Star Trek: 10 Dumbest Decisions By Starfleet Officers
1. Lt. Joe Tormolen Takes Off His Gloves - The Naked Time
There is literally no excuse for this one. Lt. Joe Tormolen was a science officer aboard the Enterprise and he joined Spock on an away mission to the planet Psi-2000. This colony had been destroyed when every colonist killed themselves. Though Spock and Tormolen were unaware of it at the time, the infamous Psi 2000 ploywater virus had caused them all to become and act intoxicated, to the point that they destroyed themselves.
The two men beamed down to the planet in environmental suits, following standard quarantine procedures. Then, bafflingly, Tormolen removes one of his gloves to scratch an itch. He then places this hand on the surface near a blood stain, becoming infected with the virus and bringing it back up to the ship.
Let's recap.
Science officer. Environmental Suit. Clear signs of contagion all around them. Removes gloves.
The man ends up stabbing himself with a knife in the mess hall, which does make him a bit of a tragic figure. Still, it is a little hard to feel too sorry for the man who caused such chaos aboard the ship and was almost responsible for the deaths of every member of the crew. Oh Joe.