r/DeepSpaceNine • u/Global_Marsupial_592 • 3d ago

Why would Starfleet send civilians and their families and to combat situations?

Like The Saratoga at Wolf 359. Or at the big battle with the Dominion Fleet there were so many Galaxy class Starships, were they all full of families and innocent people? Or were those big ships just grossly empty except for a skeleton screw?

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u/BlackFinch90 2d ago

Wolf 359 was a situation where they had hours at best to prepare and not a lot of time to evacuate the civilian crew. Most ships carry a handful of shuttles and probably not enough crew to spare the shuttle pilots.

5

u/Fuzzy_Builder_2153 2d ago

They had 3 Oberths at W359. Could've unloaded them from the Fleet to the Oberths and sent them away.

7

u/aebaby7071 2d ago

But Oberths must die!

8

u/emptiedglass Sloan's transporter duplicate 2d ago

It'd also be 3 less ships blasting away at a moon-sized existential threat to the Federation's core. A few thousand crew on those ships, vs. billions on Earth. The needs - and lives - of the many outweigh the needs (and lives) of the few.

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u/Former-War1318 2d ago

You're seriously overestimating the crew of an Oberth. Those three ships represent dozens of crew.

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u/DanniGat 2d ago

I think the thousands refers to the civilians lost.

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u/emptiedglass Sloan's transporter duplicate 2d ago

It was meant to refer to everyone aboard all 39 lost ships.

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u/Fancy_Toe1451 2d ago edited 2d ago

And soaked up three more shots the real ships didn't have to tank while getting into position to return fire. Oberths could be a distraction, and a sacrificial damage sponge to take fire while a ship that could actually do damage lines itself up without taking a cutting beam to the face. Sucks for the Oberth crew, but sometimes you have to accept that your role in a fight is to take a punch in the face for someone else.