Kira’s days as a terrorist against the Cardassians during a war that was over by the time she met Sisko. She was also trying to liberate her home planet.
Eddington got disillusioned with the Starfleet and joined a terrorist group directly at war with the Federation. He had no personal stake in the conflict with the Maquis.
So they were just not the same. Primarily because only one of them had a fight against the Federation.
And, pointedly, Eddington and Sisko were fellow soldiers officers for a time, until Eddington betrayed the oath that they both made to Starfleet, so it’s actually somewhat understandable that Sisko took it quite personally.
Eddington was very definitely a traitor to Starfleet because of his actions.
Kira was a member of an occupied and oppressed population who became a freedom fighter, which honestly could be described as one of the most patriotic things she could do under the circumstances. That is parsecs away from abusing one’s position as a Starfleet officer and effectively working directly against the UFoP’s ongoing diplomatic efforts and astropolitical goals (bureaucratic as they may be).
until Eddington betrayed the oath that they both made to starfleet, so it’s actually somewhat understandable that Sisko took it quite personally.
More to that point, Eddington made a fool of Sisko and used Cassidy Yates as a decoy in order to do it. Sisko never admits it, and always focuses on the betrayal of his uniform, but I think that realistically, Sisko would not have been quite as obsessed as he was if not for the personal nature of the betrayal.
Oh yeah - I forgot that he also framed Sisko’s girlfriend as a smokescreen for going turncoat to the Maquis. Yeah, that would definitely make it extremely personal in the worst of ways.
Inustice itself is a matter of perspective. Was what Kira did just because she was fighting for freedom from occupation? I would say that a chattel slave killing their master and escaping to freedom would be just, which is what she was essentially doing for Bajor as a whole. The Cardassians, unrepentant for their past occupation and considering it justifiable, would consider her a mass-murderer.
Then you have the Maquis. Was their cause just? It seems like that is also a big perspective issue. Starfleet and the Federation obviously did not think their tactics were justified. On the other hand, you could argue that they were resisting ethnic cleansing. The Federation didn’t consider it ethnic cleansing, but others, including Chakotay’s people, disagreed.
As they say- one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
I would say that a chattel slave killing their master and escaping to freedom would be just
And yes, that’s just. Yet, the same slave going into a spree and killing everybody that crosses his path would be a terrorist.
The Maquis were more of the second, and much less of the first. (And if it was not clear enough from the first episodes, anybody saying “whoever is not on our side is a collaborator” is a criminal.) Besides, it’s quite an objective fact whether somebody is fighting for freedom or not.
What you can argue is whether somebody suffering a genocide, slavery, or any other kind of attack against their human rights is acting with a clear mind and should be given a chance to change. And whether such person needs help afterwards, and how much help to allow before giving up and moving into punishment. But that they all were terrorists isn’t up to discussion.
And yes, that’s just. Yet, the same slave going into a spree and killing everybody that crosses his path would be a terrorist.
This is something that an awful lot of people seem to miss.
Kira made it very clear that her and her fellow resistance fighters actively targeted Cardassian civilians and she never showed any remorse over doing so. Civilian casualties are inevitable in a scenario like this, but going out of your way to target them, even if they’re occupiers, is crossing a line.
To be fair, terrorist and freedom fighter aren’t mutually exclusive, nor is the term terrorist entirely a moral judgement, even if it’s often used that way. In a literal sense it would be someone who uses violence in a way that is primarily intended to cause fear, rather than direct damage, in order to further their political aims. Freedom fighters will often do this kind of thing, because they tend to be in a disadvantaged position where actually causing enough damage to force their opponent to leave is unlikely, but scaring their enemies enough that they might consider staying not to be worth it feels more possible.
Kira, and others who fought for Bajoran freedom, would argue that those deaths were necessary for the freedom of Bajor. Again, it’s all a matter of perspective.
But from Sisko’s own perspective, what Kira did during the occupation wasn’t relevant to Starfleet’s relations with her and the Bajoran government.
Kira … would argue that those deaths were necessary for the freedom of Bajor.
In DS9 she doesn’t. And that’s one of the main reasons why she is where she is.
Chakotay does, and that’s the reason the Voyager was sent to stop him by any means, killing if necessary, and that people keep reminding him that he would be in jail if they could afford a jail on the Gamma Quadrant.
There’s a big difference though.
Kira’s days as a terrorist against the Cardassians during a war that was over by the time she met Sisko. She was also trying to liberate her home planet.
Eddington got disillusioned with the Starfleet and joined a terrorist group directly at war with the Federation. He had no personal stake in the conflict with the Maquis.
So they were just not the same. Primarily because only one of them had a fight against the Federation.
And, pointedly, Eddington and Sisko were fellow
soldiersofficers for a time, until Eddington betrayed the oath that they both made to Starfleet, so it’s actually somewhat understandable that Sisko took it quite personally.Eddington was very definitely a traitor to Starfleet because of his actions.
Kira was a member of an occupied and oppressed population who became a freedom fighter, which honestly could be described as one of the most patriotic things she could do under the circumstances. That is parsecs away from abusing one’s position as a Starfleet officer and effectively working directly against the UFoP’s ongoing diplomatic efforts and astropolitical goals (bureaucratic as they may be).
More to that point, Eddington made a fool of Sisko and used Cassidy Yates as a decoy in order to do it. Sisko never admits it, and always focuses on the betrayal of his uniform, but I think that realistically, Sisko would not have been quite as obsessed as he was if not for the personal nature of the betrayal.
Oh yeah - I forgot that he also framed Sisko’s girlfriend as a smokescreen for going turncoat to the Maquis. Yeah, that would definitely make it extremely personal in the worst of ways.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
Inustice itself is a matter of perspective. Was what Kira did just because she was fighting for freedom from occupation? I would say that a chattel slave killing their master and escaping to freedom would be just, which is what she was essentially doing for Bajor as a whole. The Cardassians, unrepentant for their past occupation and considering it justifiable, would consider her a mass-murderer.
Then you have the Maquis. Was their cause just? It seems like that is also a big perspective issue. Starfleet and the Federation obviously did not think their tactics were justified. On the other hand, you could argue that they were resisting ethnic cleansing. The Federation didn’t consider it ethnic cleansing, but others, including Chakotay’s people, disagreed.
As they say- one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
This is not as subjective as you put.
And yes, that’s just. Yet, the same slave going into a spree and killing everybody that crosses his path would be a terrorist.
The Maquis were more of the second, and much less of the first. (And if it was not clear enough from the first episodes, anybody saying “whoever is not on our side is a collaborator” is a criminal.) Besides, it’s quite an objective fact whether somebody is fighting for freedom or not.
What you can argue is whether somebody suffering a genocide, slavery, or any other kind of attack against their human rights is acting with a clear mind and should be given a chance to change. And whether such person needs help afterwards, and how much help to allow before giving up and moving into punishment. But that they all were terrorists isn’t up to discussion.
This is something that an awful lot of people seem to miss.
Kira made it very clear that her and her fellow resistance fighters actively targeted Cardassian civilians and she never showed any remorse over doing so. Civilian casualties are inevitable in a scenario like this, but going out of your way to target them, even if they’re occupiers, is crossing a line.
I’m not trying to say that they weren’t terrorists from my own perspective. But Chakotay would probably say they were freedom fighters.
And Kira was not a terrorist from my perspective because she was a freedom fighter.
To be fair, terrorist and freedom fighter aren’t mutually exclusive, nor is the term terrorist entirely a moral judgement, even if it’s often used that way. In a literal sense it would be someone who uses violence in a way that is primarily intended to cause fear, rather than direct damage, in order to further their political aims. Freedom fighters will often do this kind of thing, because they tend to be in a disadvantaged position where actually causing enough damage to force their opponent to leave is unlikely, but scaring their enemies enough that they might consider staying not to be worth it feels more possible.
So, tell that to the lots of innocent people from both sides of the occupation that her group murdered.
Kira, and others who fought for Bajoran freedom, would argue that those deaths were necessary for the freedom of Bajor. Again, it’s all a matter of perspective.
But from Sisko’s own perspective, what Kira did during the occupation wasn’t relevant to Starfleet’s relations with her and the Bajoran government.
In DS9 she doesn’t. And that’s one of the main reasons why she is where she is.
Chakotay does, and that’s the reason the Voyager was sent to stop him by any means, killing if necessary, and that people keep reminding him that he would be in jail if they could afford a jail on the Gamma Quadrant.
HE BETRAYED HIS UNIFORM!