Only a generation after Jared’s death, the legitimate king has been taken prisoner, a development Moroni presents as fulfilling Jared’s prophetic warning about kings (Ether 6:23). Significantly, although the king is captured, he is not executed. Therefore, the king-line continues despite its removal from the throne.
Nevertheless, continuation of the line does not mean continuation of the kingship. Capturing the king would have created a superior-inferior relationship between the two cities. It is unknown whether Olmecs used this strategy, but keeping kings captive was an element in Maya warfare. Epigrapher Linda Schele and archaeologist David Freidel note:
Smoking-Squirrel’s fame as a warrior was no doubt legend in the region of the Peten. His successful military campaigns upset the destinies of cities as dramatically as the past victories of his hated enemy, Caracol; and his postconquest strategies were cleverly designed to keep his enemies powerless. For example, by keeping his high-ranked captives, Shield Jaguar and Kinichil-Cab of Ucanal, alive for many years, Smoking-Squirrel most likely disrupted the succession within both their families and their kingdom. This elegant strategy created chaos in a social structure where these individuals could not be replaced until after they were dead.