this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2023
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Risa
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Come on'n get your jamaharon on! There are no real rules—just don't break the weather control network.
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This is what I never understood. The principle of respecting the autonomy of other cultures is good imo, but what "cultural contamination" could be worse than the total extinction of the civilization you're trying to protect?
Applying the Prime Directive in such extreme circumstances turns it from an anti-imperialist ideal to a Social Darwinist one.
I mostly chalk that kind of thing up to writers not having any idea what the Prime Directive actually is.
And yet if your teenage ensign is given a death sentence, definitely violate the Prime Directive. The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many and all that...
The Prime Directive shouldn't have even applied with that. They can't stop a foreign government from executing their own citizens for stupid things, but trying to execute another nation's citizens is an international incident and falls under standard international politics. The Federation seems to give Starfleet ship captains ambassadorial powers, so Picard should have started threatening sanctions and making comments about how executing Wes could be considered an act of war.
Probably not, but they said it did, so that's their problem.
Going down to the planet, introducing yourself to the pre-warp civilization, making no effort to hide the fact that you are aliens from another world, planning your shore leave and preparing to fuck as many of them as you can? Not a prime directive violation.
Rescuing one of your kids who accidently breaks one of their rules and is immediately condemned to death, and asserting that as a member of your crew he is subject to your punishments and not theirs? Prime directive violation.
Taking one of the locals up to space to see the thing they consider to be a god, and openly defying the very foundations of their civilization's system of law and order? Not a prime directive violation.
Apparently the 'prime' in 'prime directive' just means 'this is the first one we thought of' and the 'directive' part of 'directive' means 'however you feel like interpreting it this week.'
Also they had already made contact, does the prime directive apply?
For their internal politics, yes the PD applies. For general interaction, no, the PD no longer applies. You can also land on a pre-warp world if they're already buying Romulan Ale from the Ferengi. It's not like you can make it any worse once the cat's out of the bag. Consider that Kirk was sent to negotiate with the Organians back when they were thought to be a pre-industrial species; that was fine since they had already been contacted by some other people, including the Klingons.
the whole point of having captains out in the black, is for them to make a judgement call on when the rules should be ignored.
Picard had a conversation with Data about this very thing, when Data went with his 'gut' to disobey a order.