If the Prime Directive were done properly

[Phoenix219]

I think the underpinning of requiring a species to have warp drive before you contact them/make them aware of other species is that with them having that capability you won't be able to bully them nearly as much as if they didn't, they were stuck on the planet and totally dependent on you for the possibility of space travel and other interactions with all other species/the whole rest of the galaxy, I think that makes sense.

I always figured the "warp" threshold was because hey, they are going to start running into aliens soon anyways, and we'd rather their first exposure NOT be with the Klingons, Cardassians, Ferengi, etc.... no point in hiding and not interfering when they will soon be involving themselves anyways. Its why "Taste of Armagedden" wasn't a PD situation - they were already spacefaring.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Suppose one of the Borg invasions (or the Dominion) had succeeded, and Picard had asked a more advanced species for help only to hear that the federation is too primitive for their prime directive to interfere, what would he have thought of that?

Sorry for the necro but I would love to see such an episode. Pity the show is dead.

 

[Nyotarules]

Re Into Darkness The JJVerse writers concept of the PD was closer to TNG than TOS, not sure if that was deliberate or they completely misunderstood the original concept. They turned Captain Pike into Captain Picard.

 

[at Quark's]

Sorry for the necro but I would love to see such an episode. Pity the show is dead.

In a sense, we got this in Voyager's Prime Factors. Though the situation there of course wasn't nearly as dire, only their quick return to the Alpha Quadrant was at stake there.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Re Into Darkness The JJVerse writers concept of the PD was closer to TNG than TOS, not sure if that was deliberate or they completely misunderstood the original concept. They turned Captain Pike into Captain Picard.

That actually is what I was wondering and I was being a big dummy for not noticing it... Pike seems so out of character with railing on Kirk.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

Re Into Darkness The JJVerse writers concept of the PD was closer to TNG than TOS, not sure if that was deliberate or they completely misunderstood the original concept. They turned Captain Pike into Captain Picard.

And then Discovery goes and seems to shift it back to the TOS version.

 

[fireproof78]

That actually is what I was wondering and I was being a big dummy for not noticing it... Pike seems so out of character with railing on Kirk.

I took it as Pike trying to drive a point home. Not just about the PD in particular, but rules and regulations in general.

 

[Discofan]

There's an observer effect so in all logic they should be forbidden to even watch pre-warp cultures, which would spare them the monstrosity of having to watch them die and do nothing. That has to traumatize anyone who's not a psychopath!

 

[suarezguy]

Re Into Darkness The JJVerse writers concept of the PD was closer to TNG than TOS, not sure if that was deliberate or they completely misunderstood the original concept. They turned Captain Pike into Captain Picard.

That actually is what I was wondering and I was being a big dummy for not noticing it... Pike seems so out of character with railing on Kirk.

Didn't new Spock, despite participating in the mission, pretty much share Picard's and new Pike's belief in the very-restrictive-version? Maybe not quite as much as them since he participated but still very a lot of belief in it.

Original Spock was probably between Kirk and Picard, not sure who he would be closer to.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I think Original Spock would have wanted to help fix the volcano

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Didn't new Spock, despite participating in the mission, pretty much share Picard's and new Pike's belief in the very-restrictive-version? Maybe not quite as much as them since he participated but still very a lot of belief in it.

Original Spock was probably between Kirk and Picard, not sure who he would be closer to.

NuSpock quoted regulations, as original Spock was also known to do from time to time. Whether he really agreed with those regulations or not isn't really clear, imo.

 

[Phoenix219]

Spock was pragmatic; his suggestion to kill Mitchell, for instance. He would never comprehend letting intelligent life suffer and die if it could be prevented. Even with some collateral cultural damage, the needs of the many.....

 

[DonIago]

^These two statements seem to contradict each other. Spock didn't suggest finding a way to keep Mitchell alive but unable to harm others; he suggested killing him, full stop.

 

[JesterFace]

When it comes to Prime Directive, sending scouts to investigate a planet that has had no contact with other worlds is kind of stupid, "hey, we're 24th century people, what could go wrong". Stay in the orbit, you have sensors.
But it's good way to write a plot for an episode.

In 'First Contact' is wasn't a good idea to send officers in the middle of the people on the planet.
In "Who Watches The Watchers' it was more like lurking, just seeing what's going on, until tech failed.

I think the "Watchers" way is better, look but don't interfere in any way. (if all goes as planned)

 

[Nyotarules]

Didn't new Spock, despite participating in the mission, pretty much share Picard's and new Pike's belief in the very-restrictive-version? Maybe not quite as much as them since he participated but still very a lot of belief in it.

Original Spock was probably between Kirk and Picard, not sure who he would be closer to.

The opening scene was a weak plot device, if there is a novelisation perhaps it will explain why on earth the ship was there in the first place. Based on TOS the ship landed on planets where they were either looking for their own long lost people or ships or the aliens on said planet made contact first. Why land on a planet that is not warp capable and has never contacted them? It made no sense to me at all!
Unless they were using the TOS Paradise Syndrome episode as inspiration?

 

[Nyotarules]

I think Original Spock would have wanted to help fix the volcano

Only if it was logical

 

[Phoenix219]

^These two statements seem to contradict each other. Spock didn't suggest finding a way to keep Mitchell alive but unable to harm others; he suggested killing him, full stop.

Context.... there WAS no way to keep him alive. The good of the many (on the ship) and the quickly increasing powers of Mitchell made logic dictate an extreme, cold solution, time restraint being part of that. Pragmatism. What would the point of keeping Mitchell alive to study be, if it resulted in the loss of all life on the ship? What would the point of adhering to noninterference be, if it resulted in the loss of all life in the village? With a time restraint for coming up with better solutions? Absolutely, Spock would have been on board to fix the volcano.

 

[Discofan]

If the prime directive were done properly it would not depend on something so insignificant as a little girl asking for help! For instance, in civilized countries, a suspect has rights whether he asks for them or not and a policeman can't abuse those rights under the pretext that the person either forgot to assert them or more likely didn't know that they had them in the first place. To me, that kind of police abuse evokes the image of people taking advantage of someone being passed out to steal his boots!!!

 

[DonIago]

So the UFP should take it upon themselves to prevent planets from suffering natural disasters even if it means interfering with the cultures of the planet, is what I'm assuming you're saying.

What about non-natural disasters, though? If the UFP knows that a repressive regime is in control of a planet only because they assassinated the rightful rulers, should the UFP take it upon themselves to "save" the planet at that point?

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

So the UFP should take it upon themselves to prevent planets from suffering natural disasters even if it means interfering with the cultures of the planet, is what I'm assuming you're saying.

What about non-natural disasters, though? If the UFP knows that a repressive regime is in control of a planet only because they assassinated the rightful rulers, should the UFP take it upon themselves to "save" the planet at that point?

Yes a couple of photons lobbed at the evil rulers base. Make them surrender why not? hahaha I'm kidding

 

[Tenacity]

When it comes to Prime Directive, sending scouts to investigate a planet that has had no contact with other worlds is kind of stupid,

The fact that a culture has had no outside contact is what would make investigating it profoundly interesting. A big part (as I see it) of why Starfleet is doing planetary surveys is the quest for knowledge

Stay in the orbit, you have sensors.

No need to enter the great pyramid, we'll stay a mile away and draw pictures.

How can you interact with a alien culture from orbit? If you wanted to understand the peoples of New York City, you would get fairly little by simply flying over it.

a repressive regime is in control of a planet only because they assassinated the rightful rulers

And how do you think the "rightful rulers" obtained power in the first place?