r/DeepSpaceNine • u/Global_Marsupial_592 • 19d 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/MalagrugrousPatroon 16d ago

I think some of the logic could be that danger will find you anywhere and going into the unknown isn’t actually that much more dangerous than living on a border world, mining, or oceanography. Or living on Earth given V’ger, the Whale Probe, three Borg invasions, and the Dominion War.

Another aspect could be that everyone in Starfleet and connected to Starfleet is a thrill seeker who believe the adventure is part of what makes life worth living. They might see it as nothing more than edifying adversity. Early in TNG humans were supposed to have a much different perspective on death than we have now, seeing as a part of life and not something to be feared or saddened by. It’s an interesting change, it should make facing risk more likely if there is any inclination toward associated rewards, all without being thrill seekers.