Jellico also knows the Cardassians though , he knew they were most likely torturing Picard regardless which they were ! Admitting that Picard was operating under Starfleet orders and giving him the protection of the Seldonis IV Accords wouldn ' t change anything . The Cardassians would keep on torturing Picard AND the Cardassians would now have a stronger negotiating position because now they would be the aggrieved party . Riker is a senior officer , not some idealistic freshfaced ensign . He should know how the game is played . They would do nothing for Picard and put themselves into a lesser position diplomatically for zero gain . <| sep |> Yeah dude , you need a job . Seeing my SO over three years had cost me and her ten ' s of thousands of pounds easily . I don ' t know how much it will cost you to go there and get back , but it ' s not like you ' re going just the once . You ' ll also more than likely spend money while you ' re there . You need reliable income . Maybe it ' s just me , but I ' d feel very low asking people for their money to use to my own personal end . Most people work their ass off for their money , and need it for their own struggles .