Captain Picard was going to answer for his actions in Star Trek: Insurrection

Captain Jean-Luc Picard wasn't much of a rule breaker on Star Trek; The Next Generation. In the episode "The Drumhead," we learned that he'd violated the Prime Directive nine timeis since he became captain of the Enterprise. But we only saw a few, with even bigger ones taking place in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection.

In First Contact, Captain Picard is specifically told to stay away from the fleet so he wouldn't come into contact with the Borg. But since Enterprise was better equipped to fight the Borg, Picard ignored that order. And he blatantly disregarded the orders of Admiral Doughtery In Insurrection after being told the Enterprise wasn't needed to assist in the recovery of Data.

One of the first story treatments for Insurrection, according to Startrek.com, was going to have Picard having to face the Federation Council to answer for his actions, much like Captain Kirk had to do at the end of Star Trek: The Voyage Home. While Kirk was demoted from admiral to captain for his insubordination, it wasn't really much of a punishment considering he returned to the bridge of the Enterprise. Picard, however, wasn't reprimanded, but had he been so, the scene would have had the return of Boothby, the beloved groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy.

The idea included Captain Picard giving a speech about the choices he'd made even though he was clearly fighting a losing battle. The tide turns, though, when Boothby, as supportive as ever, starts to applaud Picard which, in turn, causes a ripple effect of support.

There was no specific reason why this part of the story was jettisoned, and, although Ray Walston did return to the character of Boothby on Star Trek: Voyager, it's regretful that Boothby didn't get the opportunity to show his support once more for Captain Picard.