TNG - Homeward

[CharlesPhipps]

There's also the fact that neanderthals existed alongside modern humans for 5000 years. Which means, in simple terms, LONGER THAN ALL OF RECORDED HUMAN HISTORY. It puts an interesting spin on the idea that the two races couldn't exist alongside one another.

[pilight]

Making contact with them destroys their culture.

Extinction also destroys their culture. The question is whether it's preferable to live and presumably try to start or adapt to a new culture or die as the culture you've always been. People are arguing it is arrogant for the Federation to make that decision for them.

[Durandal_1707]

I have to refresh my memory on Dear Doctor but I liked it. It felt like a Trek episode and a prequel one at that. A scenerio where where the Prime Directive could apply or should. But there isn't. But they fumbled on that.

That's the thing, a prequel Prime Directive episode shouldn't have been like that at all. The Prime Directive isn't supposed to even exist yet in the 22nd century, much less be treated as dogmatically as it is in the 24th.

If you wanted to do a prequel Prime Directive episode right, have our heroes try to help some pre-warp civilization, with good intentions, and screw up. Show us why they end up coming up with this rule in the first place. And hopefully pick an example that doesn't involve a whole civilization dying out.

Hell, the original Prime Directive was a statement against getting involved in things like the Vietnam War. It's not as if there weren't similar examples of America screwing up other cultures that one could use for inspiration during the GWB administration.....

[Al-1701]

Trek history had suggested the first contact between the Humans and Klingons was an absolute disaster that would lead to almost two centuries of tensions and on and off warfare. Enterprise reduced that to a farmer shooting a Klingon who crashed on his land and blew up a grain silo.

A good Prime Directive episode would've been making first contact with the Klingons the diplomatic disaster we've been led to believe. It should be something that would be scarring to the collective psyche of all the Federation member worlds.

"Dear Doctor" was just Trek not getting how evolution works again.

As for contact "destroying" a culture. The culture would be changed. However, if the Federation is the enlightened organization we're led to believe it is, they would not be looking to subsume and assimilate the people like the colonial powers of Earth. Native cultures were actively suppressed, not voluntarily abandoned.

[CharlesPhipps]

There's actually an episode that would have been FUCKING AWESOME to deal with the Prime Directive but they chickened out and didn't deal with it well. It's the episode where Archer and company go to the Cold War planet and accidentally get exposed, which results in them thinking the Soviets equivalent have stealth bombers and cloned super soldiers.

I mean...go for broke.

It triggers a nuclear war.

They didn't, though, because they don't want Archer responsible for that.

[clearspira]

There's actually an episode that would have been FUCKING AWESOME to deal with the Prime Directive but they chickened out and didn't deal with it well. It's the episode where Archer and company go to the Cold War planet and accidentally get exposed, which results in them thinking the Soviets equivalent have stealth bombers and cloned super soldiers.

I mean...go for broke.

It triggers a nuclear war.

They didn't, though, because they don't want Archer responsible for that.

Oh, a nuclear war is still a distinct possibility, we just never saw it. The ''Soviets'' still think that the enemy are breeding super soldiers who are armed with ray guns that have the power of a hand grenade and are flying around in cloaked ships.
Mutually assured destruction is in the toilet on this world. And the best part is, ''the allies'' will be able to offer no explanation that doesn't sound like a lie.

This is definitely a good example of the PD in action.

[Frustration]

People are arguing it is arrogant for the Federation to make that decision for them.

It's arrogant for anyone to dictate to the Federation whether they should or should not offer assistance. The Federation has made its decision, and that decision is to stay on the side of non-contact and non-intervention.

[Al-1701]

Even when it's morally abhorrent? Then why are they the protagonists of the story?

[CharlesPhipps]

Oddly, it's completely glossed over in that FRIENDSHIP ONE episode.

The Federation has INADVERTENTLY COMMITTED GENOCIDE and it's kind of glossed over.

[McAvoy]

Oddly, it's completely glossed over in that FRIENDSHIP ONE episode.

The Federation has INADVERTENTLY COMMITTED GENOCIDE and it's kind of glossed over.

Well it's not like they did it on purpose.

But yeah that episode has issues. The first thing is that Janeway was ordered to find the thing by Starfleet. And when Voyager did it was so close it's like the equivalent of walking next door to find your football.