Picard: Is He The Most Reckless Captain In Star Trek?

They could have had other Fed. ships handling security while the war game was ongoing.

Later in this episode, Data trolls the military advisor so hard he ragequits from a game they are playing.

There's one problem I've always had with this episode. It's never made any sense to me why this battle simulation is taking place somewhere that was so easily accessible to opposing forces.

This for me is Picard's "Janeway Moment"; the "I don't respond well to threats" (And makes that itself, sound like a threat), and then follows through on the Trek-equivalent of F**k You! Which honestly, makes it more believable. As a species, human's are incredibly stubborn, brave and stupid in equal measure and often at the same time. I think he gambles that the Ferengi aren't actually interested in a fight. If this was a Romulan, Klingon or even Cardassian ship, he might have taken a different approach. But he reasons that there is no value to the Ferengi in destroying the Federation flagship, that will have MAJOR consequences that are likely to be unprofitable in the long run. And a Constellation class has previously been abandoned by the Star Fleet and captured by the Ferengi, so you can see the Ferengi reasoning; disable the Enterprise, get them to hand over the Hathaway and then bugger off and wait for Starfleet to shrug and move on. But Picard needed a way to get rid of the Hathaway, Riker gave him that and so he played his gamble. It hardly the first time a Starfleet captain has played a reckless, even foolhardy gamble for a big W, but that's a very human trait. And yes, this is one of my favourite episodes, just everything that makes Trek great in one place. It is kind of moronic that there was no cordon around the area, surely the test of a ship-scale combat simulation system is something Starfleet would want to keep prying eyes well away from...

Wasn’t the Stargazer destroyed by Ferengi? Picard might have flashbacks to his first ship and wasn’t gunna let Ferengi hurt his guys again

0:04 - This really drives home the idea that TNG was the “decadent golden age” for the Federation. How many Fed officers thought like this, and how much death could have been prevented in the next couple of decades if they had taken preparations more seriously?

Well in cannon, the Ferengi have developed some of the most powerful warships, but never use them in force because it would be too expensive

"So is this a declaration of war by the Ferengi upon the Federation? Ferenginar will hold you responsible for starting a war with the largest faction in the quadrant. Will they be pleased with your actions? Or will they strip you of all profits and hand you over to Starfleet to avoid a war with our Empire?"

Riker should have been chewed out later on (orn at least admitted he was wrong) for saying that combat was not a high priority for Starfleet.

Reminder: This episode includes one of the most notable "dammit westley" moments

Short answer: No. Because Sisko punched Q and I can't think of anything MORE reckless than that.

I mean, Picard has shown that he's willing to recklessly sacrifice the lives of entire civilizations just so that HE doesn't have to worry about breaking any rules. I think that's a form of recklessness. However... No, he is NOT the most reckless captain. Just ask the... survivors... of Voyager's journey through the Delta Quadrant.

In the skirmish between Enterprise, Hathaway, and the Ferengi, you have two ships that are not ready for combat forced into a combat situation by a misunderstanding. The Enterprise has at least 1,000 souls on board, likely even more since I doubt the advisor was counting the civilians. The Hathaway, an older, weaker ship, has only 40 souls. Given the fact that the Enterprise is unable to even defend itself, let alone also defend the Hathaway, the only appropriate tactical decision is for the Enterprise to withdraw. Risking 1,000 or more people and the flagship of the Federation in an effort to save a ship that will probably be retired in a few more years is a foolish and wasteful choice. But you are correct in your conclusion. Picard is, like Pike, an idealist. He believes in the ideals of the Federation and those ideals don't allow him to abandon his crew to their deaths, even if it means more people get killed.

We all know no captain can hold a candle in the terms of "recklessness" compared to Captain Janeway.

Looking this over I keep hitting one issue. (I have many for this episode) The in and out of universe divide. In universe this was reckless and the plan even more so. Picard could have used diplomacy with the Ferengi. You care about the crew not the older ship. Explain it is a war game, but he is willing to trade for the Hathaway. But the ferengi did damage the Enterprise transporters, so by the 77th rule of acquisition the ferengi will be charged for the repairs. . . Thus Picard uses diplomacy in place of violence and shows Why combat is a minor province. Out of universe, one item is the Enterprise is supposed to separate the saucer when going to combat to send those civilians to safety. Then the much nimbler and now much tougher star drive section goes to battle. Why is this out of universe? Because the separation sequence is costly so often ignored for budget reasons.

reminds me of an older meme i saw a while ago. kirk only seems so reckless because hes compared to spock. and picard seems so calm because hes next to riker. picard nearly died in a bar fight before he earned to chill out

Picard was mad at Q in "Q Who" when 18 people were lost to the Borg, he truly does care about humanity. Picard is Starfleet's equivalent of The Doctor, Brains over Brawn, Gives everyone a fair chance and if they choose otherwise then we all knows the results! Picard should have been one of Starfleet's finest ThinkTanks but nope it all went downhill after Nemesis.

The Ferengi aren't stupid. Trade the lives on the Hathaway for the ship. Ask to evac the people and then let the Ferengi have it. Also doesnt the Hathaway have transports? What about the shuttles, they have transports. Finally, Picard couldn't let the Hathaway get blown up because Wesley is on it. I'm still convinced Picard is Wesley's father.

Picard was morality right, and he was tactically wrong.

This was a crazy episode. Why not have a battle simulation mode which locks everything in the minimum yield ? This same mode could be engaged and disengaged with a computer access code from either of the top 3 officers.