Wanted for Murder: Cmdr Riker

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by c0rnedfr0g, May 22, 2013.

  1. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    But we know from The Undiscovered Country that a phaser on stun can kill at close range.

    The how long does she sit in prison? Do we even know if the Acamarians have a death penalty? Riker could've just as easily been sentencing her to death by incapacitating her and handing her over to them.
     
  2. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2007
    The official charge would have to be use of excessive force, or misuse of deadly force. He's a cop in this case, and acting in the defense of someone.
     
  3. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    Location:
    T'Girl
    Murder is killing someone in a illegal mannor. But is what Riker did strictly illegal? I would say no.

    Yuta was only four feet from Chorgan when she made her final lunge, from where Riker was standing there was no way he could have moved to physically stopped Yuta. Riker could not have tackled her, restrained her, grapped her. He was too far away.

    And she was moving toward Chorgan when she was shot, even if Riker had knocked her unconscious with the last shot, it's possible she still might have fallen on Chorgan, killing him.

    Yuta wasn't just stepping towards Chorgan that time, she was basically leaping at him. She only had to touch him.

    Yes of course you can kill them if they're running away. If you're the police (civilian or military), and you confront someone who is believed to be a mass murderer, and they suddenly turn and flee ... hell yes you can in the performance of your duties empty your gun into their back.

    What possible reason could you as the police have in deliberately letting them get away?

    In the scene in question, Riker was "the cops."

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPFp5tAlIB8[/yt]

    :)
     
  4. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2005
    No, it's not.

    We see how she reacts to the second shot. She has less of a reaction to it than a regular person being hit with a taser. And I base this on THIS video of a guy getting shot with a taser.

    And then, we hear four little beeps as Riker increases power, and we see that the phaser is set to MAXIMUM.

    So, Yuta is hit by a phaser shot only four settings below the absolute maximum, and it has less of an impact on her than a taser.

    So no, it's not speculation that she's resistant to phaser fire.
     
  5. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2005
    So what? Riker was shooting from several meters away. If the stun setting is lethal at that distance, it's not exactly a stun setting, is it?

    Are you seriously presenting this as an argument to support Riker killing her? Because if he didn't, she might face a long prison sentence? And even if the Acamarians were going to kill her, then it is still in accordance with their legal system. Riker has absolutely no grounds for interfering with the legal process of a civilisation that is not a member of the UFP.
     
  6. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Yes but Riker was able to beam over the ship to stop Yuta, so instead of beaming over they could have beamed Yuta back to the Enterprise then contact Picad et al. to say why.

    But it's very easy to say what you could have done after the event.
     
  7. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    Location:
    T'Girl
    By which time the murder of Chorgan would have already occurred. As it was Riker barely arrived in time, now add the small mount of time it would have taken for the transporter operator to scan for one person in the room (Yuta), lock on, and beam her out.

    Chorgan is dead.

    When Riker beamed in, Yuta was already walking towards Chorgan with his drink, where are these extra few seconds supposed to have come from?

    :)
     
  8. Jeyl

    Jeyl Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2009
    Location:
    Asheville, NC
    Last I checked, women getting the short end of the stick on TNG is common practice. Just a few episodes later, they're going to bring back Tasha Yar only to give her a fate worse than death.
     
  9. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    Of course Riker had grounds. Marouk asked for the Federation's help, thus giving them the right to get involved. Plus, the Gatherers had been raiding Federation outposts, and that also gives the Federation the right to intervene.
     
  10. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    Location:
    T'Girl
    Tasha had to submit to repeated sexual assaults in order to secure the lives of the Enterprise Cee's surviving crew, then subsequently give birth to the rapist's child. Her last thought's were that her own daughter betrayed her.

    Armus at least killed her quickly.

    What "legal process?" He stopped a murder.

    .
     
  11. Jerikka Dawn

    Jerikka Dawn Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2004
    I believe Tiberius was illustrating that the ramifications of Yuta's arrest should be considered irrelevant to Riker's decision making process. Full quote:

     
  12. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2005
    No it doesn't. The fact that Marouk asked for help to fix one particular problem does not give Riker the right to start interfering in a completely separate problem.

    With a summary execution. He could have stopped her any number of other ways. And the legal process he interfered with is making sure that Yuta is dealt with according to Acamarian laws. Unless those laws include executing criminals by a bunch of visiting aliens who happen to stumble into the problem, he interfered.
     
  13. Hober Mallow

    Hober Mallow Commodore Commodore

    I was more disturbed by Beverly in "Genesis," who was responsible for the deaths of I can't remember how many crew members (at least one), and had a good chuckle about the whole thing at the end of the episode.
     
  14. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2005
    Ah, but that wasn't intentional...