Did Starfleet Command Approve This, Kirk?

[blssdwlf]

There's not a chance in hell Fox could have possibly had the authority to give Kirk orders or to override him in any way.

Kirk, as captain of the Enterprise, is the absolute law. On the ship, Kirk is, quite literally, God. He's the captain, so what he says, GOES. That's the end of it.

Fox is not a member of Starfleet, he has absolutely no right to order Kirk around in any way. Kirk could have given Fox the gigantic middle finger and there wouldn't have been a damn thing Fox could do about it.

Hell, as much of a pain in the ass as Fox was, Kirk would have been well within his rights to confine Fox to quarters. I'm surprised he DIDN'T do that.

Fox is only an ambassador, nothing more. He carries no legal weight as far as Kirk is concerned. I mean, it's not like Fox is the Federation president or anything like that (under Federation law, the president is Commander in Chief of Starfleet, but Fox was certainly not that). Fox was just trading on his bluster, thinking that this would make Kirk back down. Fortunately, Fox lost.

As far as Kirk's actions towards Eminiar and Vendikar are concerned? It's been said. Kirk was defending his ship against a hostile intruder. He had the right to do whatever he wanted in that regard. The Prime Directive is null and void; Kirk's right of self defense is ABSOLUTE.

Perhaps. But Kirk is not the absolute law on the Enterprise when it comes to the mission it is assigned.

FOX: I have my orders, Captain, and now you have yours. You will proceed on course. Achieve orbit status and just leave the rest to me. You're well aware that my mission gives me the power of command. I now exercise it. You will proceed on course. That's a direct order.​

Fox gave Kirk orders which Kirk followed them.

There is also "The Galileo Seven" where GHC Ferris used the mission of rescuing plague victims to order Kirk to abandon search, which Kirk reluctantly obeyed.

FERRIS: So are the plague victims on New Paris. I'm sorry, Captain. I now assume authority granted me under Title fifteen, Galactic Emergency Procedures, and I order you to abandon search.​

​

This is one of the things I like about Kirk. He will ignore rules and do the right thing out of compassion.

But not usually immediately. In TOS, Kirk will try the rules first and only if he saw it was wrong or there was a better way to do it will you see him ignore or bend the rules. YMMV.

 

[UssGlenn]

Ok, but I'm still sure what you're asking me.

I'm disagreeing with your assertion that a general theory of societal progress is inherently racist.

 

[Poltargyst]

I'm disagreeing with your assertion that a general theory of societal progress is inherently racist.

I don't think I said that, but okay.

 

[UssGlenn]

I don't think I said that, but okay.

If I misinterpreted your comment I apologize. I was working from the comment quoted below.

Which, really, comes across as pretty arrogant and maybe analogous to Western powers deciding that native peoples' aren't living right and need Western guidance.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

In which case Kirk would have, as is HIS right, told them to go fuck themselves.

As I said, Fox had no legal authority over Kirk. There is literally no reason why Kirk should have ever listened to a word Fox said.

Fox is not the president of the Federation, nor is he anywhere near close to being a senior Starfleet officer. Fox is just a diplomat. As far as Kirk is concerned, Fox is a doormat, and should be treated appropriately.

Diplomats do not control Starfleet; Starfleet controls Starfleet.

You keep asserting this, but you've yet to back it up with anything.

In the real world, in the age of sail that TOS-era Trek is heavily inspired by, you'd be mostly correct. The captain of a ship at sea had broad authority and could do anything he wanted short of an explicit violation of standing orders, Admiralty regulations, or a senior officer's orders. Even today, captains still have much of this authority although on a practical level, given how easy it is to contact their higher authority there's much less tolerance of independent action and much more expectation of consulting with their chain of command if a non-emergency situation arises.

But there's nothing in the episode to suggest this is true of Star Fleet. Fox gives Kirk an order, Kirk argues, Fox insists, and Kirk backs down. If Kirk genuinely had the authority to ignore Fox, he would have done so. Other posters have cited other episodes where similar situations arose. It's very clear from what's presented in the stories that Star Fleet vessels and captains can, at least under certain circumstances, be given orders by diplomats and bureaucrats, and are required to follow those orders to the best of their ability. Naming conventions aside, the Federation is not the United States, Star Fleet is not the Royal Navy, and while we can all change whatever we want in our own personal headcanon, when discussing the shows we're pretty much bound by what's established in the shows.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive."

You could argue there's a difference between merely breaking/bending the Prime Directive and violating it.
Breaking the window of a car to rescue an overheated baby or someone having a stroke is one thing; breaking the windows on a car to steal the contents/the car/vandalize someone's property is another.