USS Stargazer

[Mark]

In the season one episode "The Battle" the Ferengi use Picards old ship, USS Stargazer, which he had abandoned some years earlier, to lure him into a trap. What kind of starship captain would abandon his own ship, just leaving it adrift for any alien species to find it, and all of that abandoned technology floating around. What's worse, what if it was found by an early spacefaring civilization, and finding that ship changed the course of their natural evoulution? Ooops. Prime Directive violation. Is this type of situation EXACTLY one of the reasons the self destruct feature was built onto a starship? Once he know that he had to abandon ship to save his crew, why didn't he destroy the ship?

Come to think of it, after they were rescued, why didn't Starfleet send a ship back to bring her in?

[Aaron]

In the season one episode "The Battle" the Ferengi use Picards old ship, USS Stargazer, which he had abandoned some years earlier, to lure him into a trap. What kind of starship captain would abandon his own ship, just leaving it adrift for any alien species to find it, and all of that abandoned technology floating around. What's worse, what if it was found by an early spacefaring civilization, and finding that ship changed the course of their natural evoulution? Ooops. Prime Directive violation. Is this type of situation EXACTLY one of the reasons the self destruct feature was built onto a starship? Once he know that he had to abandon ship to save his crew, why didn't he destroy the ship?

Come to think of it, after they were rescued, why didn't Starfleet send a ship back to bring her in?

Personally I think this is why Picard spent a long time between commands. Not scuttling your ship when you abondon it is a pretty goddamn stupid and negligent act.

[Mikey]

It's been a while since I've seen the ep - why did he abandon the ship?

[Aaron]

It's been a while since I've seen the ep - why did he abandon the ship?

She was on fire.

[Mark]

On fire, in space. He could have opened some airlocks and put out. Obviously the ship was repairable, after all, the ferengi got it going again, and got it going well enough that the E-D judged it a threat.

[Mikey]

So, he just left it there to be salvaged by anybody who might want it? I'm all for Picard in a lot of things, but that's pretty damned stupid.

[Aaron]

On fire, in space. He could have opened some airlocks and put out. Obviously the ship was repairable, after all, the ferengi got it going again, and got it going well enough that the E-D judged it a threat.

If you watch the episode, her bridge is about as damaged as the Big-E in TWOK...

[Captain Seafort]

Given how prone to blowing up Fed ships tend to be, it's possible that Picard abandoned ship believing she was about to lose antimatter containment or suffer a core breach. Careless, but not quite as bad as abandoning a salvageable ship. Unfortunately for him the Stargazer proved a somewhat tougher ship than later designs, perhaps not surprising since the Constellation looks like a movie design, from the era of competent starship construction.

[Sionnach Glic]

You'd wonder how he eventualy came to take command of the Federation flagship in that case.

[Reliant121]

I had always wondered that. I'd always wondered how the federation never recovered the Stargazer. I mean, if she was abandoned on the edge of Federation space, near the Ferengi border, then surely the federation's exploration missions would have recovered her?

And it is a testiment to TMP decent engineering. i've always liked the Constellations. Bulky and brawny, just as they should be.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

I had always wondered that. I'd always wondered how the federation never recovered the Stargazer. I mean, if she was abandoned on the edge of Federation space, near the Ferengi border, then surely the federation's exploration missions would have recovered her?

Not if the Ferengi got there first. If they towed the Stargazer out of there before a recovery team showed up then the team would assume the ship lost anti-matter containment or something.

[Reliant121]

I suppose.

[Mikey]

the team would assume the ship lost anti-matter containment or something.

Because they would know how Starfleet design works, too.

[Mark]

I had always wondered that. I'd always wondered how the federation never recovered the Stargazer. I mean, if she was abandoned on the edge of Federation space, near the Ferengi border, then surely the federation's exploration missions would have recovered her?

Not if the Ferengi got there first. If they towed the Stargazer out of there before a recovery team showed up then the team would assume the ship lost anti-matter containment or something.

And not leave any kind of debris field at all? Or even a particle signature of an explosion? But then, I don't remember Picard saying anything about her losing containment. Just about her being adrift or something like that. But still. Don't you think he'd at least make sure? His first responsablitity is to the ship after all. That would mean making SURE she didn't fall into anybody else's hands. Hell, even if the auto destruct sequence was damaged and inoperable, they could have rigged some charges in key areas, or even taken several passes with shuttle phasers. It's not like Stargazer had shields or anything. He COULD have made sure nobody else got their hands on her.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

I had always wondered that. I'd always wondered how the federation never recovered the Stargazer. I mean, if she was abandoned on the edge of Federation space, near the Ferengi border, then surely the federation's exploration missions would have recovered her?

Not if the Ferengi got there first. If they towed the Stargazer out of there before a recovery team showed up then the team would assume the ship lost anti-matter containment or something.

And not leave any kind of debris field at all? Or even a particle signature of an explosion? But then, I don't remember Picard saying anything about her losing containment. Just about her being adrift or something like that. But still. Don't you think he'd at least make sure? His first responsablitity is to the ship after all. That would mean making SURE she didn't fall into anybody else's hands. Hell, even if the auto destruct sequence was damaged and inoperable, they could have rigged some charges in key areas, or even taken several passes with shuttle phasers. It's not like Stargazer had shields or anything. He COULD have made sure nobody else got their hands on her.

He was retreating from a then-unknown enemy. He may have put the lives of his men over the destruction of the ship they abandoned. Also, anti-matter annihalates any matter it touches. There may not be a lot of debris left from an anti-matter reaction.