This.
Most morally questionable act by a protagonist?
- Thread starter someguy1231
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This.
I really have to read your Thirteenth Order story. I myself have always wondered how Macet would have reacted to Picard's comment. I thought it was an implicit slur, too. Not that I have too much of a problem with it- it's nice and realistic to see Picard isn't some sort of perfect being, and has his prejudices like anyone else- but I wondered how Macet took it. I also wonder if, if it wasn't the first appearance of Cardassians, there might have been further exploration of it. Aliens-of-the-week tended to be there to be lectured to in early TNG, much as I love the series. Perhaps, given how complex and developed Cardassians would later become, we are more inclined to take exception to having them used as simple devices to reflect and promote humanity. We prefer a more two-way form of illumination. Next time I'm here, I think I'll read your story (as you know, I loved the other one). Is Macet a central character?
Yes...Macet is indeed one of the central characters, although The Thirteenth Order has a very large cast.
And I would point something out about the Cardassians, though. They may have been "aliens-of-the-week" at the time--BUT...there was more complexity to them by far than you ever saw in most aliens-of-the-week, right from the start. Just look at the diverse personalities of Macet, Daro, and Telle, and tell me the groundwork for regarding them as real individuals wasn't already there...
I think Picard could've made his statement one HELL of a lot better than he did, though--it still rankles, for how arrogant it was.
Hmmm, yes, I don't think I can argue with that, really, thinking about it now. The writers did seem to go out of their way to present each of the three Cardassians as distinct and individualized.
None of the above.
What comes to my mind is Picard's resistance to destroying the Chrystaline Entity OR Data's admonishment of the grieving mother/scientist after she destroyed it.
GRANTED, it is the scientific thing to do... to question destroying it... but if it is destroying thousands of planets, I thought they were a little too opposed to getting rid of it. I thought the look on Riker's face communicated that, actually.
Datalives
What comes to my mind is Picard's resistance to destroying the Chrystaline Entity OR Data's admonishment of the grieving mother/scientist after she destroyed it.
GRANTED, it is the scientific thing to do... to question destroying it... but if it is destroying thousands of planets, I thought they were a little too opposed to getting rid of it. I thought the look on Riker's face communicated that, actually.
Datalives
Perhaps they were a little reluctant. Perhaps Picard was worried about its sentience and the possibility of communicating with it. Given Starfleet and Federation values of using force only as a last resort after all options have been exhausted, especially in potential first contact situations, Picard's actions are understandable and I believe correct.
By the way, you can use the EDIT feature (appears as a button below your post) to add further information after you have posted your message.
No worse than the Borg, and Picard didn’t want to kill them either. I think he liked having these galactic menaces out there to keep his job interesting.
Wow, I'm impressed by the response. Never thought it'd be this high.
Also happy to see the "Other" option has relatively few votes, so I nailed the most infamous moments pretty well I think.
Also happy to see the "Other" option has relatively few votes, so I nailed the most infamous moments pretty well I think.
Perhaps they were a little reluctant. Perhaps Picard was worried about its sentience and the possibility of communicating with it. Given Starfleet and Federation values of using force only as a last resort after all options have been exhausted, especially in potential first contact situations, Picard's actions are understandable and I believe correct.
By the way, you can use the EDIT feature (appears as a button below your post) to add further information after you have posted your message.
Yeah I got a problem with that.
I dont care if an act of nature kills my family or loved ones. I'm not as evolved a Picard and take the moral high ground. If it's alive, and If I can I am making it dead.
Shrug.
I voted for Sisko poisoning the planet because, if memory serves (and i admit it may not be), it was the only option on the poll wherein the protagonist was trying to be malicious, although he probably convinced himself that he did it because Eddington was a threat or whatever.
And I say this as a hardcore Sisko fan.
But now I'm wondering. Was there ever a reason given why the NX-01 crew needed to clone Trip, let him grow up, make friends, and develop a distinct personality only to be slaughtered for spare parts instead of just tissue culturing whatever they needed?
And I say this as a hardcore Sisko fan.
But now I'm wondering. Was there ever a reason given why the NX-01 crew needed to clone Trip, let him grow up, make friends, and develop a distinct personality only to be slaughtered for spare parts instead of just tissue culturing whatever they needed?
They felt they couldn't complete the mission in the expanse without Trip's help (there might have been a more immediate thing related to where they're at, my memory is fuzzy) and Trip would die without getting parts from his clone. I don't know if they had the technological ability to just grow the tissue without making it into a full person (I know it had to be at a specific age, so if Sim had grown more, it wouldn't have worked).
I'd like to nominate another act. Picard roping a small child (Alexander) into his plan to recapture the Enterprise from the Ferengi in Rascals. Very responsible, Captain.
Absolutely. Murder is murder. It doesn't matter who commits it.
A thoughtful, clever OP provides interesting topics/questions that are more likely to receive clever, thoughtful responses from posters. As a contributor, it's such a relief to find such a worthwhile topic amongst the usual dross, that one can't help but be impressed.
It doesn't seem appropriate to me for a Starfleet captain to send a little kid to try and trick some dangerous aliens. Granted Picard was a kid as well, but not a real one. It's not actually as bad as letting a whole species die, but still...
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