Original: Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 17 "Fighting for Belief" The Operative embodies the Alliance and is, as Whedon described, the "perfect product of what's wrong with the Alliance".
Simplified: Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 17 "Fighting for Belief" The Operative is all that the Alliance stands for. He is, as Whedon described, the "perfect product of what's wrong with the Alliance".