Passive resistance was a strategic form of defense that avoided violence. It could include civil disobedience, hunger strikes, and other non-aggressive methods.
In 2364, several children aboard the USS Enterprise-D were kidnapped. Their kidnappers were from the hidden planet of Aldea, whose people had lost the ability to reproduce. The eldest child, Wesley Crusher, realized that since the Aldeans did not wish to harm the children, and violent struggle would be futile, the only effective resistance could be passive. He gathered the kidnapped children and instructed them not to take part in Aldean activities or training, to speak with the Aldeans, or even to eat the food they provided. While the resistance itself failed to free the children, they were released by their captors upon the discovery that the population's sterility was caused by radiation that would eventually affect the children as well. (TNG: "When The Bough Breaks")
In 2366, 16 out of 56 Tau Cygna V inhabitants Data spoke to preferred negotiation or passive resistance to deal with the Sheliak Corporate. (TNG: "The Ensigns of Command")