Rudolph Ransom Captain Rudolph " Rudy " Ransom was a Starfleet officer in the 24th century . An exobiologist , he was promoted to captain after making first contact with the Yridian s , a species which Starfleet had previously believed to be extinct . Ransom subsequently took command of the , a science vessel , which was pulled into the Delta Quadrant in 2371 by the alien being known only as the . ( ) Tactics and command style . In combat situations , Ransom tended to favor misdirection over direct confrontations , as opposed to the inventive and multi - layered solutions Captain Janeway would create to deal with problems . Examples of his approach to combat include , when engaged in combat with a Klingon Bird - of - Prey at Epsilon IV , he evaded the vessel for three full days in a nebula before the Klingon s abandoned their search . Two years later , he eluded a Romulan Warbird by taking his vessel into the atmosphere of a gas giant . ( ) The Delta Quadrant . After the " Equinox " was stranded in the Delta Quadrant , the crew found themselves in an area of space controlled by the Krowtonan Guard , an aggressive and territorial species . Ransom , refusing to condemn his crew to spending the rest of their lives in the Delta Quadrant , gave the order to traverse the Guard ' s territory and maintain a course back to Earth . This decision would prove to be a turning point for Ransom , as attacks by the Guard resulted in the deaths of 39 people , over half the crew of the " Equinox " . Over the course of the next five years , the " Equinox " crew discovered that they were ill - equipped to deal with the dangers of the Delta Quadrant . As of 2375 , the ship was severely damaged , their dilithium was depleted , and the crew had not eaten in sixteen days . The " Equinox " had just enough power to enter orbit of an M - class world , where the inhabitants , the Ankari , introduced the crew to nucleogenic lifeform s , beings who originated from an extra - dimensional realm , whom the Ankari regarded as " spirits of good fortune . " Scanning the lifeforms , they discovered that they were emitting high levels of antimatter , and subsequently began to engage in criminal experiments to murder the lifeforms and convert their remains into a source of fuel . Augmenting their warp drive , the " Equinox " crew were faced with the tantalizing possibility of returning to the Alpha Quadrant in mere months , but also began to come under near - constant attacks by the nucleogenic lifeforms , who were attempting to destroy the " Equinox " in retaliation for the crew ' s actions . Encounter with " Voyager " . The " Equinox " was saved from destruction by the crew of the , another Starfleet vessel which had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker . Ransom and his crew initially attempted to conceal their actions from the " Voyager " crew , but when they were eventually discovered , Ransom was confronted by Captain Janeway . Ransom attempted to justify his actions by quoting Starfleet Regulation three , paragraph twelve , which stated : " in the event of imminent destruction , a Starfleet captain is authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means , " but Janeway responded that the protocol did not account for mass murder . Ransom and his crew were subsequently confined to crew quarters , and Janeway ordered her crew to attempt to take the " Equinox " engine modifications offline . The " Equinox " crew was freed , however , by their EMH , allowing them to retake control of their ship . Ransom then had his crew steal " Voyager " s field generator , which had been modified to protect the crew from attacks by the lifeforms , and set a course for the Alpha Quadrant , leaving " Voyager " behind . ( ) The " Equinox " crew soon found that they could not bring their warp drive enhancements back online , as the power relay s had been encoded by Seven of Nine , a " Voyager " crewmember who was being held captive on the " Equinox " . Ransom attempted to convince Seven to reveal the codes , but decided to force Seven to undergo an extremely invasive procedure whereby her cortical array would be extracted in an effort to find the codes , in response to Seven ' s refusal to cooperate . The severity of the actions he had been taking started to weigh heavily on Ransom ' s conscience , affecting him to the point where he decided to put an end to the experiments and surrender to Captain Janeway . When he gave the order , however , his first officer , Lieutenant Maxwell Burke , mutinied , taking command of the " Equinox " and attempting to destroy " Voyager " . With the help of Ensign Marla Gilmore , Ransom subsequently accessed the ship ' s transporter control , and beamed the majority of the surviving " Equinox " crewmembers to " Voyager " . Eventually left as the only surviving crewmember on board , Ransom accessed helm control in order to put a safe distance between " Voyager " and the " Equinox " , whose warp core was about to breach due to attacks by the aliens . As the core overloaded , Ransom utilized a synaptic stimulator to experience his last moments on the peaceful Tenkaran coast . ( ) Memorable quotes . " " Drop . . . shields " ! " " " " I ' m going to miss this ship . " " < br > " " Once we get back to Earth , there ' ll be plenty of women . " " " " May I ask you something , captain to captain ? The Prime Directive : how often have you broken it for the sake of protecting your crew ? " " " " Broken it ? Never . Bent it , on occasion . And even then , it was a difficult choice . " " " " Starfleet Regulation 3 , Paragraph 12 : In the event of imminent destruction , a captain is authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means . " " " " I doubt that protocol covers mass murder . " " " " In my judgment , it did . " " " " Unacceptable . " " " " We traveled over 10 , 000 light - years in less than two weeks . We ' d found our salvation . How could we ignore it ? " " < br > " " By adhering to the oath you took as Starfleet officers - - to seek out life . . . not destroy it . " " < br > " " It ' s easy to cling to your principles when you ' re standing on a vessel with its bulkheads intact , manned by a crew that ' s not starving . " " " " It ' s never easy , but if we turn our backs on our principles , we stop being human . " " " " I ' m putting an end to your experiments . And you are hereby relieved of your command . You and your crew will be confined to quarters . " " < br > " " Please , show them leniency . They were only following my orders . " " < br > " " Their mistake . " " " " A shower and a hot meal . . . I guess that ' s all it takes for some of us to forget what ' s at stake here . We ' re going home , We can ' t let " Voyager " stop us now , not when we ' re this close . " " " " You know , Janeway ' s not the only one who can help you explore your Humanity . " " " " You would be an " inferior " role model . " " " " Do these programs have people in them ? " " < br > " " No , just landscapes . " " " " This isn ' t the brig . " " " " I know . I ' m with you , sir . Let ' s find a way to end this . " " " " You ' ve got a fine crew , captain . Promise me you ' ll get ' em home . " " " " I promise . " " Appendices . Background information . Ransom was played by actor John Savage . The " Equinox " script gives his full name as Rudolph Ransom III . Brannon Braga once described Ransom as " an interesting kind of anti - Janeway character . " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 31 , No . 11 , p . 46 )