I'm very pleased to see that the topic of incarceration and rehabilitation has sparked so much discussion. The opportunity to explore those ideas -- and how they intersect with the treatment of PTSD -- was one of the reasons I was attracted to the project. Maxwell is a fascinating character and I look forward to hearing what you all think of my treatment of him (and my treatment of his treatment). Serious stuff aside, mostly "Force and Motion" is an adventure story and an opportunity for me to write O'Brien/Nog banter. I love writing those guys, especially Nog.
Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying the discussion, now I don't feel so bad about the branch into the subject. But yeah, I'm greatly looking forward to this work for both aspects of it. I can't wait!
They could have used an operative within Starfleet to get Maxwell out. A counterfeit order here, a convenient shuttle there, and Maxwell's a free man. With an axe to grind... I don't think I'd want to meet the type of person who even the Maquis don't want.
....anyone who committed a legitimate crime that had nothing to do with Federation/Cardassian relations or the DMZ?
I'm really looking forward to this one. I'm a huge fan of Nog and O'Brien, so the idea of a novel focused on them makes me very interested, and hearing that it follows up on Maxwell only makes me more interested.
I did not say consequences are meant for rehabilitation. If you read the lower part of my post, I spoke about deterrence. I said that Maxwell not being able to become captain again would be a consequence. That's not part of rehabilitation, obviously. Without any kind of credible deterrence it would be too easy to commit a crime and get away with it. And even in the enlightened 24th century, there's going to be such people realistically. Obviously, deterrence is needed. And Maxwell not getting to be captain again for his 600 mass murder is like a slap on the wrist with a sponge. And this news spreads across the Federation, and more of those with criminal intent and weak conscience allow themselves to take that small step to the dark side. Obviously. That's the point. Therefore, there have to be consequences. A measure of control on the future actions of the criminal. And like I said, Maxwell not getting to be captain is hardly any restriction compared to the scale of his crime.
Undeniable. Yet, reintegration need not mean that we give the same responsibilities and authority to the former criminal putting him in a position to abuse it. Agreed. We can get by just fine group socializing with a sex offender. But would we allow a sex offender to become a babysitter? It's an honor to have you read my posts, sir. I'm enjoying the conversation, although it appears I am bested (as usual ). Really looking forward to the book now.
The discussion is fascinating but I think there is one thing that no one seems to be considering in regards to where Maxwell ends up. It may have nothing to do with how others regard him, but rather how he regards himself.
True. He may be really repentant, beating himself up for what he's done. Maybe just trying to put one foot in front of the next and get through life. His thin thread of self-esteem redeemed by the fact that the Cardassians really were a threat and his actions brought that out.
I think I agree with you more than I disagree, rahullak; I think my main issue is the idea that he should never be allowed captaincy again. I still think that if he's proven himself over an extended period following his release - say, decades of slowly moving up the ranks once more, having started his Starfleet career essentially from scratch and re-entered at the same level as a green ensign fresh out of the Academy with all seniority officially cleared from the board and with having to dealing with the reactions of both peers and superior officers throughout the process, having to literally re-establish himself and his reputation even with the weight of his actions - then it should be possible. After 20, 30, 40 years of exemplary conduct after his release without a single slip in order to truly demonstrate that he is not the sort of person who would perform in such a manner ever again. But other than that one sticking point, I think we do essentially agree, yeah. And in reconsideration, I'm not so stuck on that point that I'd think it outrageous that that not be allowed. I'm more just "well after he theoretically did all that, is there any more risk from him than from a brand-new captain that's never before held the chair?"
Ben Maxwell was a highly regarded and decorated Starfleet captain who,(if I recall it correctly) commanded the vessel that responded to the cardassian sneak attack on a UFP colony.The same sneak attack that resulted in the butchering of Maxwell's wife and children. Even Jack McCoy would go easy on him after that.
^ I'm sure Starfleet DID go easy on Maxwell during his trial and sentencing, simply because of extreme emotional disturbance. If not for that, Maxwell might well have been sentenced to life.
Starfleet does do rehabilitation.Again I'm open to correction but wasn't Garth put in a position of responsibility again?
Canonically, he was never mentioned after "Whom Gods Destroy." In DC Comics, he was given a harmless position in the Starfleet records division with an eye toward an eventual teaching position. In the novel Garth of Izar, he was returned to duty but not as a captain, and was assigned to Antos IV to repair the damage he did there, eventually becoming the ambassador to that world.
Now that is as perfect an idea for a rehab as I have ever seen. Pity the same thing couldn't have been applied to Maxwell.
Well if they gave him a harsh sentence, maybe they reduced it a bit once the Dominion War broke out, paralleling how they offered ex-Maquis deals in part because history proved them to be right.
History is irrelevant. I mean, if you went out and shot your next door neighbor in cold blood because you thought he was a terrorist, and it later turned out that he was, that still doesn't make it "right".
Even besides that, I don't think that ex-Maquis were given deals because "history proved them right". I think that they had deals as part of an effort to put the past behind them because it no longer mattered. Truman pardoned imprisoned WW2 draft dodgers in 1947, I think it's more along those lines. And it probably helped that excluding Voyager there were probably only a handful of surviving Maquis anyway. Nothing would be achieved by prosecuting and sentencing them beyond "well we gotta".