Benjamin Maxwell

"You're a fool, Picard. History will look at you and say: "This man was a fool.""

- Maxwell, to Picard

Benjamin Maxwell was the antagonist of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Wounded.

He was portrayed by Bob Gunton, who had played Wardem Samuel Norton in The Shawshank Redemption.

A Starfleet officer, Maxwell was a highly decorated Captain who was highly respected by his crew, including Chief Miles O'Brien. During the conflicts with the Cardassians, Maxwell lost his wife and children in the Setlik III Massacre. Although he did not outwardly show it to his crew, Maxwell was deeply grieved by their loss, and felt a great deal of anger and hatred towards the Cardassians.

After a peace treaty had been signed with the Cardassians in 2367, Maxwell talked himself into believing that the Cardassians were rearming in order to attack the Federation. Maxwell took his ship, the USS Phoenix and attacked several Cardassian ships and outposts, causing the deaths of over 600 Cardassians.

He was eventually stopped by Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. Beaming over to the Phoenix, O'Brien talked Maxwell into surrendering himself to the Enterprise. He was confined to quarters on the Enterprise after turning command over to his first officer.

Maxwell was court martialed and stripped of his rank after being taken into custody. After spending a number of years in prison, he was released by the mid 2380s. Following his release he began working as a maintenance engineer on a private space station.