Do Starfleet Captains Play God?

We all have watched enough Star trek series to know starship captains play god. I would say Sisko was the only captain that did not play God but was revered as a chosen one. All the other Star Trek captains gleefully play god from time to time, regularly. Is it right for starship captains to play god. You know extinction by asteroid is an evolutionarily event ask the Dino's... so why do Starfleet captains play god?

Lets take New World Captain Pike was going to move an asteroid and save a planet without a second thought... season I, Episode 2...

Let take Kirk in A Taste of Armageddon and he decided how the people of the planet will fight their wars... Season one episode 23...

Lets take Picard in "A Matter of Time" and he decides to save the planet even if he kills everything on it, God Powers... season 5. episode 9

Lets take Janeway in "Rise" opens with her protecting a planet from asteroids... season 3 , episode 19

Let take Enterprise where captain Archer and the good doctor conspire to wipeout the Valakians in favor the Menks. The ability to chose who goes extinct and who does not is a godly power... season 1, episode 13. The beauty are is the episode ends with Archer reminding himself they are not out in space to play god... and he just did... The humanitarian thing to do was to save the Valakians...

Why do Starfleet captains play god? Its the right thing to do or the humane thing to do...

 

It seems I made to good of an argument for anyone to rebuke or add to it... Usually, when Starfleet captains use their god powers it for the greater good... And showing them their human side...

 

No.

 

In that they have big spaceships that can save worlds, sure. They don't set out to, but if an emergency arises...well, with great power comes great responsibility.

 

Starfleet entrusts it's captains with a large amount of autonomy.

A captain sits in the command chair of a light speed-plus travelling vessel which has the capability to glass a planet.

Why wouldn't that make a person feel like God?

 

I think it's because of the power and capabilities of a starship to sometimes decide the fate of entire worlds and civilizations that Starfleet seems to require that the commanding officer must have the actual rank of captain regardless if the ship is a big Galaxy-class or a small Nova-class, IMO.

 

Yep... It seems everyone okay that a Starfleet captains can glaze a planet like Kirk threaten to do...

Think about the other spacefaring society without our humanity... Their Starship captains most likely acted like angry gods...

 

No more than you do every time you make the decision to kill a fly or let it live. For starship captains, the decision is just scaled up a bit.

 

Maybe not. First of all: do you know god? You would have to, otherwise your post wouldnt make any sense at all, would it?

Startrek in general is dealing with moral questions. At least - I would put your 'argument' that way. That ... would be an argument too good to debuke or to add to it.

 

Yes... The question of god is about power and we all understand that so we all know god. It seems I have allayed your concerns...

Obviously to good, sense you could not address it directly...

 

I do not know about this thought... The Klingons, I would bet, have sent a few species into extinction or steep decline as their captains acted like gods fearful gods... Think about the poor Tribbles... The Klingons driving the tribbles towards extinction, would be like us driving dogs towards extinction... Can you picture us glazing a planet of dogs, the horror...

I do not think stepping on a bug is the same letting a planet of sentient life die out like Archer did with the Valakians. He played god... He should have saved the Valakian. Which was the right thing to do...

 

Ok your idea if god is 'power'. For others its love, just as another example.

I meant my proposal (ST is dealing with so called moral questions) puts your perception and 'argument' into a wider perspective/'is too good/true' to add on it further or to debuke it.

 

Well, let's see. Lower down in the hierarchy than Captain, and you have to obey commands by higher ups aboard the same ship (or station). Higher up and you usually seem to get stuck in a stuffy desk job. Captain seems to be the sweet spot, you have a high degree of autonomy, nominally you answer to your higher-ups at Starfleet HQ but in practice that doesn't seem to mean too much.

Also you can meddle with entire worlds and local affairs (power!), but usually not to the extent that it has consequences to the galaxy or AQ at large (in the words of Gaila: Now, do you think if one of those twinkling little lights suddenly went out, anybody would notice?) so you're generally still pretty safe should you make an error (rare exceptions such as with Borg invasions nothwithstanding). And your higher ups know that so they just let you play without blocking your every attempt by committee at the first sign it could mean trouble (as might happen with, say, the average vice admiral working on HQ) , and only call you to answer for your decisions in case you had a pretty extreme lapse of judgement, it seems.

It's no wonder it had such an appeal to Kirk en Picard, who euphemistically put it as 'making a difference again'. They couldn't do it in higher or lower positions.

(OK, I'm being a bit cynical here perhaps ...of course Starfleet captains are very conscientious (wo)men. But still.).

 

poing i meant point taken. Maybe the point of conversation (or discussions) in general is that one can add onto it or to 'debuke' it in some way.

 

In TNG episode 'Who Watches The Watchers' Picard wants to make absolutely clear to Mintakans that he is not a God, even if some of them seem to think so.

Another thing, If a planet is being destroyed by natural phenomena should Federation get involved?

In some other threads Picard and Federation are critiqued because initially they did nothing to save a planet or population from a planet that was becoming uninhabitable.

So, which is it....

 

I think that the Prime Directive is intended to minimize "God-playing" by captains. That is why it is considered a rationale for allowing civilizations to go extinct. It's also why I probably wouldn't be allowed to captain a starship, since the moment I get to Boraal (the dying world in "Homeward"), I've already ordered Data to search the database for a suitable new home, told Worf to deploy extra security, gotten Geordi to channel more power to life support, asked Crusher about the feasibility of using low concentrations of anesthazine to keep our passengers asleep, instructed O'Brien's replacement to make sure the transporter is ready for a whole lotta beaming up, told Riker that yes I know I'm violating the Prime Directive, AND responded to Adm. Necheyev's order to desist by telling her where to go and what to kiss.

 

Starfleet captains are not supposed to play God, but they usually end up doing it anyway, regardless of the Prime Directive.

 

it had to be done..

 

Probably, I guess?

 

When it comes to the Boraalans in 'Homeward' or some other cultures facing destruction I've thought that if there's a possibility to help, why not?
Obviously it's kind of hard to help the entire universe with cases like those but could it be "natural" if some species is eventually ready go travel into space and then finds people in need? Does it make someone a God if one is capable to help with a natural disaster? In cases like those advanced technology would make someone a God?

In 'Who Watches The Watchers' Picard doesn't want to play a God. One of the scientists proposes that and Picard shouts "no". Picard does what he can to prove to the Mintakans he isn't a God.

 

Once they are involved in a situation, they are playing God regardless of the decisions they make.