That was a distressing amount of naivety from the captain of the Federation's flagship
Tho it's notable how fast Data corrected him with a few historical examples and Picard had no rebuttal lmao
this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2025
57 points (98.3% liked)
chapotraphouse
13992 readers
776 users here now
Banned? DM Wmill to appeal.
No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer
Slop posts go in c/slop. Don't post low-hanging fruit here.
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT3IluOrQQI&t=124s
Transcript
Data: Sir, I'm finding it difficult to understand many aspects of Ansata conduct. Much of their behavioral norm would be defined by my program as unnecessary and unacceptable.
Picard: Mhm. By my "program" as well, Data.
Data: But if that is so, Captain, why are their methods so often successful? I've been reviewing the history of armed rebellion, and it appears that terrorism is an effective way to promote political change.
Picard: Yes, it can be. But I have never subscribed to the theory that political power flows from the barrel of a gun.
Data: Yet there are numerous examples when it was successful: the independence of the Mexican state from Spain, the Irish Unification of 2024, and the Kenzie Rebellion.
Picard: Yes, I am aware of them.
Data: Then would it be accurate to say that terrorism is acceptable, when all options for peaceful settlement have been foreclosed?
Picard: Data, these are questions that mankind has been struggling with throughout history. Your confusion is...only human.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
tbf to Picard, although he says that in that episode, he wasn't a pacifist, and had no trouble breaking out the guns when necessary. Not as hardcore as Sisko, but def not the worst wartime captain.
"On Earth, there is no poverty, no crime, no war. You look out the window of Starfleet Headquarters and you see paradise. Well, it's easy to be a saint in paradise, but the Maquis do not live in paradise. Out there in the Demilitarized Zone, all the problems haven't been solved yet. Out there, there are no saints — just people. Angry, scared, determined people who are going to do whatever it takes to survive, whether it meets with Federation approval or not!" - Captain Benjamin Sisko
Living in paradise can ironically turn you into some sort of a lib again. 
Living in paradise can ironically turn you into some sort of a lib again.
being a status quo warrior for an actually good status quo is probably fine?
It'd be neat if they wrote it on purpose that Picard says shit like this while routinely welding a massive gun to the ends of supplying political power to the federation. Especially how, often times, the enterprise massively outguns random crappy triangle freighters piloted by the Glip Glorp of the week. There's an interesting moral conundrum there.
Of course they didn't write him like that, but it'd be cool if they did.
Picard is a civility lib, It Is Known - Sisko was a war criminal for other reasons but he at least knew this principle
that's from an episode that's pro-terrorism by today's standards. I'm more upset we missed the irish reunification last year.
Yeah, it flows from the
Political power grows out of the cracker of a barrel
New tagline just dropped
Sisko still the GOAT
Sisko is basically space Stalin. Man of steel ready to do whatever is necessary to protect his people from the dominion.
Of course he wouldn't, sadly in universe it does make sense. Utopia has been achieved for centuries and Earth is a united planet, there is no struggle except against "alien" species. He is a diplomat but also in the "military". Whatever the Federation decides he is almost certain to follow no matter what.
The only possible conflict is against alien species where except from the bigger empires its clear the Federation is the top dog in the galaxy except for the delta quadrant shit they don't have to deal with anyway.
Basicaly they don't have to fight anyone unless they're attacked. I think that one DS9-Eddington's dialogue is appropriate, the Federation is realy like an assimilation machine, fairness and dialogue only on their terms, gunboat diplomacy etc.
For him to support any sort of resistance it would mean political interference, exactly the thing the Prime directive forbids. The PD alone is another can of worms that leads to this stuff being both good and bad.
???
I found a YouTube link in your post. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: