What is the purpose of the Prime Directive?

[The Borgified Corpse]

What do you think is the purpose of the Prime Directive? Personally, I think I would interpret it far more narrowly than some of the captains have. Here's the way I see it: Starfleet seems to be largely an organization of well-meaning liberal do-gooders. Between their noble intentions and access to vast resources, it would be a horrible temptation to play god with every pre-warp, pre-industrial, "backward" civilization they come across. It's only natural that they would want to spread the word of their own "enlightenment." However, by doing that at a point too early in a planet's civilization, they would inevitably crush that planet's cultural diversity. Therefore, pre-warp civilizations, however draconian or "backward," have a right to develop their own culture independent of outside influences. (Once a civilization achieves warp capability, then they're going to encounter outside alien cultures anyway.)

However, I don't think the purpose of the Prime Directive was to enforce such inflexible non-interference that a Starfleet ship cannot even secretly save a species from extinction in a natural disaster. Allowing some sort of planetary instability to wipe out an entire species serves no one. It is bad for the species that goes extinct. It is also bad for the cultural diversity of the galaxy, since that species will never be able to contribute to it.

How do you folks interpret the Prime Directive?

 

[Joshua Howard]

The basic idea is "Mind your own business unless someone else knocks on your door." The basic reasoning behind it is "because you live in a fortress with nuclear weapons and all of your neighbors are living in mobile homes without electricity."

In a certain sense, it is a space empire's version of the "liberty or death" principle. As soon as an organization like Starfleet becomes involved with a non-spacefaring or pre-industrial civilization, it essentially assimilates the subject world. As policy stands, the Federation would rather risk coming across as occasionally heartless than take the greater risk of possibly mutating into something like the Borg.

I interpret the Prime Directive as Non-Interference. That means that I don't have the right to dictate or influence any affairs beyond my own imperial jurisdiction; as a citizen, that is my home, capital, and business. As the UFP, that is any non-member state/planet.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I think basically the Prime Directive is to allow any pre-warp civilization to come into its own and evolve without some superior civilization coming in and changing its destiny. It is also designed to prevent civilizations that aren't socially ready for superior technology from destroying themselves (imagine if Humans had atomic weaponry during medieval or biblical times).

But like any good-intentioned plan, it has it drawbacks because that non-interference policy also means that the Federation has to sometimes allow some civilizations to fall. At that point, it becomes an issue of either they were going to fall anyway if the Federation wasn't there or is the Federation's non-involvement actually involvement after all...

Damned if you do, damned if you don't?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It's mindless tradition. The Vulcans refused to make first contact with Earth until it had developed FTL spaceflight, and humans (and Starfleet) have simply adopted it as though it has some sort of received wisdom.

But when you think about it, it makes no sense. Let's say Planet X is next to Klingon territory and the Klingons are expanding in their direction (or it's the Romulans, Borg, what have you).

Just because Planet X lacks FTL spaceflight, it is all right to simply ignore them? Why not at least warn them? And since the Klingons or whoever are going to gain a foothold in a new territory, making it easier to expand still further, Planet X will not be the only victim of Starfleet's non-interference policy.

Maybe Planet X is ten years from FTL flight. So if the invasion happens ten years later, it's okay to interfere and warn them. Why? A newly minted FTL civilization would have no more ability to defend itself from an empire that has had FTL travel for far longer, than a non-FTL civilization would. Even fi they had FTL travel for centuries, they're just one planet. How can they defend themselves from a whole spacefaring empire?

FTL spaceflight is an abritrary cut-off point. Why not make it the invention of atmospheric flight or the invention of the wheel? Just because a civilization does not have FTL travel, why does that mean they can't cope with the notion of meeting spacemen?

Here's a crueler interpretation: Starfleet doesn't give a flip about Planet X until Planet X can do something for Starfleet by becoming a useful member of the Federation and non-FTL civilizations aren't nearly as valuable as ones at the same basic level of development as everyone else.

If Starfleet warns non-FTL Planet X, then what? Defend the planet? Why? It's not in the Federation. If they run around defending non-Fed planets from Klingons, they won't have resources left over for their regular job of defending the Federation.

Sure, they can give Planet X FTL technology, but why bother? If they don't have FTL, they're probably too far behind the curve in other technologies and they'll just be a burden on the Federation as a whole.

Starfleet's game is: if you can do something for us, we'll let you in on our protection racket. If not, pray real hard that the Klingons don't find you before you manage to become useful enough to us that we will deign to notice your sorry asses.

 

[The Castellan]

Prime Directive is something that needs to GO.

Riker: Man, It's hard to believe we let that world's population die in that nucular fall out they made.

Picard: Least we did not interfere with their development.

Bullshit.


Also...breaking the PD was what let the Federation ultimately come to be, just watch First Contact.

And we seen, especially in TOS, non-warp people deal with Starfleet. The Federation does NOT need a glorfied Brookings Report.

 

[Sci]

In theory, the idea behind the Prime Directive is to forcibly prevent the Federation from adopting imperialism or neo-imperialism as it expands.

In practice, a cynic might argue that it has become the legal justification for enforcing the Federation's technological and military dominance over local space, with "non-interference" as the justification for adopting a pseudo-imperialist foreign policy, even to the point of not bothering to prevent extinctions of entire societies (since it's in the Federation's interests if there are fewer potential rivals).

 

[T'Girl]

Both Kirk and Picard made direct contact with cultures with pre-warp space travel worlds. I don't think Starfleet came up with the PD themselves, IMO the Federation council created the directive and imposed it on Starfleet. Why? The Federation (Kirk's era) was a collection of cultures, with different ideals and values. Starfleet, as shown, was very Human centric, we like to help people, we like to meet people, we like to explore for it own sake. Other Federation members maybe not so much.

From my own viewing of TOS, I believe the PD didn't come into force until after "Friday's Child".

All the classic violations by Kirk were from before that episode. "A Private Little War" was after, but Starfleet and Kirk, had already contacted that "primitive" world and so continued to do so, pre-PD contacts were maintained, the damage was done. All new contacts were with space traveling (Spectre of the Gun) or star fairing cultures (Spock's Brain, World is Hollow). The PD violation by captain Tracy is a strange case, the extent of his actions were considered wrong, but not the first contact itself. And what about Merrick and Gill, Merrick was a shipwrecked civilian, Gill a civilian also, working for Starfleet or the Federation, did the PD apply?

 

[USS Excelsior]

The Prime Directive was referenced as to being in use as far back as the Horizon's visit with Ionian's in the 2160s where that gangster book fell into their hands.

 

[Chrisisall]

To me, the Prime Directive means:
1. Serve the public trust.
2. Protect the innocent.
3. Uphold the law.

Oh WAIT!

Sorry. Wrong PD.

 

[Anwar]

It's to keep the Federation from basically destroying individual cultures by coming in and basically culturally assimilating them with their advanced tech and such. The idea being that if they can develop FTL on their own then they're advanced enough socially and technologically that contact with us won't destroy their culture.

OR

Since they have FTL now they're going to meet us anyways so we may as well reveal ourselves and hope it doesn't affect them too badly because it's inevitable by this point.

As for stuff like "Homeward", noninterference there also had to do with them not having the ability to save the Boraalans except for a small group that likely wouldn't survive the saving anyways (which the writers didn't think through).

 

[Anji]

I think it's a good idea. Look how many cultures around the world are being changed because of the spread of Western Capitalism.

 

[Chrisisall]

I think it's a good idea. Look how many cultures around the world are being changed because of the spread of Western Capitalism.

Yeah, but we need to enlighten the tribes of backwards-ass bushpeeps to the ways of prosperity & profit! How can a people learn to subvert the principals of personal dignity without the Holy Capitalism?? How can an individual learn to gauge his or her worth in our world society without a dollar value??*

Is my snark showing??

 

[trevanian]

My cynicism is showing, but the PD is primarily so that we don't keep aliens from blowing themselves up, and then can go in and take the planet once they've offed themselves.

I think of it as the 'hands-off' directive, and like Omne in the Phoenix TREK novels, consider it a policy supporting mass murder.

It shouldn't be any surprise I detest the PD; I'm the guy who wanted a maquis based series.

 

[Triskelion]

It's a message to us, the audience.

Don't wait for manna from heaven. If we want to step up into a type 1-2 civilization, or destroy ourselves, that responsibility rests squarely on our shoulders. Requiring E.T. salvation defeats our own purpose and would undermine any interstellar civilization.

So should the Fed involve itself in propping up dysfunctional, unjust societies?

And the Fed isn't an empire. Calling it that only reveals what power paradigms are in the eyes of the beholder.

 

[T'Girl]

The Prime Directive was referenced as to being in use as far back as the Horizon's visit with Ionian's in the 2160s where that gangster book fell into their hands.

Kirk: "The Horizon's contact came before the Non-Interference Directive went into effect."
McCoy: "They must have interfered with the normal evolution of the planet."
Spock: "It will be interesting to see the results of the contamination."
Kirk: "We don't know there is contamination."

Two minutes into the episode, in the turbolift.

 

[sonak]

The Prime Directive is one of the most problematic aspects of Trek. It also doesn't help that TNG-era Trek onwards mutated the PD into something unrecognizable and monstrous.(See TNG's "Homeward," "Pen Pals," and ENT's "Dear Doctor," for example.) I think it was a product of 1960s Vietnam War-era liberalism on the dangers of cultural imperialism. But TOS was never as rigid about the non-interference aspect, especially if from a utilitarian perspective, they could accomplish more good than harm through interference.

I've never understood "non-interference" as a moral principle in itself. The PD should have been abolished long ago, and the issue of whether intervention is warranted should be on a pragmatic case by case basis.

 

[Anwar]

That's because in TOS the PD was just a plot device for Kirk to break when the story required him to have some kind of rule constraining him. In TNG+ They decided to make it a real rule for the Trekverse and not a plot device.

 

[Triskelion]

Think about it. If you are constrained by the Prime Directive, then your power over internal planetary problems becomes moot. Without it, you are now responsible over the planet's problems, with your powerful starship, and the moral dilemma becomes Captain's prerogative (and moral morass). Meet an overpolluted planet, you just gonna leave them that way? Or not? Whatever you do, you are now open for criticism by those who do call the Fed imperialistic. Or worse, you depend on your advanced technology and give the planet some advanced problem that you can't handle, and make things worse all around.

And finally, as Picard said, the PD is to protect us. By having the right to interfere, then choosing to interfere or not now enmires you in that problem, which frankly wasn't yours to begin with. If such a decision affects that planet's ability to advance to a Type 1 or 2 civilization, (a la Michio Kaku - youtube him), now you're pulling threads out of your own security with other powerful interstellar civilizations.

But a hard and fast simple rule that prevents you from getting involved, regardless of the morality or the circumstances - you can avoid 'playing God'. (remeber what happened on SGA when Rodney and Shepherd played Sim City with real villages? Even with the best of intentions, they polluted those societies to such an extent that they almost extinguished themselves).

You can't just graft what works for one society onto another one. The social model is too complex. The processes lose cohesion; imbalances are created; cultural context is out the airlock.

Who would you rather have as sheriff - the guy who makes his own bullets, or the guy who bought his gun at Wal Mart?

 

[BillJ]

Who would you rather have as sheriff - the guy who makes his own bullets, or the guy who bought his gun at Wal Mart?

Depends on which one knows the law?

 

[Tara]

I agree with the PD being their to stave off Imperialism. The last thing I'd want to see is a "The sun never sets on the Federation" scenario. It's learning from the gross errors of the past (in this case, I think specifically the atrocities committed against native populations by Europeans as they explored the Americas and the Carribeean, and later the British and French in Asia and Africa, etc.) and making sure they are never ever repeated.

Sure, it's imperfect. It was a noble, but not entirely well-thought-out idea. It's got all sorts of moral grey areas for writers to explore. Sometimes they have ("It's easy to be a saint in Paradise" being one of the very best examples I can think of not just of good Trek but good writing, PERIOD). Sometimes they don't.

But that's my take on the Directive and what it's there for from TOS onwards, anwyay.