Benjamin Maxwell

[R. Star]

As we all know Benjamin Maxwell, a decorated Federation captain, was imprisoned during the Wounded, for going nuts against Cardassia for rearming.

My question is, and it's a broader one that could've been posted on DS9's board, what ever became of him?

I actually wonder if they'd offer him his commision back during the Dominion War when the Federation was stated to be suffering severe manpower shortages and having to accelerate promotions of people like Ferengi waiters to officer rank.

This could be addressed to all Maquis prisoners in Federation custody. Though it's entirely possible by the time the war started, they were already released. I mean Kassidy was in jail for less than half a season for smuggling and Garak only got six months for trying to genocide the Founders. The Federation penal system was pretty lenient.

 

[NebulaClassGuy]

^

I was always wondering why they didn't think to somehow include Maxwell into the Maquis storylines somehow... I'd be able to believe him as a Maquis sympathizer more than I would Thomas Riker.

Back in the day, me and my friends had a running joke that once the Cardassians joined the Dominion, Starfleet basically let Maxwell out of jail, apologized to him, gave him the keys to a new Sovereign-Class ship, and basically told him to go out and play, lol.

 

[R. Star]

^

I was always wondering why they didn't think to somehow include Maxwell into the Maquis storylines somehow... I'd be able to believe him as a Maquis sympathizer more than I would Thomas Riker.

Back in the day, me and my friends had a running joke that once the Cardassians joined the Dominion, Starfleet basically let Maxwell out of jail, apologized to him, gave him the keys to a new Sovereign-Class ship, and basically told him to go out and play, lol.

I always liked Bob Gunton. When I first saw the Wounded after watching Shawshank Redemption I was like "Holy crap! It's Warden Norton! No wonder he's going crazy, blowing up everything in sight!"

But I mean, if the Federation was back to the wall, needed manpower across the board, and you have a combat veteran captain just sitting on the sidelines, why wouldn't you call him up?

Certainly there's the risk he goes renegade again, but unlikely and that could be minimized by giving him a Defiant-class or something.

 

[Use of Time]

The main concern is the guy seemed paranoid and suffered possibly from some sort of PTSD. It's possible that he could be given some leniency but as far as sending him back into the fight with lives under his command. Doubtful.

 

[flandry84]

I've always wondered if those contacts of his,the ones who alerted him to the Cardassians plans could be retroactively revealed to be Section 31.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Nah, Maxwell did not seem like the S31 type.

Erik Pressman, OTOH (from "The Pegasus")? That guy was so obviously Section 31. He's the type. Maxwell wasn't.

 

[flandry84]

And what is the type?

Also, nobody said that Maxwell could be a member of S31,perhaps they might be duping him into carrying out their unknowable agendas.

 

[R. Star]

And what is the type?

Also, nobody said that Maxwell could be a member of S31,perhaps they might be duping him into carrying out their unknowable agendas.

Ross didn't seem the "type" and was shown to be working with them.

Personally I don't like the concept of blaming the shado-- I mean Section 31 for every little thing that goes wrong in the Federation though.

 

[Mojochi]

The main concern is the guy seemed paranoid and suffered possibly from some sort of PTSD. It's possible that he could be given some leniency but as far as sending him back into the fight with lives under his command. Doubtful.

^This

I like to think he was released from imprisonment, but once they remove you from command on the basis that you are unpredictable, & possibly suffering mental & emotional distress, it would seem unlikely he'd ever command again

But then again, they shot Picard right back to the 1701-D's top chair, very shortly after he'd been a bloody Borg weapon. So who knows... Maybe they cut Ben some slack too, when the shtf

 

[Pavonis]

Maxwell was acting out of revenge. He was traumatized by the loss of his family at the hands of the Cardassians. The fact that he was vindicated in the long run does not justify his actions. So I doubt that he'd get a new command, even during the Dominion War.

No, I think he'd be given a shiny new set of admiral's pips instead. After serving any time, and/or receiving therapy.

 

[BillJ]

And what is the type?

Also, nobody said that Maxwell could be a member of S31,perhaps they might be duping him into carrying out their unknowable agendas.

Ross didn't seem the "type" and was shown to be working with them.

Personally I don't like the concept of blaming the shado-- I mean Section 31 for every little thing that goes wrong in the Federation though.

Amen!

 

[BillJ]

The main concern is the guy seemed paranoid and suffered possibly from some sort of PTSD. It's possible that he could be given some leniency but as far as sending him back into the fight with lives under his command. Doubtful.

^This

I like to think he was released from imprisonment, but once they remove you from command on the basis that you are unpredictable, & possibly suffering mental & emotional distress, it would seem unlikely he'd ever command again

But then again, they shot Picard right back to the 1701-D's top chair, very shortly after he'd been a bloody Borg weapon. So who knows... Maybe they cut Ben some slack too, when the shtf

He also returned immediately to command after being tortured by the Cardassians.

 

[Use of Time]

The main concern is the guy seemed paranoid and suffered possibly from some sort of PTSD. It's possible that he could be given some leniency but as far as sending him back into the fight with lives under his command. Doubtful.

^This

I like to think he was released from imprisonment, but once they remove you from command on the basis that you are unpredictable, & possibly suffering mental & emotional distress, it would seem unlikely he'd ever command again

But then again, they shot Picard right back to the 1701-D's top chair, very shortly after he'd been a bloody Borg weapon. So who knows... Maybe they cut Ben some slack too, when the shtf

He also returned immediately to command after being tortured by the Cardassians.

Yeah, there has to be some suspension of belief but at the end of the day Picard didn't go vigilante on the Cardassians. There was a touch and go moment in First Contact but he was able to get his shit together thanks to Lily.

 

[Mojochi]

^This

I like to think he was released from imprisonment, but once they remove you from command on the basis that you are unpredictable, & possibly suffering mental & emotional distress, it would seem unlikely he'd ever command again

But then again, they shot Picard right back to the 1701-D's top chair, very shortly after he'd been a bloody Borg weapon. So who knows... Maybe they cut Ben some slack too, when the shtf

He also returned immediately to command after being tortured by the Cardassians.

Yeah, there has to be some suspension of belief but at the end of the day Picard didn't go vigilante on the Cardassians. There was a touch and go moment in First Contact but he was able to get his shit together thanks to Lily.

No, but by Starfleet standards (At least Nachayev's) He went soft on The Borg when he backed out of using Hugh to attempt to eliminate them, which nearly resulted in another catastrophe involving Lore

I'm not saying he was wrong, but it can be seen from their perspective as Picard being affected by his experience. Might also explain why they intended to keep the 1701-E out of the fray in 1st Contact. You have to admit that Starfleet leadership would have every reason to suspect that the guy who'd been abducted & assimilated by them & then later let one go instead of taking tactical advantage of it, might be a bit on the undependable side in Borg matters

 

[Timo]

Contrary to some dialogue in TOS, it doesn't seem that becoming a Starfleet starship CO is subject to particularly strict criteria after all. We have seen a real zoo of types there, so Ben Maxwell being Ben Maxwell should not disqualify him a priori. And we have seen our main heroes fail and fumble again and again, so Ben Maxwell having erred or briefly fallen from grace should not disqualify him, either.

Everybody is clinically crazy one way or another. Characters in fiction, especially so, because they aren't inherently consistent or continuous but "written in pieces", which ultimately and unavoidably leads to them having shattered personalities. As far as Trek characters go, Maxwell just doesn't stand out in any way, and doesn't warrant any particular attention one way or another. (That is, until they make a spinoff show of him.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Newton]

Even in the enlightened 24th century as depicted in Trek, I can't picture Maxwell anywhere but prison. He murdered hundreds of sentient beings who were at peace with the Federation. I'm actually surprised Picard let him go back to his ship, considering what he did.

 

[BillJ]

Even in the enlightened 24th century as depicted in Trek, I can't picture Maxwell anywhere but prison. He murdered hundreds of sentient beings who were at peace with the Federation. I'm actually surprised Picard let him go back to his ship, considering what he did.

Hundreds of probable military personnel who were setting up a base to restart the war with the Federation. Picard simply was allowing a war hero to end his career with dignity.

 

[Use of Time]

Even in the enlightened 24th century as depicted in Trek, I can't picture Maxwell anywhere but prison. He murdered hundreds of sentient beings who were at peace with the Federation. I'm actually surprised Picard let him go back to his ship, considering what he did.

Hundreds of probable military personnel who were setting up a base to restart the war with the Federation. Picard simply was allowing a war hero to end his career with dignity.

That shouldn't matter. At that time those were not his lives to take. Add on the fact that he went rogue with a Federation starship in which he was responsible for countless lives. He almost forced the Federation into a war that they surely didn't need at the time seeing as how Wolf 359 was still pretty recent. We have no idea if the Federation would have naturally ended up at war with Cardassia if the Dominion hadn't forced the issue.

 

[Ian Keldon]

several people beat me to it

 

[R. Star]

Even in the enlightened 24th century as depicted in Trek, I can't picture Maxwell anywhere but prison. He murdered hundreds of sentient beings who were at peace with the Federation. I'm actually surprised Picard let him go back to his ship, considering what he did.

Hundreds of probable military personnel who were setting up a base to restart the war with the Federation. Picard simply was allowing a war hero to end his career with dignity.

That shouldn't matter. At that time those were not his lives to take. Add on the fact that he went rogue with a Federation starship in which he was responsible for countless lives. He almost forced the Federation into a war that they surely didn't need at the time seeing as how Wolf 359 was still pretty recent. We have no idea if the Federation would have naturally ended up at war with Cardassia if the Dominion hadn't forced the issue.

I don't recall the Dominion forcefully taking over Cardassia. They joined willingly. So they forced their own hand there.

Cardassia was right on the road to another war with the Federation until the Klingons beat them to the punch. The ds9 season 4/5 Cardassia was pretty much potrayed as being a fallen power, that was only being saved from total conquest by Federation intervention.

As for Maxwell, as I said I doubt he was in prison for long. The Federation penal system was laughable. Kassidy was gone less than a year for smuggling for the Maquis, and Garak only got six months for attempted genocide! In Voyager's Non Sequitor, Paris was released too which implies he would've been in prison only for a year or so.