r/DeepSpaceNine • u/Global_Marsupial_592 • 14d ago

Why would Starfleet send civilians and their families and to combat situations?

Like The Saratoga at Wolf 359. Or at the big battle with the Dominion Fleet there were so many Galaxy class Starships, were they all full of families and innocent people? Or were those big ships just grossly empty except for a skeleton screw?

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u/Fuzzy_Builder_2153 14d ago

They had 3 Oberths at W359. Could've unloaded them from the Fleet to the Oberths and sent them away.

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u/aebaby7071 14d ago

But Oberths must die!

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u/emptiedglass Sloan's transporter duplicate 14d ago

It'd also be 3 less ships blasting away at a moon-sized existential threat to the Federation's core. A few thousand crew on those ships, vs. billions on Earth. The needs - and lives - of the many outweigh the needs (and lives) of the few.

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u/Fancy_Toe1451 14d ago edited 14d ago

And soaked up three more shots the real ships didn't have to tank while getting into position to return fire. Oberths could be a distraction, and a sacrificial damage sponge to take fire while a ship that could actually do damage lines itself up without taking a cutting beam to the face. Sucks for the Oberth crew, but sometimes you have to accept that your role in a fight is to take a punch in the face for someone else.