10 Star Trek Captains Who Broke The Rules
9. Benjamin Maxwell
Ben Maxwell's story of disobedience is a tragic one. Here was a man haunted by the horrors of the Cardassian Wars, unable to come to terms with what he's lost. Though that should make him a pitiable man, here it instead makes him a dangerous one.
Taking the USS Phoenix into Cardassian territory and attacking their bases and ships, without provocation, Maxwell threatens to plunge Starfleet into conflicts anew with their tenuous allies. Though history may have vindicated at least some of his beliefs, the fact is that in Starfleet, there is no room for a rogue officer.
The scene in Maxwell's Ready Room, quiet and reflective, is a powerful image detailing the costs of war on those that are forced to fight them. O'Brien does talk him down, but Maxwell has broken so many rules and violated protocols that his career will forever be remembered for his final acts.
It's unclear if he was ever drafted to fight in the Dominion War, though it is unlikely. Therefore, Maxwell's rule breaking cost him everything that he had left.