The lack of marriage and the Clan use of enclaves, are reason enough to justify keeping them from fully being assimilated into the IS warrior elite. With the rise of the ilClan (and maybe the deaths of the non-warrior Fidelis on Tau Ceti IV), now seams like a perfect time for the clanners to look back and try to interpret the Way of the Clans for the 32nd century.
We don't need the a mustached twirling Nicolai Malthus like Jags from the 90s, but since the death of Malvina, (and assuming the Horses are the target of the Final Annihilation) then all of the IS Clans are all fairly cookie cutter again. Getting some different value systems, different version of what is "right" is a good way to gin up those grey vs gray conflicts without good guy / bad guy dynamics.
Yeah, I am a fan of (Clan) Fusion States, as it shows growth, development and evolution, both in fiction, and RPG, and how time has it's effects similar to real life too.
I am eager to see how Jiyi's Falcons develop. I could even get behind even, perhaps 20 years down the track, as it was aired here, that all the "new" states of the Hinterlands, maybe minus the Lyran one, would one day merge into a new "Tamar Pact", where each is still sovereign, and part of the governing council. The Horses are after all a big threat to the Hinterlands
But yes, back to Smoke Jaguar, I enjoyed learning about the Fidels, the former Invasion Jags being humbled and taught a big lesson. It will be interesting to see how the nuJags are, will they learn from history ? How much of The Fidels will play a "parent" to them ? Pun intended. I almost feel (dare I say) Warden vibes