Kasidy Yates did nothing illegal

[Crewman6]

Or Picard was simply trying to drive home the severity of the decision. Or he was mistaken.
Or he was correct but the Federation changed their minds and arranged a deal so that Federation citizens remained so. Picard's words were right at the beginning of the situation, before all the wrinkles could be ironed out.

Allow me to quote Picard himself in Preemptive Strike...

"To all Maquis ships. Call off your attack or we will be forced to engage you. You are Federation citizens. Your actions are in violation of our treaty with the Cardassians. Call off your attack."

Those are true quotes, of course. But the inconsistency is nothing if not consistent.

From the very episode we're discussing:

EDDINGTON
If she's really a Maquis, then
she's no longer a Federation
citizen.
And in "Blaze of Glory"

EDDINGTON
The Maquis colonies were going to
declare themselves an independent
nation.

To me, it seems like the writers honestly forgot the Maquis were supposed to have abandoned their UFP citizenry as established in Journey's End, which was the initial intent (as it was the episode that laid all the groundwork.) But, of course it's all a bit muddy.

By ignoring or forgetting that original intention and insisting that they are still "members of the Federation", it makes it justifiable for Starfleet/the UFP to keep going after them across all three series.

 

[Crewman6]

Have you given any thought to writing up an "off the record" scenario depicting Yates' Federation advocate's argument in her favor?

Like fan fic? No. I've taken my arguments as far as I'd like.

If Star Trek could infinitely fund writer royalties and/or accommodate the increased pay of extras with many lines/recurring actors, it would be a very different franchise.

I'm not sure I know what you mean.

 

[Tosk]

Those are true quotes, of course. But the inconsistency is nothing if not consistent.

From the very episode we're discussing:

EDDINGTON
If she's really a Maquis, then
she's no longer a Federation
citizen.
And in "Blaze of Glory"

EDDINGTON
The Maquis colonies were going to
declare themselves an independent
nation.

To me, it seems like the writers honestly forgot the Maquis were supposed to have abandoned their UFP citizenry as established in Journey's End, which was the initial intent (as it was the episode that laid all the groundwork.) But, of course it's all a bit muddy.

By ignoring or forgetting that original intention and insisting that they are still "members of the Federation", it makes it justifiable for Starfleet/the UFP to keep going after them across all three series.

Politics can be complicated. I choose to believe the situation was ever-changing.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Politics can be complicated. I choose to believe the situation was ever-changing.

The entire theme of the Maquis is that reality often leads to messy results, not broad principles and clean cut boundaries.

 

[Captrek]

Yes, Star Trek is routinely wildly inconsistent. It's a sprawling franchise with a million tiny details. It's written by people, who, last time I checked, are fallible.

More to the point, people who don’t prioritize consistency. Star Wars is a sprawling franchise with a million tiny details that, with minor exceptions, are very consistent. Star Trek embraces retcons. It’s a different animal.

You want to try to reconcile “The Host” with DS9? I don’t,

EDDINGTON
If she's really a Maquis, then
she's no longer a Federation
citizen.

That line troubles me. Of course she’s a citizen. She’s a suspected smuggler, and if the Maquis are a Federation enemy she’s also a suspected traitor. But even if the penalty for treason includes loss of citizenship (yikes!) she should still be entitled to due process.