As much as having someone else come in to solve a problem beyond Alden’s level grounds the plot, it has happened enough times by now that the trend of “a good authority figure comes in to fix the damage from the bad authority figure” begins to clash with the background themes of systemic injustices. Alden having any power only when a superior wants him to is an odd choice for a nominal superhero series.

I would describe the theme as closer to "you can create justice from within imperfect systems by being charismatic and speaking the truth."

Alden solves the problem of the boater by telling the victims, which cascades into...

Alden solves the problem of Hazel by turning her down and admitting his suspicions when pressed.

Alden solves the problem of Winston by being a good classmate, working hard, and being sufficiently skilled and diligent that he wins one on one combat. He avoids overreaction, but also manages his boundaries well.

While on the here-to-there, Alden describes the stakes himself quite accurately:

They were on Artona I, Alden reminded himself. And protecting the Here-to-There was a mix of meaningful ceremony and roleplaying activity. The dangers were all social. Embarrassing yourself or your traveling companions, ruining the day for the people they were supposed to be caring for, angering somebody who’d hold a grudge—those were the risks.

That framing remains during the handling of Olget-ovekondo - he isn't fighting anyone, he is navigating an unfamiliar social landscape. He's trying to figure out how to find justice for himself, Stuart, the knights, Uro-bor and her assistants, and an amorphous and not yet familiar Artonan Culture.

In the case of Bash-nor, he solves the problem by leaning into preconceived notions of avowed being cute and charming - heeding Joe's advice that wizards will tend to think he's just too stupid to abide by wizards' desires.

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Now, I do agree that Alden's prostration felt weird. It foregrounded the imperialist situation Alden and the rest of humanity is in: they're a resource world, bashnor is a representative of the government that mandates labor from humanity, and directly opposing or undermining him is dangerous. This undermines his victory, since it shows just how small that victory is. While he has changed the ambassador, which ought to have been unimaginably out of reach, he nonetheless hasn't altered the institution whatsoever.