Benjamin Maxwell Benjamin Maxwell was a male Human Starfleet officer of the 24th century , and considered one of Starfleet ' s finest captain s . He was a veteran of the Federation - Cardassian War , during which he was twice decorated with the Federation ' s highest citation for courage and valor . Maxwell had married and had children in the early part of the century . They lived in an outpost on Setlik III while he was a captain . The " Rutledge " . During the Federation - Cardassian War , Maxwell served as captain of the . He earned a fierce loyalty from his crew , and got to know them well . Maxwell responded to news of the massacre at Setlik III , wherein his wife and children were killed . He arrived the day after most of the inhabitants were killed , and sent away team s to protect the remaining people in the more remote regions . Maxwell ' s tactical officer at the time , Miles O ' Brien , would later remark that Maxwell appeared to take the loss of his family remarkably well , not missing a single minute of duty . He was fond of a certain song , " The Minstrel Boy , " sung by one of his crew , Will Kayden . ( ) The " Phoenix " . By the late - 2360s , a peace treaty had been negotiated between the Federation and Cardassian government s and Maxwell had been given command of the . In 2367 , Captain Maxwell , believing the Cardassians to be re - arming and re - equipping themselves , undertook his own unauthorized preemptive strike , beginning with the destruction of a Cardassian outpost in the Cuellar system which Maxwell believed to be a military supply port disguised as a science post . He then turned to any supply vessel s heading for the outpost . The was ordered in pursuit . Maxwell destroyed a supply vessel and a nearby Cardassian warship , killing approximately six hundred - fifty Cardassians , despite it being given the " Phoenix " ' prefix code . Eventually , the " Enterprise " arrived and Maxwell agreed to a meeting with Captain Jean - Luc Picard , explaining that he knew the Cardassians were arming again . The peace treaty was a ruse to give them time to re - group . He had undertaken these unauthorized attacks because he did not trust the " bureaucrat s " in Starfleet to take decisive action , an assertion to which Picard responded by stating his opinion that Maxwell was simply seeking revenge for the death of his family . Maxwell was also reunited with O ' Brien , who was serving as transporter chief , and the two men greeted each other warmly as old friends . Maxwell also complimented the chief ' s abilities as a tactical officer . Miles expressed his own admiration for his former Captain . Subsequent to Picard ordering him to travel to Starbase 211 under escort , Maxwell feigned compliance , but altered course " en route " , leading the " Enterprise " - D to another Cardassian supply vessel . Maxwell claimed it was transporting weapons in preparation for an attack on Federation space . Imploring Picard to search the ship in an attempt to prove his assertions , Maxwell threatened to destroy it , along with all hands . He was eventually talked down by O ' Brien . Realizing that he had lost , Maxwell willingly surrendered to Picard , turning over command of the " Phoenix " to his first officer . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Captain Benjamin Maxwell was played by actor Bob Gunton . The script for " The Wounded " describes Maxwell as , " " not at all what one might have expected . Slight of build , short greying hair , chiseled , angular face - - he could be Lenin . Or Lennon . But in the eyes there is warmth - - and humor . Creases at the edges testify to a lifetime of smiles and laughter . He is genuinely at ease with himself , and consequently puts others at ease . " " Author and writer Larry Nemecek noted that Maxwell ' s " " Queeg - like turn " " echoed Matt Decker from the episode . ( " " , p . 152 ) Apocrypha . The of the pilot episode gives Maxwell ' s wife ' s name as Maria Huxley . The " Gateways " novel " Demons of Air and Darkness " reveals that Maxwell was court martialed and imprisoned after the incident shown in " The Wounded " . The DS9 novel " Force and Motion " established that , after being incarcerated for nearly two decades , Maxwell was employed as a maintenance engineer on a private science station .