It was a disservice to Tolkien to not show how Gandalf's mercy backfired, and that the wars fought by the hobbits in distant lands did not affect the world as a whole. Tolkien's whole point was that the Shire suffered also, and it took the heroism learned by Merry and Pippin to save it

Jellico was a brilliant Captain. Starfleet is not a democracy, he claimed command, as was his right, just as Commodore Decker did. Right or wrong, he did what he needed to do to command, and he accomplished the mission. Had Riker had his way, the mission would have failed utterly, which proved Riker was a second rate first officer and incapable of being a Captain. Which everything he did subsequently continued to prove