Picard and Riker in "Balance of Terror"

[Defiant]

Ok, so I already started a post about how Kirk and Spock would fare in "Best of Both Worlds". Let's flip it. How would Picard and Riker act if they were on the original Enterprise for the TOS episode "Balance of Terror"? That's the episode where Kirk pursued the Romulan ship destroyed several Earth outposts.

My thoughts are that Riker would want to take the Romulans out, but Picard would try for the diplomatic solution, even though the Romulans were clearly the agressors.

[Dark Primus]

My thoughts are that Riker would want to take the Romulans out, but Picard would try for the diplomatic solution, even though the Romulans were clearly the agressors.

In "The Neutral Zone" several Federation outposts had been destroyed, but Picard had some doubts the Romulans were behind the attacks. But both Riker and Worf wanted to raise to battle alert status.
Yeah it would not surprise me if Picard would try for diplomatic solution.

But if the outposts did gave out a transmission saying that the Romulans are behind the attacks prior to their destruction then I do doubt Picard would try with diplomatic solution. But he probably wouldn't open fire, but wait till the Romulans fired first, which would prove their hostilities.

[Uraniun235]

I thought the Romulans had refused all communication attempts from the outposts.

I don't think Picard would lack the balls to fire first after seeing the Romulans destroy that last outpost.

[Stofsk]

Picard always advocated the cautious approach because there were women and children onboard his ship; as soon as he's off the -D he's an able commander. Once he sees, as Kirk did, the outpost with Commander Hansen get wiped out by that Warbird, he'll hunt it down.

With out Spock onboard it's possible that no-one will be able to get a picture of their bridge (which would reveal the racial similiarty between the Romulans and Vulcans). As such, if the Warbird is destroyed they could very well remain an enigma. Picard would try to take prisoners of course, but Kirk tried that as well, to no avail.