Star Trek: 10 Starfleet Officers Who Betrayed The Federation
2. Captain Jean Luc Picard
For many years, the idea of betraying the Federation would have seemed antithetical to Captain Picard. He was a dedicated officer, believing whole heartedly in the Prime Directive and rarely questioning its place and importance. Though he skirted insubordination while commanding the Enterprise-D, most notably in his refusal to turn Data's daughter, Lal, over to Vice Admiral Haftel, he generally kept himself to the line of duty.
This changed while commanding the Enterprise-E. Commander Data was assigned to observe the Bak'u village, and accidentally discovered plans to move the people off the planet. Though both Starfleet and the S'ona officers tried to destroy him, he escaped - becoming a liability for Starfleet.
Once Picard became aware of the plan, he confronted Admiral Dougherty, the Starfleet commander in charge of the mission. At first, Picard believed there was a rogue faction attempting to steal the planet. He was truly shocked when he discovered that the Federation had ordered the mission, believing the benefits of the planet (specifically the radiation in the planet's rings, that reversed aging and damage) to be too great to ignore.
Picard made a choice, which very nearly cost him his ship and his career. He initially planned to take the Captain's Yacht and save the Bak'u himself, taking the blame squarely on his shoulders. Thankfully, his crew refused. They supported him. Riker took the Enterprise-E back to inform Starfleet of what was actually happening, engaging the S'ona ships along the way.
Admiral Dougherty did come to understand Picard's decision, though was killed before he could aid him. While Picard did not receive a reprimand for his actions, the mission was scrapped.