okmatewanker

You're Captain Kirk and are exploring a new planet. In the course of your duties you discover that Orion slave traders have been here and the inhabitants are slave owners. You're horrified by what you're seeing and feel you must free the slaves above all else.

Do you:

• Attack the owners with the objective of breaking the slaves out and escaping unharmed.
• Buy all the slaves and walk out with them safely. Then set them all free immediately.

I'd argue that in a lot of situations the second call is better. It guarantees the safety and the freedom of the enslaved person. The first option sounds heroic but the outcome is far from predicable.

• You may lose the fight, and the situation continues
• Enslaved people may get caught in the crossfire, or more likely made to fight against you. You now have to defeat the people you're trying to free.
• You're partially successful, but those that remain are treated even worse as the owner takes their losses out on them.

The one downside is that the slave owner has now been paid and may use that money to buy more slaves. However if you also get Starfleet to setup a blockade of the planet Orion to stop them moving slaves throughout the galaxy you can cut things off at source.

Regardless. What matters is the freedom of the individuals. No ex-slave was angry at somebody who paid to set them free. I'm sure they were angry with everyone else in the chain, but that last one... They get a pass.