Did Picard make the right decision with the Son'a/Baku

[Godless Raven]

In Insurrection, Picard decides to side with the Baku violating orders from his Admiral as well as a part of the Federation Council (section 31 might've been involved also). Picard's decision prevented the Federation from accessing the planet, preventing them from developing various medical breakthroughs.

Did he make the right decision?

 

[MacLeod]

Yes, the Ba'ku settled on the planet before the Federation was founded. The Prime Directive forbids them from interferring in pre-warp planets or planets that don't want anything to do with the Federation. It initally seemed as if the Ba'ku were pre-warp and when it was discovered that they where warp capable nobody asked them would you mind moving so we can use the wonders of this planet to benefit hundreds of billions. Instead they tried to engage in forced re-location by deception.

 

[BillJ]

Yes, no and maybe.

That's all I'm willing to say in any thread regarding the move.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Maybe you should go read one of the many threads that already discuss this question.

Next.

 

[R. Star]

The Baku were not a sympathetic species at all. Their level of self-entitlement is just staggering. They all but declare their immortality is more important than anyone else, including the Son'a. Exiling them is the equivalent of a capital sentence, and well the ones that were too far gone? Too bad. They just die. End of the movie. But Picard got laid, so who cares if the Federation drove the Son'a into the Dominion alliance, and if they didn't get new medical advances that surely would've helped in the war.

 

[sonak]

The Baku were not a sympathetic species at all. Their level of self-entitlement is just staggering. They all but declare their immortality is more important than anyone else, including the Son'a. Exiling them is the equivalent of a capital sentence, and well the ones that were too far gone? Too bad. They just die. End of the movie. But Picard got laid, so who cares if the Federation drove the Son'a into the Dominion alliance, and if they didn't get new medical advances that surely would've helped in the war.

this


Also, this is probably one of THE most discussed topics on this board.

 

[BillJ]

Also, this is probably one of THE most discussed topics on this board.

With the same folks (myself included) making the same points over and over and over again. It invariably devolves into a pissing match, which is what I think the original poster is hoping happens here.

 

[R. Star]

Yeah, maybe I should just save my answers to posts like this and copy and paste at need.

Of course by the logic Maxwell put out there we should shut down all the forums save NuTrek since it's all been discussed before.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I vote yes by virtue of Picard had this guy working for him

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks5uFjK1iG0[/yt]

And remember Picard is the only one he has ever respected enough not to do something like that if he ever pissed him off enough.

 

[-Brett-]

Yes, Picard made the right choice. Just because someone's an ass doesn't give you the right to bulldoze his house and kick him out on the street. Unsympathetic as the Ba'ku were, they had the right to not have their property stolen and destroyed.

 

[OneBuckFilms]

I don't think the Baku are asses at all. That planet is their home, and has been for a long time. They have as much right to live in their home as you do yours.

I'm sure they would be amenable to the rings being studied, and might be willing to provide insights into it, were it not for the Sona.

If I were being kicked out of my home of hundreds of years, I'd be "an ass" too.

 

[DonIago]

I live in a two-bedroom apartment that's not exactly massive. If someone wants to give me tons of money to find a new place to live, or can recreate my apartment in approximately 10 seconds (replicators), then, everything else being equal, I'd be happy to move.

If they tell me my move will essentially unleash the cure for cancer? Even better.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I live in a two-bedroom apartment that's not exactly massive. If someone wants to give me tons of money to find a new place to live,

Which the Ba'ku weren't getting

or can recreate my apartment in approximately 10 seconds (replicators), then, everything else being equal, I'd be happy to move.

So you would be okay with them kidnapping you?

If they tell me my move will essentially unleash the cure for cancer? Even better.

Except if everything had gone according to plan the Ba'ku were going to be told anything.

 

[DonIago]

The Baku were made aware of what was going on during the developments in the film. I didn't see any of them saying, "Oh...well, if it will help millions of people, sure I'll move."

 

[R. Star]

The Baku were made aware of what was going on during the developments in the film. I didn't see any of them saying, "Oh...well, if it will help millions of people, sure I'll move."

This. And before the film even started the exiled the Son'a to basic death sentences simply because they chose a different way of life. The Son'a were no bargain either don't get me wrong there, but the two were definitely cut from the same cloth.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

That magic radiation from the Ba'ku planetary system? There's no definite proof it would even work in the first place. Didn't help the Son'a much, did it? And I find it very likely that it would not work at all outside of that system. It works IN the system because it's the natural order of things. Trying to replicate it artificially would probably not work.

 

[Marsden]

That magic radiation from the Ba'ku planetary system? There's no definite proof it would even work in the first place. Didn't help the Son'a much, did it? And I find it very likely that it would not work at all outside of that system. It works IN the system because it's the natural order of things. Trying to replicate it artificially would probably not work.

I agree with your assesment. It's very much like the lifespan of the Kohms, it's natural to that planet.

 

[DonIago]

I'm not sure what is meant by it not having helped the Son'a. They were Baku until they were exiled, and IIRC Dougherty mentioned that in their current state the Son'a would need long-term treatment to be restored.

 

[R. Star]

I'm not sure what is meant by it not having helped the Son'a. They were Baku until they were exiled, and IIRC Dougherty mentioned that in their current state the Son'a would need long-term treatment to be restored.

Doughterty's next sentence was "Some of them won't last that long." And they were talking about the normal exposure to the technobabble on the planet, not their super concentrated collected dose or whatever.

 

[sonak]

That magic radiation from the Ba'ku planetary system? There's no definite proof it would even work in the first place. Didn't help the Son'a much, did it? And I find it very likely that it would not work at all outside of that system. It works IN the system because it's the natural order of things. Trying to replicate it artificially would probably not work.

That magic radiation from the Ba'ku planetary system? There's no definite proof it would even work in the first place. Didn't help the Son'a much, did it? And I find it very likely that it would not work at all outside of that system. It works IN the system because it's the natural order of things. Trying to replicate it artificially would probably not work.

I agree with your assesment. It's very much like the lifespan of the Kohms, it's natural to that planet.

assuming that a fake sci-fi process won't work when the movie clearly intends to indicate that it WOULD work is a rather silly way to avoid the issue IMHO.