Columbia wasn't finished yet. It wasn't until Tucker got over there, halfway through the season, that they finished.
When have you disagreed and thought the captain was wrong?
- Thread starter Citiprime
- Start date
Regardless, Starfleet should have arranged someone to go take a look. Certainly the Vulcans owed humanity a favor for obliterating the Expanse, and their ships are three times faster than ours. Maybe the Andorians could be persuaded, too. Send a freighter, some of them are supposed to have warp 3 engines. But send someone.
Their first mission could've been to go check on that ship...
He really didn't save the ship all that often...
The problem with Wes saving the ship was more they had to make the grownups look like morons to give him the chance.
Dear Doctor is the most egregious one by far. The others at least have utilitarian defenses. Any time the writers interpreted the prime directive to be an apocalypse pact with the universe.
I might also mention Similitude, the ethics of creating a sentient being just as an organ incubator. And the strange choice in Discovery to solve their problem by handing someone they have little reason to trust a “Destroy planet” button.
Dear Doctor is the most egregious one by far. The others at least have utilitarian defenses. Any time the writers interpreted the prime directive to be an apocalypse pact with the universe.
I might also mention Similitude, the ethics of creating a sentient being just as an organ incubator. And the strange choice in Discovery to solve their problem by handing someone they have little reason to trust a “Destroy planet” button.
That I can sort of excuse, for two reasons... one, Sim was not supposed to be harmed by the procedure. He was supposed to live out his natural 15-day lifespan. Two, no one was expecting him to have "Assassin's Creed" style DNA-based memory, resulting in him developing Trip's personality as well as his appearance.
Dear Doctor is truly terrible - it demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding regards to Evolution. There's a great Reddit post on this:
''Dear Doctor" presents evolution as if it is forward-thinking, and as if it does have preferences. It treats evolution as a ladder working in a certain direction, rather than an ever-branching tree that spreads in all directions. This is evident in the very first line of the episode that mentions evolution: "No, he's Menk. They're not as evolved as Valakians but they're very hard workers." In real evolutionary theory, this phrase is nonsensical - nothing is more or less evolved than anything else, because there's no progression scale to place organisms on in the first place.''
Also, denying healthcare with the expressed intent of letting the Valakians die out, as Phlox convinced Archer to do, fits one of the 5 legal definitions of Genocide as recognized by the UN.
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
Doesn't TNG's "The Chase" throw in a curveball when it comes to the understanding of evolution within the Star Trek universe?
According to that episode, evolution IS working towards an end result since the ancient humanoids engineered life on various worlds to work towards a humanoid form. Although, it doesn't save "Dear Doctor" since Phlox would have no way of knowing that at that point.
According to that episode, evolution IS working towards an end result since the ancient humanoids engineered life on various worlds to work towards a humanoid form. Although, it doesn't save "Dear Doctor" since Phlox would have no way of knowing that at that point.
The big one; Tuvix...at least on principle anyway. It was murder.
Of course Tuvix was a giant creep, and it would have been awful to have him around for the rest of the show.
Also Picard handing over the last shipment of antidote to the drug-addicted planet without telling them that it isn't a cure and they aren't sick.
It was literally the worst possible decision he could have made.
Of course Tuvix was a giant creep, and it would have been awful to have him around for the rest of the show.
Also Picard handing over the last shipment of antidote to the drug-addicted planet without telling them that it isn't a cure and they aren't sick.
It was literally the worst possible decision he could have made.
Errand of Mercy.
I love the episode but Kirk disrespected the sovreignty of the Organians. When they told him "no" that should have been it. People who think Starfleet and the UFP are depicted as nefarious NOW have not watched this episode. UFP was going to drag that planet into the war whether the Organians wanted it or not, because they knew the Klingon Empire would otherwise. It was domino theory on the interplanetary stage.
I love the episode but Kirk disrespected the sovreignty of the Organians. When they told him "no" that should have been it. People who think Starfleet and the UFP are depicted as nefarious NOW have not watched this episode. UFP was going to drag that planet into the war whether the Organians wanted it or not, because they knew the Klingon Empire would otherwise. It was domino theory on the interplanetary stage.
I can defend Picard on that one, because about a few mimutes after he tells them that, the Ornarans would go to war with the Brekkians. And since the Brekkians apparently have NO other facilities for anything other than drug purification, they would almost certainly lose... and quite probably be exterminated.
Now, the Ornarans will likely discover this on their own, since that was the last shipment of felicium they could get because all their ships are down. And the Brekkians, now armed with the knowledge that someone else knows (the Federation), will likely start realizing the jig is soon up. They will either come up with a 'cure', as an act of self preservation in the long run, or start creating other factories for building ships, etc, to either keep the trade going or prepare for war.
Either way, because of the deeply symbiotic relationship of both worlds, it was an internal affairs, Prime Directive matter.
Unfortunately, Picard's action at the end really was his only option.
(I don't really agree with it, either. I'm with Beverly here. But legally speaking, at least with what we know about the Prime Directive and Starfleet Regulations, I can understand why he made that decision. Because the instant he gives those parts to them, the Federation becomes a part of the problem by perpetuating the exploitation. Since that ship was destroyed, and it was the last one operating, the end was already near regarding the exploitation. Unless they were able to fix those ships, but I doubt that would happen in time before they discover the felicium already cured the disease and found out about the Brekkian deception.)
Now, the Ornarans will likely discover this on their own, since that was the last shipment of felicium they could get because all their ships are down. And the Brekkians, now armed with the knowledge that someone else knows (the Federation), will likely start realizing the jig is soon up. They will either come up with a 'cure', as an act of self preservation in the long run, or start creating other factories for building ships, etc, to either keep the trade going or prepare for war.
Either way, because of the deeply symbiotic relationship of both worlds, it was an internal affairs, Prime Directive matter.
Unfortunately, Picard's action at the end really was his only option.
(I don't really agree with it, either. I'm with Beverly here. But legally speaking, at least with what we know about the Prime Directive and Starfleet Regulations, I can understand why he made that decision. Because the instant he gives those parts to them, the Federation becomes a part of the problem by perpetuating the exploitation. Since that ship was destroyed, and it was the last one operating, the end was already near regarding the exploitation. Unless they were able to fix those ships, but I doubt that would happen in time before they discover the felicium already cured the disease and found out about the Brekkian deception.)
Had the Aldean leader been a bit more reasonable, I would agree with you. But he wasn't listening to Picard about the damage to their environment and it being the cause of their sterility. And even putting that aside, they kidnapped children. I don't give a damn that they were feeling desperate, you don't snatch children from their homes and classrooms and basically use them as pawns to keep your society going.
As far as I'm concerned, Picard was more charitable than he should have been.
Picard didn't have to put it that way. He could have simply proposed a trade, pure and simple. Give us back our seven brats, and we'll give you the means to produce hundreds of your own. It's simple mathematics.
Another reason why the episode would have been better if the Aldeans' condition was incurable. In addition to resolving most of the inconsistencies, the Aldeans would obviously be punished for their crime.
The problem with the Aldeans was that they felt they were in the stronger position in the 'negotiations', since they were much more powerful than the Enterprise.
Typically, when one side feels they are tje superior, they tend not to listen to reason, even if given a better trade, deal, compromise, etc.
Picard was playing it smart, because he had the backup of Riker and Data. And it was a good thing, because Picard was about to be sent away again.
Typically, when one side feels they are tje superior, they tend not to listen to reason, even if given a better trade, deal, compromise, etc.
Picard was playing it smart, because he had the backup of Riker and Data. And it was a good thing, because Picard was about to be sent away again.
I've disagreed with almost every use of the Prime Directive after TOS. The idea that its better for an entire race/planet/etc to die then to be exposed to aliens "before they are ready" is horrendous. Picard and Janeway both have awful examples of this. At the bare minimum a Natural Disaster killing a species should be prevented to the best of Starfleet's ability, regardless of the technological level of the species that is in danger, and whether or not the aliens could find out about other worlds. Kirk's era knew this part at least, but Captain's like Picard would rather let uncountable sentient people die because apparently seeing a spaceship or alien is worse for a culture then total annihilation.
Picard even has a very peculiar relationship with other parts of the prime directive, like being unwilling to move the B'aku because of it but being more then willing to remove Native American's
Picard even has a very peculiar relationship with other parts of the prime directive, like being unwilling to move the B'aku because of it but being more then willing to remove Native American's
