The Worst Actions By Star Trek Captains...

Star Trek has introduced viewers to a world of space exploration under the guidance of several different captains. As the show's initial slogan says, captains led the way to "explore strange new worlds" and "boldly go where no one has gone before." But not every decision by the Star Trek captains has been the right decision. Federation starship captains have pushed legal and moral boundaries to reach a desired outcome. Some have even done things that would be considered evil to protect themselves, their crews, and Starfleet itself. In the end, every captain must take actions that are morally questionable. Here's each captain's clearest example. James Kirk: Stranding Khan... At the moment, this decision by Kirk looked like the most prudent. Kirk gave Khan the option of either returning with the Enterprise as a prisoner, or being marooned on a planet. Khan chose to be marooned, because he would still be in charge of his own fate. But when Starfleet was conducting experiments in that region of space during The Wrath of Khan, this became a colossal oversight. Khan is able to escape and commandeer a ship to attack the Enterprise. Kirk's decision leads to Khan's actions, and requires Spock to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the crew from certain destruction. Jean-Luc Picard: Allowed Hugh To Return To The Borg... The Borg have been some of the most terrifying villains in Star Trek with many captains desperate to find a defense against the Borg. That puts Picard in quite the moral conundrum when he finds an injured Borg separated from the collective. Can he rescue the Borg? And, if it lives, will he let it return? Jean-Luc Picard chooses to follow his personal morals to protect living things. He and the Enterprise crew nurse the Borg back to health and allow it to return to the collective. Picardias even presented with the opportunity to load a virus into the Borg that could have taken out the collective and protected others. Every decision, both made and unmade, are morally questionable because of the danger the Borg present. Benjamin Sisko: Committed War Crimes... Captain Benjamin Sisko goes to some of the greatest lengths of any captain to help the Federation in their war with the Dominion. At one point, he enlists Garak to fake evidence of a planned Dominion attack on Romulus and helps Garak murder a Romulan Senator to get the Romulans to side with the Federation. But when one of his crew is revealed to be a Maquis spy, he goes to great lengths to capture one man. Sisko poisons a planet's atmosphere, endangering thousands of people in a Maquis colony, just to capture Michael Eddington. Sisko proves he is willing to commit mass murder all due to one man's betrayal. Kathryn Janeway: Forged An Alliance With The Borg... Given how dangerous the Borg have proven to be, forging an alliance with an enemy that wants to assimilate the universe is a risky proposition. But Captain Kathryn Janeway needed a way to get her crew back to the Alpha quadrant safely and had to travel through Borg territory to do it, so she made the alliance. When it is revealed that another species, 8472, is attacking the Borg, it appears like Janeway has made the right decision and could work on finding a valuable ally in the Collective. However, new information later reveals that the Borg launched the attack, and Species 8472 was actually just defending itself. Janeway actually helped the Borg on its mission to assimilate the universe, in an effort to protect her crew. Jonathan Archer: Raided A Ship... Jonathan Archer has a little more leeway than other Starfleet captains. He was among the first to explore space, and didn't have a Prime Directive to follow. He had to learn right and wrong in the far reaches of space on his own. That is the most on display during the events of Enterprise season three, when the Enterprise is responding to the Xindi attack on Earth. The Enterprise needs a replacement warp core to continue its mission, but the only ship they find only has one warp core and refuses to trade it. Archer decides to take a party onto this civilian vessel and steal their warp core. He rationalizes that it's for the greater good, but he still attacked a civilian vessel, stole from its crew, and sentenced them to a longer journey home, despite them having no connection to the Xindi attack. Philippa Georgiou: Looked Weak In Front Of Klingons... This captain is the only one whose worst actions cost her own life. Georgiou doesn't want to enter battle with any alien races, so she attempts a diplomatic approach on Star Trek: Discovery. However, that turns out to be a mistake. The Klingons attack her ship, killing her and forcing her First Officer, Michael Burnham, to make a decision that ends with her labeled a war criminal. Burnham had told Georgiou the Klingons would respect her if she fired on them first. Georgiou should have listened to Burnham. Gabriel Lorca: Impersonating A Starfleet Officer... Following the death of Captain Georgiou, Captain Gabriel Lorca assumes command of Discovery. He leads the crew on their missions during the first season of the series. He reinstates Michael Burnham to the crew despite her being considered a war criminal, and even puts his trust in a fellow inmate who was held captive at a Klingon prison. However, when the Discovery travels to the Mirror Universe, Lorca's true intentions are revealed, and he becomes the first season's biggest villain. It's discovered that he is an inhabitant of the Mirror Universe who had been banished after trying to overthrow Empress Georgiou. These events lead to Burnham leading the crew against him to save themselves. Lorca impersonated a Starfleet officer, so he could take command of a ship and return to his home universe. Christopher Pike: Starting The Romulan War... Strange New Worlds takes a different tack when introducing some of Star Trek's iconic villains for the new series. Having to address the canon arrival of the Romulans during Kirk's time, the show found a way to introduce the villains during Pike's service. Pike has to play out a similar scenario that Kirk had to play out in The Original Series, but Pike doesn't fare nearly as well as Kirk does. In the end, Pike's actions actually start the decades-long war with the Romulans. ~ From "Gamerant".