Moral dilemma: Should Worf have just let Garak...

[Timo]

I assume you mean these events were wrongly justified by people at the time. They can't be justified by any sane morality. You can't murder an entire race of people. You can't murder one person.

I don't see how times would have changed since then. Murder is still legal and recommended in most of its forms. Genocide is still democratically supported national policy for the world's leading nations. The only case in which you can't murder is if you're not empowered enough...

Investigation of war "crimes" is a meaningless concept when (not if) only the losers are investigated. The winner of a war is automatically guilty of murder, there's simply no way around it (unless you fight wars the James Kirk way, by setting your phaser on stun). You seem to feel that necessity doesn't make murder more acceptable - so necessity can't be used as an argument in renaming murder into "military heroism", either.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[G2309]

I'm saying theres a difference between killing for necessity and murder. Genocide is mass murder against people who aren't combatant for the most part. I don't think it would be overlooked today if britain, America or other european countries decided to kill all the disabled people or all the homeless people in their country for example.

 

[T'Girl]

It also might be relevant that , with the exception of Odo, we never heard of any decent amongst the Founders as to whether the war was to be prosecuted. Because of the great link, the Founders were of one mind. There were in fact no innocent bystanders, no out of touch farmers, no one protesting their governments actions.

Is it genocide, when you're almost talking about single individual?

 

[Timo]

Hmh? The same could be applied to 9/11: every one of the victims was "guilty", because the US is a democracy and they all either voted for the US policies or then yielded to the election results.

The Link does argue - it spent lots and lots of time deciding what to do with Odo in "Broken Link", for example. The result of the argument may technically be unanimous, but that's no different from having a democracy.

Is it genocide, when you're almost talking about single individual?

If somebody popped B-4 now, that would apparently be genocide, yes. Considering that Data is dead, Lore is disassembled, and Julianna Tainer probably executed her aging subroutine to the hilt, it would be the end of the Soongian android genus.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradon]

I'm afraid the Link may have forced the other changlings, who may have not approved of them starting wars and killing the solids, to go a long with their agenda. As the female changling has demonstrated with Odo.

 

[G2309]

Odo is proof their cabable of being individuals.

 

[Timo]

...OTOH, Odo is just an infant. The Changeling physiology may well be based on distinct stages of existence, with the infants losing their individuality as they mature.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[G2309]

...OTOH, Odo is just an infant. The Changeling physiology may well be based on distinct stages of existence, with the infants losing their individuality as they mature.

Timo Saloniemi

Thats just guessing though which is hardly something starfleet would do to justify mass murder. Garak or section 31 on the other hand...