Prime Directive
Encyclopedia
In the universe of Star Trek
, the Prime Directive, Starfleet
's General Order #1, is the most prominent guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets
. The Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference
with the internal development of alien civilizations.
It has special implications, however, for civilizations that have not yet developed the technology for interstellar spaceflight ("pre-warp"), since no primitive culture can be given or exposed to any information regarding advanced technology or the existence of extraplanetary
civilizations, lest this exposure alter the natural development of the civilization. Although this was the only application stated by Captain Kirk
in "The Return of the Archons", by the 24th Century, it had been indicated to include purposeful efforts to improve or change in any way the natural course of such a society, even if that change is well-intentioned and kept completely secret. "Pre-warp" is defined as any culture which has not yet attained warp drive
technology and is thus, implicitly, unaware of the existence of alien races. Starfleet
allows scientific missions to investigate and secretly move amongst pre-warp civilizations as long as no advanced technology is left behind, and there is no interference with events or no revelation of their identity. This can usually be accomplished with hidden observation posts, but Federation personnel may disguise themselves as local sentient life and interact with them.
The Prime Directive is a Starfleet regulation, and thus only applies to Starfleet officers. Civilian citizens of the Federation are not bound by it. In fact, if a Federation citizen has chosen to personally interfere with another civilization, Starfleet is powerless to remove that individual, under penalty of court-martial
.
The only stated exception to the Prime Directive is the Omega Directive, in which a captain is authorized to take any means to destroy Omega Molecules when detected. Whenever the Omega Directive is in force, the Prime Directive is effectively rescinded.
It has been further defined in this way:
episode "Bread and Circuses," which is set in 2267:
Whether this was the full text of the Directive is unclear, but by the Star Trek: Voyager
episode "Infinite Regress," which is set in 2375, it is revealed that the Directive has 47 sub-orders. However, once contamination has occurred, Star Fleet personnel are allowed to directly intervene on the planet to attempt to minimize the harm as much as possible with an openness in proportion of how significant the exposure has been. For example, in "Bread and Circuses" itself, James Kirk and crew investigated the fate of a ship's personnel on a planet while attempting to keep their origins secret even while the planet's rulers were aware. By contrast, in "Patterns of Force," where the crew discovers that a Federation cultural observer has contaminated the culture he was supposed to be observing by having blatantly reformed a planet's government to emulate Nazi Germany
, they help the local resistance overthrow the government.
The non-interference directive seems to have originated with the Vulcans
. In Star Trek: First Contact
, it is stated that but for Zefram Cochrane
's historic warp flight, a passing Vulcan ship would have deemed Earth unready for contact and ignored the planet. However, the policy was not implemented immediately, and did not exist on pre-Federation Earth: in the Enterprise
episode "Civilization," Charles "Trip" Tucker III notes that the prohibition is a Vulcan policy, not human. In another episode, "Dear Doctor," Jonathan Archer
says:
The Prime Directive was not actually written into law until some years after the formation of the Federation — in the Star Trek
episode "A Piece of the Action," an early Federation ship, the Horizon, visited a primitive planet and left behind several items which altered the planet's culture significantly--most notably the book Chicago Mobs Of The Twenties, which the inhabitants quickly seized upon as a blueprint for their entire society.
An alternative origin comes from the Enterprise episode "Observer Effect
," where it is revealed that the Organian
s also adhere to a form of the Prime Directive. However, as Star Fleet
does not officially make first contact with the Organians until the original series episode "Errand of Mercy," it is unknown what impact, if any, they had on the development of the directive.
In real life, the creation of the Prime Directive is generally credited to Gene L. Coon
, although there is some contention as to whether science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon
, who wrote of the Prime Directive in an unused script for the original series, actually came up with it first. The Prime Directive closely mirrors the zoo hypothesis
explanation for the Fermi paradox
. In an interview with Gene Roddenberry
in a 1991 edition of 'The Humanist' magazine, he implied that it might also have had its roots in his belief that Christian Missionaries were interfering with other cultures.
stories have used the Prime Directive as a literary device which allows the exploration of interactions with less advanced societies without the heroes having the overwhelming advantage of easy access to and use of their technology. Since Star Trek has consistently used alien interactions as an allegory
for the real world, the Prime Directive has served as a template to tell stories which resemble those of real human societies and their interactions with less technologically advanced societies, such as the interaction between modern cultures and indigenous peoples. In the philosophical view of Star Trek, no matter how well-intentioned the more advanced peoples are, interaction between advanced technology and a more primitive society is invariably destructive.
In the fictional storyline, the Prime Directive was created by Star Fleet
and the United Federation of Planets
shortly after they were first formed. Since then the Prime Directive has been breached on many occasions, both accidentally and deliberately. Sometimes when a Federation starship or vessel crashes on a planet that has a pre-warp civilization, the survivors or the wreckage are collected by the natives, and this then influences their society, especially when Federation technology is recovered and added to the technology of the planet. Sometimes the Directive is deliberately violated. Circa stardate
2534.0 (2266), in the Original Series episode "Patterns of Force," cultural observer and historian John Gill openly created a regime based on Nazi Germany
on a primitive planet in a misguided effort to create a society which combined what he (mistakenly) viewed as the high efficiency of a fascist
dictatorship
with a more benign philosophy, thereby contaminating the normal and healthy development of the planet's culture. Much to his regret, the intervention proved disastrous with a power-hungry subordinate making Gill his puppet and causing the regime to adopt the same racial
supremacist
and genocidal
ideologies of the original, forcing Star Fleet personnel to intervene directly to minimize the harm to the societies.
By the time of the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation
, the Prime Directive was indicated to apply not only to just pre-warp civilizations, but also, indeed, to any culture with whom Star Fleet comes into contact. In such situations, the Prime Directive forbids any involvement with a civilization without the expressed consent or invitation of the lawful leaders of that society, and absolutely forbids any involvement whatsoever in the internal politics of a civilization. This understanding of the Prime Directive resembles the concept of Westphalian sovereignty
in political science
.
For example, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Redemption," when the Klingon
Empire experienced a brief civil war, Captain Jean-Luc Picard
refused Chancellor Gowron
's request of aid, even though he was the legitimate ruler of the Empire, and even though the Romulan
s were suspected of supplying weapons to the opposing side, as an imperial civil war
was deemed an internal conflict. Although the Prime Directive was not explicitly mentioned, it is presumable that this was the pertinent basis for Picard's refusal, in light of a later example on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, when the provisional government of the planet Bajor experienced a power struggle that nearly led to civil war. During this conflict, Deep Space Nine
Commander Benjamin Sisko
's superior explicitly cited the Prime Directive, and ordered him to evacuate all Starfleet personnel from the station, as the situation, i.e. a conflict as to what form the Bajoran government would take, was deemed internal to Bajor, and the Federation, it was felt, had no business influencing the Bajorans' decision in this matter.
Although it was known that the Cardassian
s were supplying weapons to one side, Sisko's superior noted, "The Cardassians might involve themselves in other people's civil wars, but we don't." This highlights that the Federation considers the Prime Directive as binding only to itself and neither expects other governments to adhere to it nor attempts to convince them to do so.
Around 20 minutes into the season 2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
episode, "Pen Pals," the senior staff has a philosophical discussion regarding the Prime Directive. Troi and LaForge argue that if there is a “cosmic plan,” that the presence of the Enterprise and its crew is also to be included in that plan and that this alone allows them a legitimate claim to act on behalf of a people in need. Captain Picard argues that one's personal certitude is not relevant and that the Prime Directive is meant to prevent “us” from letting our emotions overwhelm our judgment.
On Star Trek: Voyager
, the Prime Directive was used more than once as a plot device as well, and on more than one occasion, Captain Kathryn Janeway
also applied the Prime Directive to a situation which clearly did not involve a pre-warp civilization. ("State of Flux," "Maneuvers") Also, in at least two different episodes in which they encountered civilizations that had technology which could shorten their journey home, "Prime Factors" and "Future's End (Part II)," policies similar to the Prime Directive was cited as a basis for denying Janeway and her crew access to it. In the episode "Infinite Regress," Naomi Wildman reveals that there are 47 sub-orders of the Prime Directive.
and customs
. On the other hand, dedication to non-interference has been shown to go beyond this. The dedication is such that by 2364 Starfleet had allowed sixty races to die out.
In at least one case (TOS episode 'A Private Little War'), where two different factions of one race were at war with each other, the Prime Directive had been interpreted to mean that neither side could have an advantage (ie. that there had to be a balance of power
). With this race, when it was found that Klingon
s were furnishing one portion of the race with advanced weapons, Kirk responded by arming the other faction with the same weapons. This resulted in an arms race
on that world, and was seen as a fictionalized parallel to the then-current Cold War
arms race, in which the United States
often armed one side of a dispute and the Soviet Union
armed the other (a practice known as proxy war
). A similar arms race served as the backstory of the TNG episode "Too Short a Season." Conversely, Voyager Captain Janeway refused to allow the Kazon
-Nistrim and the Kazon-Ogla to have replicator technology
, believing it would tip the balance of power among the Kazon factions. ("State of Flux").
On a planet
that had two indigenous sentient
species
, the more advanced one was suffering from a degenerative genetic disorder. A cure was not pursued because it was determined that the more advanced species was genetically stagnant, and that the lesser one was genetically progressive. It was viewed as contrary to nature to help the dying race. Despite the fact that this event took place in the series Star Trek: Enterprise
, before the formation of both the Federation and the Prime Directive, it reflects the views of space-faring humans and their allies in the years leading up to the creation of the Federation (ENT episode "Dear Doctor").
In another case, a starship
stood by and watched as the loss of a planet's atmosphere was about to wipe out the last remaining members of a primitive civilization
, rather than interfere to save their lives. However, the Federation observer refused to stand by, and violated the Prime Directive by saving a small group of that civilization.
There are different conclusions as to the purpose of non-interference. One is that the ends do not justify the means. No matter how well-intentioned, stepping in and effecting change could have disastrous consequences. Another conclusion (strongly implied in the ENT episode "Dear Doctor") is a belief that evolution
has a "plan" of sorts, driving species toward purposes. Interference would therefore be unnatural, in that it would go against what is supposed to happen to the species in question.
Some characters have viewed the Prime Directive as a negative policy, because it prevents introduction of technology (especially medical technology), culture, and resources that may improve quality of life. It also has been considered an attitude of moral cowardice by critics of the Federation — that the Prime Directive gives the Federation an excuse not to act. During the brutal Cardassian
occupation of Bajor in the early 24th century, the Federation refused to act on the grounds that, since Bajor was at that time considered part of the Cardassian Union, the occupation was an internal matter of the Cardassian government and to help the Bajoran
s would violate the Prime Directive. Many Bajorans resented the Federation for years after the occupation because of this attitude. Those in favor of the Prime Directive have said that no one has the right to impose their own standards on others and it is hardly moral cowardice to keep to a difficult, but ultimately beneficial principle in the face of temptation.
Compounding matters is that in the TOS episode "The Omega Glory," Kirk states, "A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive," and yet he seemingly violates the Prime Directive as "the only way to save my ship" in "A Taste of Armageddon" and no explanation for the Federation Ambassador trying to mediate between Eminiar VII and Vendikar (neither of which are Federation members) regardless of their wishes on the matter is given.
In "The Return of the Archons" and "The Apple" reference to the "Prime Directive of non-interference" is made by Spock. In "The Return Of The Archons," Kirk says the Prime Directive refers to "a living, growing culture" to justify interfering with what he sees as the non-development of the computer-controlled culture, asking pointedly in reference to it, by contrasting it with living, growing cultures, "Do you think this one is?" In the "The Apple" Spock points out that Starfleet Command may not agree with his choice to interfere with the computer controlled culture to which Kirk replies "I'll take my chances."
Then there are episodes where the Prime Directive should have been mentioned but wasn't. In "The Paradise Syndrome," the Enterprise attempts to save a pre-industrial planet by moving an asteroid that was on a collision course with it; when McCoy asks Kirk if he should warn the people, Kirk and Spock only point out the people would not understand the warning, and neither makes any reference to the Prime Directive. In "The Cloud Minders Kirk interferes with the culture of Ardana to obtain zenite the only cure for a biological plague ravaging Merak.
Admiral Matthew Dougherty's reasons for violation of the Prime Directive in Star Trek: Insurrection
in Picard's time echos the reasons Kirk gives McCoy in "Private Little War" but Picard considers them invalid. In "Homeward," Nikolai Rozhenko (Paul Sorvino
) uses holodeck technology to save the Boraalan and enforce what he believes is the spirit of the Prime Directive even though Picard has already said such actions violate what it actually states. In "Pen Pals," Captain Picard rectifies contact with an inhabitant of a pre-warp planet by ordering her memory erased. When contamination became too serious to be fixed by memory erasures, Captain Picard decided to make direct contact with a civilization's leaders in "Who Watches the Watchers" and "First Contact," although the latter episode involved a planet on the verge of achieving warp flight, and therefore eligible for First Contact. Finally, in "Natural Law," the Voyager crew took measures to ensure the protected isolation of a primitive people, even from a more advanced civilization who share the same planet.
In contrast, the Next Generation episode "Justice" did not explicitly explain whether the Edo people were pre-warp or were aware of offworld space travelers prior to the Enterprise's visit. If the case is the former, then when Wesley Crusher
is sentenced to death, the violation of the Prime Directive had already occurred and the issue of rescuing him, while politically exacerbating matters, might not have been a violation of the Directive.
While no prosecution for a violation of the Prime Directive was ever seen in a Star Trek episode or film, Picard's nine documented violations are held as evidence against him during a witchhunt investigation in "The Drumhead." Additionally, the non-canonical novel Prime Directive
, written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
, deals with the political and career fallout from a violation allegedly committed by Kirk. In canon, Captain Kirk apprehended Captain Tracey of the USS Exeter when he found evidence of the latter's apparent violation of the Prime Directive. However, the aftermath of the arrest is unknown.
er (from the past or future) from interfering in the natural development of a timeline
. The TPD was formally created by the 29th Century, and was enforced through an agency of Star Fleet
called the Temporal Integrity Commission, which monitored and restricted deviations from the natural flow of history. However, several Star Trek: Voyager episodes specifically make references to the Temporal Prime Directive that suggest that it applies in the 24th century.
The directive is regarded as "inviolable," and any Star Fleet officer responding to a question regarding their prior actions with words to the effect of "I cannot reply due to the Temporal Prime Directive" would not normally be subject to censure, as long as some form of temporal instability had been sensed, however slight the signs.
As 31st Century time traveler Daniels revealed to Captain Jonathan Archer
in the Star Trek: Enterprise
episode "Cold Front," as time travel technology became practical, the Temporal Accords were established sometime significantly prior to the 31st Century, in order to allow the use of time travel for the purposes of studying history, while prohibiting the use of it to alter history. Some factions rejected the Accords, leading to the Temporal Cold War
that served as a recurring storyline during the first three seasons of that series.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, the Prime Directive, Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
's General Order #1, is the most prominent guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
. The Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference
Non-interventionism
Nonintervention or non-interventionism is a foreign policy which holds that political rulers should avoid alliances with other nations, but still retain diplomacy, and avoid all wars not related to direct self-defense...
with the internal development of alien civilizations.
It has special implications, however, for civilizations that have not yet developed the technology for interstellar spaceflight ("pre-warp"), since no primitive culture can be given or exposed to any information regarding advanced technology or the existence of extraplanetary
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
civilizations, lest this exposure alter the natural development of the civilization. Although this was the only application stated by Captain Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
in "The Return of the Archons", by the 24th Century, it had been indicated to include purposeful efforts to improve or change in any way the natural course of such a society, even if that change is well-intentioned and kept completely secret. "Pre-warp" is defined as any culture which has not yet attained warp drive
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
technology and is thus, implicitly, unaware of the existence of alien races. Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
allows scientific missions to investigate and secretly move amongst pre-warp civilizations as long as no advanced technology is left behind, and there is no interference with events or no revelation of their identity. This can usually be accomplished with hidden observation posts, but Federation personnel may disguise themselves as local sentient life and interact with them.
The Prime Directive is a Starfleet regulation, and thus only applies to Starfleet officers. Civilian citizens of the Federation are not bound by it. In fact, if a Federation citizen has chosen to personally interfere with another civilization, Starfleet is powerless to remove that individual, under penalty of court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
.
The only stated exception to the Prime Directive is the Omega Directive, in which a captain is authorized to take any means to destroy Omega Molecules when detected. Whenever the Omega Directive is in force, the Prime Directive is effectively rescinded.
Text
This directive can be found in the Articles of the Federation, Chapter I, Article II, Paragraph VII, which states:It has been further defined in this way:
Variations and origin
The Prime Directive is explicitly defined in the Star TrekStar Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "Bread and Circuses," which is set in 2267:
Whether this was the full text of the Directive is unclear, but by the Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "Infinite Regress," which is set in 2375, it is revealed that the Directive has 47 sub-orders. However, once contamination has occurred, Star Fleet personnel are allowed to directly intervene on the planet to attempt to minimize the harm as much as possible with an openness in proportion of how significant the exposure has been. For example, in "Bread and Circuses" itself, James Kirk and crew investigated the fate of a ship's personnel on a planet while attempting to keep their origins secret even while the planet's rulers were aware. By contrast, in "Patterns of Force," where the crew discovers that a Federation cultural observer has contaminated the culture he was supposed to be observing by having blatantly reformed a planet's government to emulate Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, they help the local resistance overthrow the government.
The non-interference directive seems to have originated with the Vulcans
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
. In Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
, it is stated that but for Zefram Cochrane
Zefram Cochrane
Zefram Cochrane is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. Created by writer Gene L. Coon, the character first appeared in the 1967 Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis", in which he was played by Glenn Corbett. James Cromwell later played Cochrane in the 1996 feature film Star Trek: First...
's historic warp flight, a passing Vulcan ship would have deemed Earth unready for contact and ignored the planet. However, the policy was not implemented immediately, and did not exist on pre-Federation Earth: in the Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
episode "Civilization," Charles "Trip" Tucker III notes that the prohibition is a Vulcan policy, not human. In another episode, "Dear Doctor," Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he is played by Scott Bakula...
says:
The Prime Directive was not actually written into law until some years after the formation of the Federation — in the Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "A Piece of the Action," an early Federation ship, the Horizon, visited a primitive planet and left behind several items which altered the planet's culture significantly--most notably the book Chicago Mobs Of The Twenties, which the inhabitants quickly seized upon as a blueprint for their entire society.
An alternative origin comes from the Enterprise episode "Observer Effect
Observer effect
Observer effect may refer to:* Observer effect , the impact of observing a process while it is running* Observer effect , the impact of observing a physical system...
," where it is revealed that the Organian
Organian
The Organians are a fictional race in the universe of Star Trek, appearing in the episode "Errand of Mercy." They are one of the most evolved, advanced alien races ever encountered by the crew of the original Enterprise. It is not known whether they are "moral" beings or, because they have no...
s also adhere to a form of the Prime Directive. However, as Star Fleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
does not officially make first contact with the Organians until the original series episode "Errand of Mercy," it is unknown what impact, if any, they had on the development of the directive.
In real life, the creation of the Prime Directive is generally credited to Gene L. Coon
Gene L. Coon
Gene L. Coon was an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best remembered for his work on the original Star Trek series.-Life and career:...
, although there is some contention as to whether science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
, who wrote of the Prime Directive in an unused script for the original series, actually came up with it first. The Prime Directive closely mirrors the zoo hypothesis
Zoo hypothesis
The zoo hypothesis is one of a number of suggestions that have been advanced in response to the Fermi paradox, regarding the apparent absence of evidence in support of the existence of advanced extraterrestrial life...
explanation for the Fermi paradox
Fermi paradox
The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations....
. In an interview with Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
in a 1991 edition of 'The Humanist' magazine, he implied that it might also have had its roots in his belief that Christian Missionaries were interfering with other cultures.
Philosophy and allegory
Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
stories have used the Prime Directive as a literary device which allows the exploration of interactions with less advanced societies without the heroes having the overwhelming advantage of easy access to and use of their technology. Since Star Trek has consistently used alien interactions as an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
for the real world, the Prime Directive has served as a template to tell stories which resemble those of real human societies and their interactions with less technologically advanced societies, such as the interaction between modern cultures and indigenous peoples. In the philosophical view of Star Trek, no matter how well-intentioned the more advanced peoples are, interaction between advanced technology and a more primitive society is invariably destructive.
In the fictional storyline, the Prime Directive was created by Star Fleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
and the United Federation of Planets
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
shortly after they were first formed. Since then the Prime Directive has been breached on many occasions, both accidentally and deliberately. Sometimes when a Federation starship or vessel crashes on a planet that has a pre-warp civilization, the survivors or the wreckage are collected by the natives, and this then influences their society, especially when Federation technology is recovered and added to the technology of the planet. Sometimes the Directive is deliberately violated. Circa stardate
Stardate
A stardate is a date in the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek, commonly heard at the beginning of a voiceover log entry such as "Captain's log, stardate 41153.7...
2534.0 (2266), in the Original Series episode "Patterns of Force," cultural observer and historian John Gill openly created a regime based on Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
on a primitive planet in a misguided effort to create a society which combined what he (mistakenly) viewed as the high efficiency of a fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
with a more benign philosophy, thereby contaminating the normal and healthy development of the planet's culture. Much to his regret, the intervention proved disastrous with a power-hungry subordinate making Gill his puppet and causing the regime to adopt the same racial
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
supremacist
Supremacism
Supremacism is the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, belief system or culture is superior to others and entitles those who identify with it to dominate, control or rule those who do not.- Sexual :...
and genocidal
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
ideologies of the original, forcing Star Fleet personnel to intervene directly to minimize the harm to the societies.
By the time of the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, the Prime Directive was indicated to apply not only to just pre-warp civilizations, but also, indeed, to any culture with whom Star Fleet comes into contact. In such situations, the Prime Directive forbids any involvement with a civilization without the expressed consent or invitation of the lawful leaders of that society, and absolutely forbids any involvement whatsoever in the internal politics of a civilization. This understanding of the Prime Directive resembles the concept of Westphalian sovereignty
Westphalian sovereignty
Westphalian sovereignty is the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on two things: territoriality and the absence of a role for external agents in domestic structures....
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
For example, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Redemption," when the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
Empire experienced a brief civil war, Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
refused Chancellor Gowron
Gowron
Gowron is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. Portrayed by Robert O'Reilly and featured in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...
's request of aid, even though he was the legitimate ruler of the Empire, and even though the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
s were suspected of supplying weapons to the opposing side, as an imperial civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
was deemed an internal conflict. Although the Prime Directive was not explicitly mentioned, it is presumable that this was the pertinent basis for Picard's refusal, in light of a later example on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, when the provisional government of the planet Bajor experienced a power struggle that nearly led to civil war. During this conflict, Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
Commander Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
's superior explicitly cited the Prime Directive, and ordered him to evacuate all Starfleet personnel from the station, as the situation, i.e. a conflict as to what form the Bajoran government would take, was deemed internal to Bajor, and the Federation, it was felt, had no business influencing the Bajorans' decision in this matter.
Although it was known that the Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
s were supplying weapons to one side, Sisko's superior noted, "The Cardassians might involve themselves in other people's civil wars, but we don't." This highlights that the Federation considers the Prime Directive as binding only to itself and neither expects other governments to adhere to it nor attempts to convince them to do so.
Around 20 minutes into the season 2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode, "Pen Pals," the senior staff has a philosophical discussion regarding the Prime Directive. Troi and LaForge argue that if there is a “cosmic plan,” that the presence of the Enterprise and its crew is also to be included in that plan and that this alone allows them a legitimate claim to act on behalf of a people in need. Captain Picard argues that one's personal certitude is not relevant and that the Prime Directive is meant to prevent “us” from letting our emotions overwhelm our judgment.
On Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, the Prime Directive was used more than once as a plot device as well, and on more than one occasion, Captain Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. As the captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, she was the lead character on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, and later, a Starfleet admiral, as seen in the 2002 feature film Star Trek...
also applied the Prime Directive to a situation which clearly did not involve a pre-warp civilization. ("State of Flux," "Maneuvers") Also, in at least two different episodes in which they encountered civilizations that had technology which could shorten their journey home, "Prime Factors" and "Future's End (Part II)," policies similar to the Prime Directive was cited as a basis for denying Janeway and her crew access to it. In the episode "Infinite Regress," Naomi Wildman reveals that there are 47 sub-orders of the Prime Directive.
Implications
The concept of non-interference can be seen to prevent foreign contamination of unique native languageLanguage
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
and customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
. On the other hand, dedication to non-interference has been shown to go beyond this. The dedication is such that by 2364 Starfleet had allowed sixty races to die out.
In at least one case (TOS episode 'A Private Little War'), where two different factions of one race were at war with each other, the Prime Directive had been interpreted to mean that neither side could have an advantage (ie. that there had to be a balance of power
Balance of power
Balance of power may refer to:* Balance of power , distribution of power between a central government and its subnational governments...
). With this race, when it was found that Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s were furnishing one portion of the race with advanced weapons, Kirk responded by arming the other faction with the same weapons. This resulted in an arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
on that world, and was seen as a fictionalized parallel to the then-current Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
arms race, in which the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
often armed one side of a dispute and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
armed the other (a practice known as proxy war
Proxy war
A proxy war or proxy warfare is a war that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly. While powers have sometimes used governments as proxies, violent non-state actors, mercenaries, or other third parties are more often employed...
). A similar arms race served as the backstory of the TNG episode "Too Short a Season." Conversely, Voyager Captain Janeway refused to allow the Kazon
Kazon
In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Kazon are a Delta Quadrant race. The Kazon are technologically inferior to the United Federation of Planets as it exists in the twenty-fourth century...
-Nistrim and the Kazon-Ogla to have replicator technology
Replicator (Star Trek)
In Star Trek a replicator is a machine capable of creating objects. Replicators were originally seen used to synthesize meals on demand, but in later series they took on many other uses.-Origins and limitations:...
, believing it would tip the balance of power among the Kazon factions. ("State of Flux").
On a planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
that had two indigenous sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, the more advanced one was suffering from a degenerative genetic disorder. A cure was not pursued because it was determined that the more advanced species was genetically stagnant, and that the lesser one was genetically progressive. It was viewed as contrary to nature to help the dying race. Despite the fact that this event took place in the series Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
, before the formation of both the Federation and the Prime Directive, it reflects the views of space-faring humans and their allies in the years leading up to the creation of the Federation (ENT episode "Dear Doctor").
In another case, a starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
stood by and watched as the loss of a planet's atmosphere was about to wipe out the last remaining members of a primitive civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
, rather than interfere to save their lives. However, the Federation observer refused to stand by, and violated the Prime Directive by saving a small group of that civilization.
There are different conclusions as to the purpose of non-interference. One is that the ends do not justify the means. No matter how well-intentioned, stepping in and effecting change could have disastrous consequences. Another conclusion (strongly implied in the ENT episode "Dear Doctor") is a belief that evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
has a "plan" of sorts, driving species toward purposes. Interference would therefore be unnatural, in that it would go against what is supposed to happen to the species in question.
Some characters have viewed the Prime Directive as a negative policy, because it prevents introduction of technology (especially medical technology), culture, and resources that may improve quality of life. It also has been considered an attitude of moral cowardice by critics of the Federation — that the Prime Directive gives the Federation an excuse not to act. During the brutal Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
occupation of Bajor in the early 24th century, the Federation refused to act on the grounds that, since Bajor was at that time considered part of the Cardassian Union, the occupation was an internal matter of the Cardassian government and to help the Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
s would violate the Prime Directive. Many Bajorans resented the Federation for years after the occupation because of this attitude. Those in favor of the Prime Directive have said that no one has the right to impose their own standards on others and it is hardly moral cowardice to keep to a difficult, but ultimately beneficial principle in the face of temptation.
Criticism
One criticism regarding the Prime Directive is that it is inconsistently applied, depending on a planet's strategic importance or the circumstances in which a starship crew finds itself. For example, as part of the Federation's then-ongoing hostilities with the Klingons, Captain Kirk was ordered to make contact with the seemingly pre-industrial Organians in "Errand of Mercy." In addition, Kirk directly interfered with the laws or customs of alien worlds in "Friday's Child," "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," "The Cloud Minders," "The Apple," "The Return of the Archons," and "A Taste of Armageddon," in order to achieve a Federation objective, to save the lives of his crew, or both.Compounding matters is that in the TOS episode "The Omega Glory," Kirk states, "A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive," and yet he seemingly violates the Prime Directive as "the only way to save my ship" in "A Taste of Armageddon" and no explanation for the Federation Ambassador trying to mediate between Eminiar VII and Vendikar (neither of which are Federation members) regardless of their wishes on the matter is given.
In "The Return of the Archons" and "The Apple" reference to the "Prime Directive of non-interference" is made by Spock. In "The Return Of The Archons," Kirk says the Prime Directive refers to "a living, growing culture" to justify interfering with what he sees as the non-development of the computer-controlled culture, asking pointedly in reference to it, by contrasting it with living, growing cultures, "Do you think this one is?" In the "The Apple" Spock points out that Starfleet Command may not agree with his choice to interfere with the computer controlled culture to which Kirk replies "I'll take my chances."
Then there are episodes where the Prime Directive should have been mentioned but wasn't. In "The Paradise Syndrome," the Enterprise attempts to save a pre-industrial planet by moving an asteroid that was on a collision course with it; when McCoy asks Kirk if he should warn the people, Kirk and Spock only point out the people would not understand the warning, and neither makes any reference to the Prime Directive. In "The Cloud Minders Kirk interferes with the culture of Ardana to obtain zenite the only cure for a biological plague ravaging Merak.
Admiral Matthew Dougherty's reasons for violation of the Prime Directive in Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
in Picard's time echos the reasons Kirk gives McCoy in "Private Little War" but Picard considers them invalid. In "Homeward," Nikolai Rozhenko (Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
) uses holodeck technology to save the Boraalan and enforce what he believes is the spirit of the Prime Directive even though Picard has already said such actions violate what it actually states. In "Pen Pals," Captain Picard rectifies contact with an inhabitant of a pre-warp planet by ordering her memory erased. When contamination became too serious to be fixed by memory erasures, Captain Picard decided to make direct contact with a civilization's leaders in "Who Watches the Watchers" and "First Contact," although the latter episode involved a planet on the verge of achieving warp flight, and therefore eligible for First Contact. Finally, in "Natural Law," the Voyager crew took measures to ensure the protected isolation of a primitive people, even from a more advanced civilization who share the same planet.
In contrast, the Next Generation episode "Justice" did not explicitly explain whether the Edo people were pre-warp or were aware of offworld space travelers prior to the Enterprise's visit. If the case is the former, then when Wesley Crusher
Wesley Crusher
Wesley Crusher is a character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is Beverly Crusher's son and is portrayed by actor Wil Wheaton, the character was a regular for the first four seasons. Afterwards, the character appeared sporadically. The character also appeared briefly in...
is sentenced to death, the violation of the Prime Directive had already occurred and the issue of rescuing him, while politically exacerbating matters, might not have been a violation of the Directive.
While no prosecution for a violation of the Prime Directive was ever seen in a Star Trek episode or film, Picard's nine documented violations are held as evidence against him during a witchhunt investigation in "The Drumhead." Additionally, the non-canonical novel Prime Directive
Prime Directive (Star Trek novel)
-Plot summary:On a local moon of Talin IV a Federation first contact observation post is monitoring the events on the planet below with growing confusion and concern. Talin IV, a world inhabited by a reptilian society with a culture equivalent to late-20th century Earth, and possible first contact...
, written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are a prolific husband and wife writing team, known mainly for their involvement with the Star Trek franchise. They have written several books both within and outside of Star Trek, and acted as executive story editors and co-producers on the fourth season of the...
, deals with the political and career fallout from a violation allegedly committed by Kirk. In canon, Captain Kirk apprehended Captain Tracey of the USS Exeter when he found evidence of the latter's apparent violation of the Prime Directive. However, the aftermath of the arrest is unknown.
Temporal Prime Directive
The Temporal Prime Directive is intended to prevent a time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
er (from the past or future) from interfering in the natural development of a timeline
Chronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
. The TPD was formally created by the 29th Century, and was enforced through an agency of Star Fleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
called the Temporal Integrity Commission, which monitored and restricted deviations from the natural flow of history. However, several Star Trek: Voyager episodes specifically make references to the Temporal Prime Directive that suggest that it applies in the 24th century.
The directive is regarded as "inviolable," and any Star Fleet officer responding to a question regarding their prior actions with words to the effect of "I cannot reply due to the Temporal Prime Directive" would not normally be subject to censure, as long as some form of temporal instability had been sensed, however slight the signs.
As 31st Century time traveler Daniels revealed to Captain Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he is played by Scott Bakula...
in the Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
episode "Cold Front," as time travel technology became practical, the Temporal Accords were established sometime significantly prior to the 31st Century, in order to allow the use of time travel for the purposes of studying history, while prohibiting the use of it to alter history. Some factions rejected the Accords, leading to the Temporal Cold War
Temporal Cold War
The Temporal Cold War is a fictional conflict waged throughout history in the Star Trek universe, predominantly during the 22nd century AD...
that served as a recurring storyline during the first three seasons of that series.
Use in other science fiction
- In Olaf StapledonOlaf StapledonWilliam Olaf Stapledon was a British philosopher and author of several influential works of science fiction.-Life:...
's 1937 novel Star MakerStar Maker-External links:*...
, great care is taken by the Symbiont race to keep its existence hidden from "pre-utopian" primitives, "lest they should lose their independence of mind". It is only when such worlds become utopian-level space travellers that the Symbionts make contact and bring the young utopia to an equal footing. - In L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
's Viagens books the planet Krishna is protected by Regulation 368 whose Section 4, subsection 24, paragraph 15 reads: "it is forbidden to communicate to any native resident of the planet Krishna any device, appliance, machine, tool, weapon, or invention representing an improvement upon the science and technology already in existence upon this planet." As with the Federation's own Prime Directive there were inconsistencies—Printing and soap were allowed but knowledge of more advanced economics weren't. Also Regulation 368 does not forbid interference with Krishna culture by travelers as long as that interference is not technological in nature. - In the Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
universe, the concept of keeping advanced technology from the less advanced races who were not ready for it was cited.- In the episode, "DeathwalkerDeathwalker"Deathwalker" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Na'Toth spots an alien Dilgar woman disembarking from a Minbari ship, and reacts violently, attacking the woman, whom she calls "Deathwalker". She goes wild shouting "Deathwalker" and...
," a renegade Dilgar scientist named Jha'dur is captured but bargains her freedom with a breakthrough medication that grants immortalityImmortalityImmortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. Before her medication can be mass-produced, she is killed by the Vorlons. Ambassador Kosh Naranek tells an assembled audience, 'You are not ready for immortality.' - When Epsilon III was discovered to be harboring a gigantic machine in the two part episode "A Voice in the Wilderness," it is discovered that a living being named Varn had integrated himself with the machine to act as a CPU for the machine. Because this being was dying, the Minbari DraalDraalDraal is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played first by Louis Turenne and later by John Schuck.-Overview:...
took the place of Varn as the CPU. In space, a battle was taking place over ownership of the machine. The Earth Alliance was fighting to keep criminals that were the same species as Varn from taking the planet. Draal appeared to everyone involved in the dispute. He said that because the planet's technology would give an unfair advantage to any one race, that the planet was off limits to all. - After the Vorlons had left the galaxy, a number of people attempted to travel to Vorlon to lay claim to the advanced technology there. The planet's automated defense systems destroyed those who approached the planet. In the episode "The Fall of Centauri PrimeThe Fall of Centauri Prime"The Fall of Centauri Prime" is an episode from the fifth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. This is a key episode in the series, as it marks the final downfall and story completion of Londo Mollari, one of the major characters on the series.-Synopsis:As the episode begins...
," Lyta explains that humanity was not presently meant to have Vorlon technology. She went on to say that humanity would be unable to go to Vorlon until they were ready, which would be at least one million years after the events of the series. - On the other hand, in the CrusadeCrusade (TV series)Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
episode Visitors From Down the Street, Captain Matthew GideonMatthew GideonCaptain Matthew Gideon is a character in the fictional universe of the television series Babylon 5, played by Gary Cole. Gideon was the lead character in the B5 spin-off show Crusade, which ran for 13 episodes in 1998-99.-Prior to Excalibur:...
would launch a full spread of modified probes (uploaded with considerable information about EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and other Interstellar AllianceInterstellar AllianceThe Interstellar Alliance is a fictional interstellar government of civilizations in the Babylon 5 universe.Formed in 2261 AD in the aftermath of the liberation of Earth and the Shadow War, the Interstellar Alliance was formed between the Minbari, Narn, Centauri, the Earth Alliance and the...
worlds, and about certain recent events which had transpired aboard the EAS ExcaliburExcaliburExcalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
) at a pre-hyperspace planet where HumanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s had been cast (by the local government) in a role reminiscent of the Grey Aliens in our culture, in order to expose the locals to the truth. His Exec, John MathesonJohn MathesonJohn Ross Matheson, OC, CD, QC is a Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician who helped develop both the maple leaf flag and the Order of Canada.- Early life :...
, would make reference to the gist of the Prime Directive as a criticism some might apply to this act. Captain Gideon acknowledged the possible critics, but then said, "Screw 'em."
- In the episode, "Deathwalker
- In Orson Scott Card's Ender's GameEnder's GameEnder's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional...
series, the Starways Congress established the law that no alien culture found is to be provided with superior technology or any information about the human society in order to preserve the natural development of the culture. In Speaker for the DeadSpeaker for the DeadSpeaker for the Dead is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card and an indirect sequel to the novel Ender's Game. This book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in Ender's Game...
, this is interpreted very strictly, to the point that the scientists studying the Pequeninos are not allowed to draw blood, for fear of giving the Pequeninos the hint that there is something to be learned from studying blood. The scientists, however, violate the prohibitions. - In FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, The Democratic Order of Planets' "Brannigan's Law" is a parody of the Prime Directive, and prohibits interfering with undeveloped worlds. Zapp BranniganZapp BranniganCaptain Zapp Brannigan is a fictional character in the animated sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West, but was originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman, with West taking over the role after Hartman's death. Brannigan is a 25-Star General in the Democratic Order of Planets, and captain...
, after whom the law is named, states that "I don't pretend to understand Brannigan's law; I merely enforce it." - In the AnimorphsAnimorphsAnimorphs is an English language science fiction series of young adult books written by K. A. Applegate and published by Scholastic. Five humans, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias, and one alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill , obtain the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They name...
series, the Law of Seerow's Kindness was passed by the AndaliteAndaliteThe Andalites are a fictional alien race of grazers in the Scholastic book series Animorphs.-Biology:The Andalites are fictional aliens from the book series and TV series Animorphs....
s to outlaw the passing of technology to alien species. This law was a consequence of Seerow's Kindness, in which an Andalite named Prince Seerow gave the Yeerks advanced technology, leading directly to their sudden rise in galactic importance. - In the StargateStargateStargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
universe, attitudes toward a noninterference policy vary:- The Tau'ri, or humans of Earth, have a totally opposite spin on interference than the Federation, holding it to be Earth's duty to assist humans on other planets, and most other non-hostile races, wherever possible in whatever way possible. However, they never share technology without good reason, and are often hesitant to give potentially dangerous technology such as weapons or strategically important materials away. They also refuse to accept or give technology to any civilization which practices morally reprehensible deeds, including one which practiced racial superiority and ethnic cleansing. The relatively middling nature of Earth technology, and the suddenness with which Earth became a major interstellar player, may have something to do with this attitude. In any event, the Tau'ri are wary of following in the footsteps of the Goa'uldGoa'uldThe Goa'uld are a fictional symbiotic race of ancient astronauts from the American-Canadian military science fiction television franchise Stargate. The Goa'uld are parasites from the planet P3X-888, integrated within a host, most of the time human. The resulting creatures are a powerful race bent...
, who pose as gods on less-advanced worlds. - The Tollan followed a policy effectively the same as the Prime Directive, following the destruction of a neighboring planet caused by the misuse of power-generating technology given to them by the Tollan.
- The AsgardAsgard (Stargate)The Asgard are a fictional highly advanced race in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. They are first mentioned in the episode , and first seen in . In the series, the Asgard gave rise to Norse mythology on Earth, as well as accounts of the Roswell "Greys"...
dislike sharing most of their technology, but nevertheless were willing to give technology in gratitude to an inferior race; this is how Earth got its hyperdrive and power source for that hyperdrive. However, they draw the line at providing any form of offensive technology to other races. - It is unknown whether the AncientsAncient (Stargate)The Ancients are a humanoid race in the fictional Stargate universe. They are called "Ancients" in the Milky Way, but are also known as Lanteans or Ancestors in the Pegasus galaxy and as the Alterans in their home galaxy, and they sometimes call themselves Anquietas in their language...
shared much technology pre-Ascension, but post-Ascension they adopted a policy of strict noninterference for any reason, as a consequence of their belief in reason and the generally deontologicalDeontological ethicsDeontological ethics or deontology is the normative ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules. It is sometimes described as "duty" or "obligation" or "rule" -based ethics, because rules "bind you to your duty"...
mindset they tended to express. It does however seem to have an exception in that it can be violated to punish another violator under some extreme circumstances. Such penalties often strike down not only the violator, but also all the people of the civilization their interference affected. - The OriOri (Stargate)The Ori are fictional characters in the science fiction television series, Stargate SG-1. They are a group of "ascended" beings who use their advanced technology and knowledge of the universe to attempt to trick non-ascended humans into worshipping them as gods.They first appeared in the ninth...
, on the other hand, flaunt the technological benefits of Ascension; while it cannot strictly be said that they share technology, they do interfere with the less-advanced.
- The Tau'ri, or humans of Earth, have a totally opposite spin on interference than the Federation, holding it to be Earth's duty to assist humans on other planets, and most other non-hostile races, wherever possible in whatever way possible. However, they never share technology without good reason, and are often hesitant to give potentially dangerous technology such as weapons or strategically important materials away. They also refuse to accept or give technology to any civilization which practices morally reprehensible deeds, including one which practiced racial superiority and ethnic cleansing. The relatively middling nature of Earth technology, and the suddenness with which Earth became a major interstellar player, may have something to do with this attitude. In any event, the Tau'ri are wary of following in the footsteps of the Goa'uld
- The Time LordTime LordThe Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s of GallifreyGallifreyGallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
in the television show Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
are said to have practiced non-interference, especially related to their ability to travel anywhere in time or space. The Doctor himself is considered a "renegade" Time Lord because where his fellow Time Lords are content to observe the evil in the Universe, he has elected to fight against it. However, there are episodes that seem to contradict this view, or at least to point to a relaxation of it: "Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
," where the Time Lords ask the Doctor to prevent the creation of the Daleks or at least change them into a less violent race, "Image of the FendahlImage of the FendahlImage of the Fendahl is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 October to 19 November 1977.-Plot:...
," where the Time Lords destroyed the fifth planet of Sol and then used a Time Loop to hide all records of its existence, and "Two Doctors," where the Time Lords enlist the aid of the Doctor to prevent the independent development of their method of time travel. - Sylvia Louise Engdahl's novel Enchantress from the StarsEnchantress from the StarsEnchantress from the Stars is a young adult science-fiction novel by Sylvia Engdahl. It is a 1971 Newbery Honor book, and it was given a 1990 Phoenix Award by the Children's Literature Association "from the perspective of time". It was a Finalist for the 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year Award in...
also features the Prime Directive. A member of the original crew is killed upon landing on a primitive planet, Andrecia, when she is shot at. She dies without defending herself despite being able to shield herself using advanced technology. - The term is used, in fact Prime Directive is the title of a section, of Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
's "A Meeting with Medusa," which supposes that life, probably intelligent, has been discovered in the atmosphere of JupiterJupiterJupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
. (The story was published in Playboy, in 1971.) - Thomas Pynchon's 2006 novel Against the DayAgainst the DayAgainst the Day is a novel by Thomas Pynchon. The narrative takes place between the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the time immediately following World War I and features more than a hundred characters spread across the United States, Europe, Mexico, Central Asia, and "one or two places not strictly...
, in a parody of serial fiction, features a young men's organization, the "Chums of Chance", whose Charter includes a paraphrase of Star Trek's Prime Directive, "never to interfere with legal customs of any locality at which we may have happened to touch." - The Swedish artist and poet Johannes Heldén made a poetic web-installation entitled The Prime Directive in 2006, located at the Danish virtual exhibition room for visual poetry, literature, and visual art, Afsnit P.
- The Star OceanStar Oceanis a franchise of action role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published and owned by Square Enix .-Creation and influence:...
series of video games feature a Prime Directive in all of its titles. For example, the Pangalactic Federation in the game Star Ocean: Till the End of TimeStar Ocean: Till the End of Timeis the third main game in the Star Ocean series. The game was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 console. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The original Japanese release date was in February of 2003 by Enix, its penultimate...
has a similar law to the Prime Directive called the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact (UP3), violations of which are only mitigated under situations where there is a significant threat to "life and limb." - In Chapter 21 of Arthur C. Clarke's 3001: The Final Odyssey3001: The Final Odyssey3001: The Final Odyssey is a science fiction novel by Sir Arthur C. Clarke. It is the fourth and final book in Clarke's Space Odyssey series.-Plot summary:...
, a parallel is drawn between the prime directive and the monolith's forbiddance of human-Europan interaction. - In the Hainish Cycle, while interaction with cultures is rather free, the Planet of ExilePlanet of ExilePlanet of Exile is a 1966 science-fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin in her Hainish Cycle. It was first published as an Ace Double following the tête-bêche format, bundled with Mankind Under the Leash by Thomas M. Disch.-Plot summary:...
mentions the Law of Cultural Embargo, which states: No Religion or Congruence shall be disseminated, no technique or theory shall be taught, no cultural set or pattern shall be exported, nor shall para-verbal speech be used with any non-Communicant high-intelligence lifeform, or any Colonial Planet, until it be judged by the Area Council with the consent or the Plenum that such a planet be ready for Control or for Membership