The Vulcans would, yes, after going through logical procedures and channels.
The Baku didn't mind kicking out their parents (the Sona), which led to the Sona going after technology and slaves to extend their lives... The Baku also seem to be a bit snooty, not in a good way, and even the 1701-D beige bridge has more color and character than the entire Baku village. Neither Baku nor Sona were worth cheering for, or perhaps both were worth cheering for if they would all just become guests on the Jerry Springer show and have Steve keep them at bay, is that hollow little circus show still on the air?
But the truth is toward the middle, but the movie doesn't want to bother. It wants to preach in favor of the Baku, citing historical acts a little too conveniently while going out of its way to prevent other considerations from being addressed:
The crux of it all, "move 600 people to help billions", was addressed very feebly at best and quickly poised to make the Sona and Federation to be mustache-twirl caricature vaudeville villains. It contradicts a lot of TOS, especially "the needs of the many". The numbers used in the movie to justify Picard's point of view were meant to be a bold stance and I can understand that. The problem is, too many ambient factors ruin the credibility and nothing is really said to up the tension for the need of the Baku village to be where it was. As I remember, the rings and planet all had the magical effect. Not the one tiny patch of land. I believe I recall some throwaway dialogue but it didn't do anything to make the audience believe the situation. But at the time of this writing, Trek Wiki-like resources say nothing about a special part of the land. Just the rings in the Briar Patch. Plenty of space exists for all. Do what Mr. Howell did and set up the a hotel. Immediate problem solved. At least for all save for the Sona...
...The movie does use technobabble to explain why the Sona can't build a colony elsewhere on the planet. Would take way too long for any effects to be noticed; ten years is claimed. Slight problem, here: It's hard to believe it would take that long for them to get effects when Picard and crew (that have no biological similarity to the Baku)experience results
nearly instantly. At the movie's start, Worf has already gone back to puberty! Not too long into the movie and Geordi can see a sunset, which also happens to be one of the film's highlights since the scene was done so beautifully (it's a shame the rest of the movie wasn't). Since Geordi was blind as a condition that goes back to his first moment of existence, and senescence starts to kick in humans in the 30s or so, Geordi's now in his 40s, but he can now see clearly and perfectly and with little violins chirping up the mood in the background. It's a stretch to say it'll take forever to show relief to the Sona. Never mind others in the Federation if they move to Gilligan's Hotel for a day or two. So the magic must work better for humans than the Sona/Baku species? But it does explain the time it takes for a child to grow into puberty and then *ding* the magic magically kicks in? So it's ultimately counted as a coincidence. The movie makes so many assumptions while showing people having immediate effects that I don't believe it would take a decade for the Sona to see effects.
Even more bunk is how children can grow normally until after puberty and then it all magically sets in.
Even "The Mark of Gideon" had a more coherent script, which is why the issue of population wasn't brought up in INS, I'd wager...
The Prime Directive is used as a defense, but the planet wasn't really made for people to move there to break the laws of nature to begin with?
One thing I read from a review site and I wish I picked up on it at the time - once anyone leaves the region to gossip, the Baku's privacy is gone. (Here's where my thinking starts to come in about repercussions to Picard's hormonal overdrive for his love interest: So more ships, from other species, whose warp nacelles may disrupt the fabric of space may appear and render the place worthless for their magic rings. Marauders far worse than what the Federation (and Sona) are (wrongly) made out to be could collect and refine the radiation into something useful... Picard shouldn't have bothered with his myopia, which the magic radiation didn't fix.)
And, of course, when the crew leave the region all of the rejuvenation effects and new eyes and everything all go away just as quickly so it's more than just a ringed planet with a concentration of special radiation. Which, once again, does more to fortify Starfleet's cause by accident, if not for rendering the whole movie mostly pointless. The 600 people are nothing more than glorified test subjects for a drug that could, if refined and stabilized, help untold billions ease suffering or be healed (it's just as easy to say that after x doses of the refined radiation one can't use it anymore, the movie didn't really say it wanted to make everyone in Starfleet immortal).
The writers were onto a good idea but the execution and parallels were horrendous and a little too one-sided. Especially as all we see are yet another group of white people with blue hair and blond eyes or whatever the stereotype description is. Like that other renowned intentioanlly-racist episode, "Justice". Since even Picard once said how history tends to be altered by one side over another, INS is too quick to rely on one side over another. Such examples include facts like white slaves and black slaveowners, both of which existed in slave-time America and in previous civilizations as well - but that quickly demolishes most current memes as well. INS is not excepted. Quite the contrary since it relies on such its oversimplified viewpoints that also seem disposable for being the big themes of a movie.
Even the poster and tag line were lame copycats from Star Trek VI. Oops. Franchise cannibalizing itself already. No wonder a scene in the movie is dedicated to the bulleted checklist of Borg and Dominion and everyone else, the movie seems a little too self-aware, especially when the "E" never went to DS9.
And all that is all sad because the direction is fantastic - Frakes outdid himself. The music has a lot of great moments. The actors are all excellent choices. F Murray Abraham rose above his scenes and made Ru'Afo far more compelling. Anthony Zerbe loves playing roles where his head gets popped like a pimple (don't watch "Licence to Kill" unless you want to see what happens, eww.) There's nary a bad performance. But the script? First draft quality at best. It needed fine-tuning, not overstretching.
