Jean-Luc Picard's 2385 resignation from Starfleet after the Federation abandoned its rescue of the Romulan people following the attack on Mars.
In the early 2380s Admiral Jean-Luc Picard led Starfleet's effort to evacuate the Romulan people ahead of a predicted supernova. A huge fleet of rescue ships was being built at the Utopia Planitia shipyards on Mars, and Picard saw the mission as a test of the Federation's ideals.
In 2385 rogue synthetics attacked Mars, destroying the shipyards and the fleet. Shaken, the Federation banned synthetic life and abandoned the rescue. Picard refused to accept the decision and offered his resignation as a protest, expecting Starfleet to back down. Starfleet accepted it.
Picard withdrew to his family vineyard at Chateau Picard in France, where he lived quietly for well over a decade. Romulus was destroyed in 2387, and Picard carried lasting guilt over the millions who were not saved. He did not return to active service until the events surrounding Data's synthetic daughters drew him back in 2399.