Was CARTWRIGHT..right?

[Bertie]

^But doesn't the Prime Directive only apply to pre-warp cultures?

No, it does not — the Prime Directive is cited several times in the TNG+ era as forbidding interference in warp-capable civilizations (this is why Picard doesn't intervene in the Klingon Civil War once the Duras forces start attacking the newly installed Gowron, for example). Note that "interference" in the context of a warp civilization does not mean "no overt contact, period" as it seems to do in the case of pre-warp — it means things like not taking sides in their wars (internal or external) or political machinations as well as leaving them alone if they order you out.

Of course, confusion on this point is natural in that the writers were hardly consistent in what, exactly, the Prime Directive demands (and many episodes and films just blew off the whole thing).

 

[RobertScorpio]

^But doesn't the Prime Directive only apply to pre-warp cultures?

No, it does not — the Prime Directive is cited several times in the TNG+ era as forbidding interference in warp-capable civilizations (this is why Picard doesn't intervene in the Klingon Civil War once the Duras forces start attacking the newly installed Gowron, for example). Note that "interference" in the context of a warp civilization does not mean "no overt contact, period" as it seems to do in the case of pre-warp — it means things like not taking sides in their wars (internal or external) or political machinations as well as leaving them alone if they order you out.

Of course, confusion on this point is natural in that the writers were hardly consistent in what, exactly, the Prime Directive demands (and many episodes and films just blew off the whole thing).

I think the Prime Directive is, tactically, not a great idea. The Romulans don't have one...the Borg don't...and since I think the future of space will be much like that here on earth, conquests based on need of resources, I think the Prime Directive will never work!!

HOWEVER..having said that. I do like it as a dramatic point in the various TREK stories that use it...

Rob

 

[Ward Fowler]

No, it does not — the Prime Directive is cited several times in the TNG+ era as forbidding interference in warp-capable civilizations (this is why Picard doesn't intervene in the Klingon Civil War once the Duras forces start attacking the newly installed Gowron, for example). Note that "interference" in the context of a warp civilization does not mean "no overt contact, period" as it seems to do in the case of pre-warp — it means things like not taking sides in their wars (internal or external) or political machinations as well as leaving them alone if they order you out.

Of course, confusion on this point is natural in that the writers were hardly consistent in what, exactly, the Prime Directive demands (and many episodes and films just blew off the whole thing).

Thanks for the clarification. You'd think an old timer like me would remember such things. I guess it's as you said, the many writers over the years weren't consistent. There were many times when the Federation would interfere politically or culturally with other cultures both pre-warp and post. So it's hard to tell what the rules really are. In fact, there have been many episodes where someone is clearly breaking the Prime Directive but you don't even think about it because it isn't a plot point in the episode. This is especially true when dealing with post-warp societies.