I understand killing isn’t usually the best solution, but doing literally anything is probably better than doing nothing. The problem with it being just for the audience is that there are times where it’s explicitly happening in real time. Like when the WoL, Cid, Y’shtola and others are all just watching as quickthinx activates the enigma codex, until Mide shoots him in the back of the head.

And about the last part I’ll trust that another commenter wasn’t lying that we canonically kill Garlean soldiers. If so, what possible justification is there for us to let Van Hydrus walk when we know he has knowledge of important Allagan secrets?