Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-25176701-20150119013621/@comment-26247132-20150701204815

I think you missed that the life support failure was something they could fix in six months. If Raven and Finn hadn't taken that spacewalk, then there would be no reason to do anything besides fix the life support. No culling needed. They proceed on as normal for the next 200 years (or the next life support failure).

They had 3 months of air left for the current population (including the Delinquents). The problem required 6 months to fix. Removing the Delinquents did not make the problem suddenly take 5 months to fix. The 1 month of oxygen was not what the Delinquents took up (not a deficit); it's what the Ark got back from having 100 less bodies breathing air (a surplus). 3 months of air left + 1 extra month of air after the Delinquents were sent to earth = 4 months.