<< The example of Emperor Hirohito comes to mind here.  By most accounts,
 he was a decent, unassuming fellow, but he had little or no control over
 the things that happened in his name.  Serenity could easily become a
 mere figurehead, isolated and powerless.>>

One could think of the same way as Kaless from ST:TNG. At the end of the
episode he was in, Worf suggested he have the title of Emperor of the Klingon
Empire, yet he  would have very little power, he was needed as a figurehead
for the people, to give them hope or faith. Maybe that's how Takeuchi wanted
it to be... or not, I don't know.

-Warhammer