Wesley's Captain

[Valdivia]

Most of us will remember Wesley Crusher’s storyline throughout The Next Generation. A powerful alien, apparently with knowledge about the universe that far exceeded what any human had ever possessed, offered him to leave Starfleet behind and join him in a voyage of discovery like no one had ever imagined. If you don’t know what Wesley decided, I won’t spoil it. But let’s see it from captain Picard’s perspective.

You are the captain of a starship, and one of your crewmembers is offered a choice, by a powerful alien. He could share his powers, learn everything the alien had, but he would have to leave everything behind. And, of course, there is no way to ascertain whether the alien’s words are true. It could as well be a trap, and this choice lead him to a painful death. 

The crewmember is considering it, and is convinced that the alien is, at least, trustworthy. You are not convinced, and worry about the consequences, but also the moral issues involved. Even if it was grave danger, would you be in a position to stop them?

Finally, the crewmember decides to go. What will you do? 

This is a new question from our category Morals of Trek, where you are in the shoes of a Starfleet Captain facing a dilemma any of our favorite characters could have faced in Star Trek. If your crew has faced any such dilemmas and you want to see it featured in a Poll of the Week, let us know!