I forget, is her uniform a hologram, like her disguise? If she takes off her earrings, will that affect your rating? O.o
Something is wrong, here. Upgrades? New equipment? It's almost as if Jamie's rebellion and insubordination was expected, and has been allowed for. Almost as if Hydrar and Alvar are playing a very deep game....
Jamie sort of explained how the earrings worked back in Season 1 Episode 17. Basically, the technology "saves" different outfits and then projects them onto a person via hard light constructs. As long as her earrings are somewhere on her person, she's fine. In Season one Episode 6, she briefly took the earrings off to examine them, and yet she remained in her human disguise, so...there you go. :)
As for Alvar, he's operating on his own accord. This wasn't pre-planned at all.