20-03-2026, 09:37 AM
I think the main aspect of the plan is that Snake has the backing of the US government who want the nuke deactivated at all costs. He was far more likely to figure out the failsafe than a rogue group whose influence only extended to Shadow Moses. Getting baker to talk would obviously have made their plans more straightforward but whether something is straightforward doesn't necessarily mean it's the most likely thing to happen. It would have been easier for them to have actually got the DARPA Chief's code but that's not how it went. Baker may have told them his code to stop the torture, but he also kept the PAL key from them and handed it off to Meryl. He clearly wanted to avoid FOXHOUND having the ability to launch a nuke, and was hoping the DARPA Chief wouldn't give them his code. After Snake says they can launch the nuke he tells him where the PAL key is and to find Otacon as he figures that's the only thing left to do, but he evidently worked hard to avoid this information getting back to the terrorists.
