To paraphase Frank Herbert: there are worse things than death, even for an entire species.CharlesPhipps wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:27 am Extinction is pretty hard to argue against as the worst option there.
You seem to be assuming that the Prime Directive's only purpose is to protect the pre-warp cultures.It's often considered to be the worst episode of Star Trek by many because it basically has Sir Patrick putting the Prime Directive over the people it's supposed to protect.
And your assertion is simply wrong - the fan, critical, and producer consensus is that 'Threshold' is the worst episode of Trek ever, to the point that an agreement has been made to pretend it never existed.