Star Trek: 10 Captains That Totally LOST IT
4. Benjamin Maxwell Becomes A Vigilante
Captain Picard himself described Benjamin Maxwell as one of Starfleet's finest captains. But what happens to a fine captain when the burden becomes too much?
The Wounded opens with the revelation that a Federation starship has destroyed an unarmed Cardassian science station, threatening the delicate treaty that exists between the two powers that were once at war. It beggars belief when it's discovered that Maxwell is responsible.
Picard approaches Miles O'Brien, who served under Maxwell during the war. He, too, sees the decorated war hero as a good man and is convinced he must have a reason for his actions. But Picard questions how Maxwell handled the loss of his family during a Cardassian raid, and O'Brien confirms he never missed a minute's duty. And this is the crux of Maxwell's story.
When Picard finally catches up with Maxwell, he doesn't deny what he's done. On the contrary, he suspected the station to be a military facility and has no regrets.
He lost trust in Starfleet to take action. So he took it upon himself to destroy the threat, treaty or no treaty.
In contrast, O'Brien makes a heartfelt admission to a visiting Cardassian:
It's not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.
These two men still carry the scars of war. Maxwell's suppressed grief over the loss of his family and the horror of conflict finally caught up with him, and he buckled under the weight. It's an achingly complex story that was aired in a time when PTSD wasn't talked about in the same way it is now.
Whether his suspicions of the Cardassians were true or not, becoming a vigilante wasn't the answer. There was a key difference between O'Brien and Maxwell...for O'Brien, the war was over, but being felt. But Maxwell was still trapped in it.