Maybe a couple of them are in armies like the one where Riley and Sam work for? And there are a lot of watchers still walking around, they fight evil ... maybe they have some slayers on their side?



I would love to know where Dana is, we haven't seen her in Scotland, Giles left his post in London and so did Andrew. Faith isn't doing it either. Who is taking care of her?

[XavierZane]

Yeah, I've always wondered about that. Damage was one of my favorite episodes of Angel. The fact that Rona sent her problem Slayer Simone to Andrew instead of Xander and Buffy makes me think that Dana stayed with him for a time. Where she's at now is up in the air.

[stormwreath]

One thing that strikes me is that just because Buffy talks about "ten squads" doesn't mean that all those squads each operate from a single base, like the castle in Scotland. I think it's more likely that they're relatively scattered; seven Slayers in Spain, ten in Italy, five in Greece, a couple in Albania, eight really overworked ones in Former Yugoslavia, and all of these together making up "the Southern Europe Squad". They'll have a headquarters, and a training camp, and maybe once a month the squad leader sends out a helicopter to collect them all and bring them together for a group meeting; but otherwise they're separate.

I also agree with the people saying none of this is particularly formalised. You've got a lot of very motivated, enthusiastic and committed young women in their teens and twenties who've decided to dedicate themeselves to making the world a better place, by slaying evil monsters and demons. Their organisation is more likely to resemble a political activism campaign or a fandom network than a big heirarchical bureaucracy. Buffy, Xander and Willow, and to an extent the other Sunnydale alumnae, are the BNFs.

[KingofCretins]

One thing that strikes me is that just because Buffy talks about "ten squads" doesn't mean that all those squads each operate from a single base, like the castle in Scotland. I think it's more likely that they're relatively scattered; seven Slayers in Spain, ten in Italy, five in Greece, a couple in Albania, eight really overworked ones in Former Yugoslavia, and all of these together making up "the Southern Europe Squad". They'll have a headquarters, and a training camp, and maybe once a month the squad leader sends out a helicopter to collect them all and bring them together for a group meeting; but otherwise they're separate.

This sounds plausible, but the level of oversight that seems expected of the squad leaders seems to suggest this isn't the case.

I also agree with the people saying none of this is particularly formalised. You've got a lot of very motivated, enthusiastic and committed young women in their teens and twenties who've decided to dedicate themeselves to making the world a better place, by slaying evil monsters and demons. Their organisation is more likely to resemble a political activism campaign or a fandom network than a big heirarchical bureaucracy. Buffy, Xander and Willow, and to an extent the other Sunnydale alumnae, are the BNFs.

Honestly, I just don't think this interpretation holds up to much scrutiny at all. There are too many unambiguous examples of command heirarchy in the organization to support it textually. Consider Satsu's assignment to command the Tokyo team. She asked for the transfer and Buffy gave it. She did sit down with the squad there and asked how they felt about Satsu coming in or put it to them to elect their own leader. Buffy said Satsu would be in charge, and she was. Compare that, if you would, to your fandom analogy -- is Simon at Whedonesque going to be able to declare the Beer Good Foamy can come to BuffyForums and be a moderator? Of course not.

From our first experience with what we would later realize is the organization, it's been a command heirarchy. In "Damage", Andrew is sent with orders to retrieve Dana, given by Buffy. He, in turn, has 12 Slayers that he makes it clear *he* can give orders to.

Xander's command of the BHC in 8.02 and 8.03, and again in 8.17? Command heirarchy. Buffy's selection of a fighting partner in 8.04 (which is not disputed), and her orders to Satsu? Command heirarchy. Buffy's anger with Giles cutting her out of the Genevieve situation? Essentially command heirarchy, and all the more telling since it's *Giles*, a one-time surrogate father and long-time Watcher, that she expects to respect her authority. Buffy and Xander discussing Rona's conduct regarding Simone? The entire operation in "Wolves at the Gate"? It's clear that there must be something... grating about the fact that the Slayers are essentially a paramilitary organization with a heirarchical command structure, but the text really doesn't support any other interpretation.

[dinamo]

Before Twilight came onto the scene and set the cogs turning for what becomes Fray's world, I did wonder if the Slayers would fall apart due to the ways things are run. With those who have been doing it the longest seemingly being the boss'. What if you get 10 years in the future and most girls have huge amounts of experience, how does Buffy still believe she's the one who has to lead them then. They wont be new they'll know just as much as she does, they'll want more say. Having authority over a group because you;ve been doing it longer is easy when they've done it for 1 years and you've done it for close to a decade, its not so easy when they have gained years of experience as well. I know they are just learning as they go along, but its seems there is no structure that is the same all over. I also wonder if later on if people got sick of Buffy would they then start calling for Faith to be the one in Buffy's shoes, or Giles etc? In a huge group like this it suprises me there isn't a very apparant structure of leadership. If a more organized group comes along and approaches these Slayers before Buffy got there, maybe they'd be more inclined to go with that group over Buffy? Twilight could have got some slayers together with his more methodical structured calculated approach.

[XavierZane]

I think we're headed not towards a coup d'etat type situation where Buffy's leadership is replaced, but more of a schism. There will be multiple factions and each slayer will have to ask themselves who they are loyal to. Willow and Kennedy? Buffy and Xander? Giles and Faith? Twilight? etc.

[Slayer+]

Before Twilight came onto the scene and set the cogs turning for what becomes Fray's world, I did wonder if the Slayers would fall apart due to the ways things are run. With those who have been doing it the longest seemingly being the boss'. What if you get 10 years in the future and most girls have huge amounts of experience, how does Buffy still believe she's the one who has to lead them then. They wont be new they'll know just as much as she does, they'll want more say. Having authority over a group because you;ve been doing it longer is easy when they've done it for 1 years and you've done it for close to a decade, its not so easy when they have gained years of experience as well. I know they are just learning as they go along, but its seems there is no structure that is the same all over. I also wonder if later on if people got sick of Buffy would they then start calling for Faith to be the one in Buffy's shoes, or Giles etc? In a huge group like this it suprises me there isn't a very apparant structure of leadership. If a more organized group comes along and approaches these Slayers before Buffy got there, maybe they'd be more inclined to go with that group over Buffy? Twilight could have got some slayers together with his more methodical structured calculated approach.

10 years down the line, the scythe-activated Slayers might be more experienced but Buffy will still be the longest living Slayer in history. For their 10 years of service, she will have almost 2 decades worth. Even Faith can't compete since she's spent most of her time as Slayer being evil and in prison. There's no competition. Buffy is Queen. Anyone who doesn't want to follow is not obligated to stick around.

The only way they can remove Buffy from power is by force. The majority would have to want her gone. And if Buffy leaves, so does Xander, Dawn and all those loyal to her. That includes the other squads. Trying to bring Buffy down would be a bad idea. It'd be a lot safer just to try to make your own squad.

I'm sure there are a lot of Slayers working with other groups or working on their own. Hell, there are probably Slayers living normal lives, hiding their powers or using them for other things. Buffy as leader will not be going anywhere.

[dinamo]

Well in my mind Buffy isn't the longest living Slayer as she'd be dead if not for her friends help. Faith to me is the longest living slayer of her own merir. But thats a different issue. Buffy is the leader currently as she's the one which has done the most slaying but she's had a lot of help that other slayers before her never had. We don't know how other slayers will turn out in this new regime, they might be better they might be worse. Everything is currently new for everyone involved even Buffy, whilst she knows all there is to know about Slaying she doesn't know all about the new challenges being teh head of this large organisation have in store which most of the time don't have anything to do with staking vampires.

[vampmogs]

Well in my mind Buffy isn't the longest living Slayer as she'd be dead if not for her friends help. Faith to me is the longest living slayer of her own merir.

Well not really, she would have died from the vampire with his swords in 'Bad Girls' if Buffy didn't stake him in the back, and she'd probably end up exactly like she said she would "dead or a loser" if it hadn't been for Angel and his intervention. It's very possible she would have died from Kakistos without Buffy's aid as well.

[dinamo]

Maybe Faith would have died during various times as a slayer without Buffy there, but all I was meaning was we know that Buffy did actually die, everything else is just guessing.

One thing that does intrigue me about this new Slayer organization is, is it all one organization with mystics watchers slayers all one big team. Or are there teams of each group that are seperate yet work together. A Watchers group who is boss to the watchers, mystics who have their own boss etc, or do they all just fall under Buffy's command. I don't know how I'd feel about watchers having Buffy as their boss as they are two different things, but now with Giles gone I suppose Buffy could call the shots there with not many people able to say no to her.

[NileQT87]

you forgot rome... remember that simone was transfered from rona in chicago to andrew in rome, italy.

i would guess that giles is in either ukraine or russia from the church architecture. in fact, from pictures, i'm leaning ukraine.