What does the Prime Directive demand in the following scenario?

[Lexx Shrapnel]

A pre warp race finds an ancient speceship that functions and belongs to a race that is extinct?

Go down and blow it up?

Shoot them out of the sky?

Kidnap anyone who knows about it?

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Leave them be. Anything else is interference.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Depends if the ancient ship has anything Starfleet wants

 

[Tosk]

Do absolutely nothing other than watch.

 

[Longinus]

Yeah, I really see no reason to interfere, it is not Federation's business in any way. If the ship was of Federation origin, then I could see a case for trying to minimise the interference, but if the aliens have already studied the craft to the degree that they're ready to fly it, then it is too late anyway.

 

[Riker'sMailbox]

Nothing?

 

[Graham]

A pre warp race finds an ancient speceship that functions and belongs to a race that is extinct?

No, do nothing. The PD is about not interfering.

I assume this ancient spaceship is warp capable, in which case the Federation would probably introduce themselves in line with "First Contact". But they'd leave it up to the race what they did with it.

Unless they did something dumb like attack the Federation, of course.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

No, do nothing. The PD is about not interfering.

I assume this ancient spaceship is warp capable, in which case the Federation would probably introduce themselves in line with "First Contact". But they'd leave it up to the race what they did with it.

Unless they did something dumb like attack the Federation, of course.

Since they didn't build it themselves, I don't think the Federation would go straight to first contact. They can always do that if the aliens contact them, but until that happens or until there's a lot more achieved than 1 ancient ship in the air, there's always the possibility the ship could be lost leaving the people in a pre-warp state significantly longer.

 

[Graham]

Since they didn't build it themselves, I don't think the Federation would go straight to first contact. They can always do that if the aliens contact them, but until that happens or until there's a lot more achieved than 1 ancient ship in the air, there's always the possibility the ship could be lost leaving the people in a pre-warp state significantly longer.

Their rationale for making First Contact with planets that develop warp drive was that "We prefer meeting like this, rather than a random confrontation in deep space." So I doubt they would just stand back whilst these people wandered around in their ship. They'd more likely just turn up at their home planet and make contact before they could go fly anywhere.

That assumes they even know they've found the ship, of course.

 

[The Wormhole]

The Prime Directive is not about policing space and making sure pre-warp societies never learn about aliens. Starfleet can't do anything to prevent, say the Klingons or Romulans or whoever going to a pre-warp world and revealing everything about the galaxy around them to the population. It's simply a policy Starfleet institutes in its dealings. And in regards to this scenario, the Prime Directive doesn't compel anything. Maybe it might warrant the society be observed to determine if contact should be initiated, but otherwise nothing.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Their rationale for making First Contact with planets that develop warp drive was that "We prefer meeting like this, rather than a random confrontation in deep space." So I doubt they would just stand back whilst these people wandered around in their ship. They'd more likely just turn up at their home planet and make contact before they could go fly anywhere.

That assumes they even know they've found the ship, of course.

I understand, but I still think they would wait until they were certain that it wasn't a fluke which the locals aren't able to reproduce. Once they had a working warp engine of their own construction, that would be the time for first contact.

 

[SpyOne]

Essentially, whether or not the Prime Directive applies anymore depends on what the most likely outcome is.

If the aliens in question are almost certainly going to break or destroy the ship, on purpose or by accident, then they are still a pre-warp civilization, so hands-off.

If instead they most likely will master control of the ship enough to come visit, or to build ships of their own, then it's time to stop in and say welcome to the neighborhood.

If it isn't clear which is most likely, each option will be rated for "how bad would it be if we are wrong".
Like, is the ship a threat to our ships, so if they bump into us and shoot lives will be lost? How likely are they to shoot? How xenophobic/xenophillic are they? Will there be mass suicides when they learn about the Federation?

In short, the exact reaction to the situation as described would be to gather more information, because there isn't enough there to make a decision this big.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Leave them be. Anything else is interference.

Not if it's a Federation ancient ship. Or how about if this ancient ship was Klingon or Romulan or Borg (before FC ruined them)? This pre-warped race would be in imminent danger.

 

[at Quark's]

Wel, it depends.... suppose the aliens might learn enough about Omega particles from that ship to start experimenting with them, then the Feds would have to do whatever is needed to prevent that... (Though that would rather be their "zeroth" than their prime directive...)

 

[BillJ]

Wel, it depends.... suppose the aliens might learn enough about Omega particles from that ship to start experimenting with them, then the Feds would have to do whatever is needed to prevent that... (Though that would rather be their "zeroth" than their prime directive...)

If you believe in the Prime Directive, it demands that they be left alone.

 

[The Wormhole]

If you believe in the Prime Directive, it demands that they be left alone.

Not if the Omega Molecule is involved. Then the Omega Directive is invoked, which overrules the Prime Directive.

 

[BillJ]

Not if the Omega Molecule is involved. Then the Omega Directive is invoked, which overrules the Prime Directive.

Nah. That was grade-A bolognium. Either you believe in non-interference the way it is presented in the 24th century shows or you don't (I don't). You can't interfere with people just because they are messing with something that may make them more powerful than you. It especially didn't make any sense in the Delta Quadrant.

 

[The Wormhole]

That was grade-A bolognium.

Much about the Prime Directive is anyway. With that in mind, I have no problem Starfleet would be all like "this is our most sacred inviolable law which one must be willing to sacrifice their ship, crew, and their very own life to uphold. With the exception of when this Scary Molecule is involved. In which case, BURN THE MOTHERFUCKERS TO THE GROUND!"

To be honest, it would help explaining why so many admirals turn renegade.

 

[BigDaveX]

I think the only situation in which Starfleet would get involved is if there was a real danger of the pre-warp race accidentally blowing themselves up or causing some sort of environmental disaster. And even then, it would depend on whether the captain of whatever ship stumbled on the situation was of the "strictly no interference even in the face of planetary annihilation" mindset or the "interference is the lesser of two evils next to mass-destruction" mindset.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Prime directive demands they do nothing. They are not the ones responsible for the ancient ship, from Starfleet's perspective it'd be the same as in the episode First Contact. Monitor the situation and if they're about to actually get the ship into space, introduce themselves.