If the Prime Directive Were "Let Me Help"

[Emperor Norton]

Picard: "Over one hundred and fifty [planets] spread across eight thousand light years."

Over 150 planets (to me) sounds like between 150 and 160, not over 1000.

Not necessarily counting colonies and worlds under the governance of a member of the Federation. For example, all the worlds Earth governs may not count towards that 150, although all are under the UE, and therefore under the government of the Federation. It could be treated like the member worlds are states, and their colonies are counties. 150 worlds=50 states. X number of colonies=3,007 counties.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Homeward and Pen Pals are the extreme case you can easily argue to be exceptions. More dicey cases are wars and tech sharing.

There is also an issue Trek never addresses except kinda in one of the series worst episodes. In a socially realistic Trek verse, if the Feds didn’t introduce themselves, the Ferengi or some other alien group sure would and they wouldn’t even have good intentions.

Arguably, "A Private Little War" is the test case for that. Klingons, Romulans and Ferengi probably aren't above conquering or patronizing primitive civilizations to bring them into their empire. This is probably why the Federation deliberately places some of those planets and systems under their protection, to preemptively protect them from interference by others. They can't always do this, though, nor can they always ENFORCE such protection.

Bajor's brief civil war is another good example. Starfleet can't get involved in what is, by definition, an internal Bajoran matter, and if the winner of the conflict tells Starfleet to leave, then Starfleet must leave. But Starfleet can also choose to leave in a really annoying and time consuming way that disrupts the plans of the incoming government, AND they can provide both parties in the conflict with information exposing Cardassian involvement in their civil war. Neither action actually favors one side or the other per se, since the information is being given to both sides and doesn't give anyone a strategic advantage. That it de-legitimizes the coup de tat as a Cardassian plot is just incidental; the Bajorans can choose to accept a Cardassian-backed revolution or not, but ultimately it's up to them to choose one way or the other. And yet again, the Prime Directive is all about choice.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

It would depend. Would it be let me help:

• a species within their own cultural terms, or
• by imposing UFP/human ideals on an alien race

If the latter, then that's imperialism, where Starfleet are basically making all races they encounter conform to what they believe to be right, whilst if its the former then it could open Starfleet up to all sorts of weird practices and beliefs. Non-interference may be harsh by comparison, but it is ultimately safer for all parties, even if it does present a few ethical quandaries for our heroes.

 

[velour]

An even better example is that of Picard refusing to provide replacement parts to the Ornarans in "Symbiosis." It's an interesting choice, because it relies on a very direct interpretation of the Prime Directive. To wit: Picard understands that the situation is VERY bad for Ornara and should not be allowed to continue. But rules are rules: he's not allowed to interfere on their behalf, even if they -- indirectly or deliberately -- ask him to. On the other hand, he IS allowed to provide them with spare parts for their ships if they ask him to, since the Prime Directive doesn't actually preclude him engaging in fair trade or rendering assistance to people in need. He can, however, fall back to his "Well, we really can't interfere" justification even if he never actually explains to the Ornarans WHY giving them a plasma coil would constitute interference. They will probably figure it out eventually, and in doing so they will figure out what the Brekkians have been up to all this time. But -- and this is the important part -- they won't figure it out because of anything Starfleet did, and anything they decide to do about the situation will be a result of their own choices, and not choices that were made on their behalf.

And CHOICE is what it all boils down to. Starfleet will help people so long as it doesn't interfere with their right of self determination. Often times, that means helping people in such a way that they don't KNOW they're being helped, so their choices ultimately remain their own and they cannot be said to be influenced by any outside agenda. In the case of Ornara, this is quite a literal thing: refusing to give them the parts for their freighters is easily the most compassionate thing anyone has ever done for those people, but it'll be a generation or two before they figure that out, and in the mean time they're stuck having to clean up their own mess.

I assume that the prime directive applies to all Starfleet personnel, not just Starfleet captains.

In "The Quickening", Bashir travelled to a planet whose inhabitants were suffering from a "blight" inflicted on them by the Jem'Hadar. Although this wasn't exactly the same situation as in "Symbiosis", both situations did involve health, suffering, humanitarian and medical issues.

Unlike Picard in "Symbiosis", Bashir choose to deliberately intervene in an attempt to cure the suffering population of the blight. I realize that Bashir is sort of a bleeding heart. I don't know if Bashir violated the prime directive, but I found his actions to be admirable and courageous. I think Sisko commended him on his work.

While I understand Picard's decision in "Symbiosis", nevertheless, Picard made his decision in such a cold-hearted and contemptuous way. I don't remember that he even informed the Ornarans of how they were being exploited or of the real status of their condition.

 

[STEPhon IT]

"Let me help. A hundred years or so from now, I believe, a famous novelist will write a classic using that theme. He'll recommend those three words even over I love you." - Kirk in "City on the Edge of Tomorrow"

The Prime Directive was conceived of all the way back in the classic series, and was about (unless Klingons were involved) non-interference in the natural development of another species. However, this was rather starkly distinct from American thinking of the 1960s. The policies of the era were all about intervention. The Peace Corp and the Vietnam conflict are two examples. It was a mindset that if we could help, we should help. If we could be involved, and had a moral imperative, we should be involved.

Bearing that in mind, also bearing in mind the number of times the Prime Directive was ignored, and since it is an interesting thought, what if the Prime Directive were the complete opposite of non-interference? What if it was one of active intervention wherever and whenever needed or believed needed?

I wonder if Voyager 1 or 2 had something like that so aliens would know humans want to learn and help. The Prime Directive is just a plot device, an objective, for the Captain to overcome.

As for an active intervention? It could cross some dangerous boundaries, socialistic ones at that. Who's to determined what's moral? There's different sorts of races and species in the Trek Universe with unique ethical backgrounds, where do we start? Should the Captain be the ultimate decision maker to these interventions?

Belief is an ethical foundation and I guess whoever is running the fleet would decide a helpless group of people, who were evil but their society and actions made them so, the fleet should enter their society and help. Maybe occupy the world the way the new Federation see fit?

I mean, why Gods can't act like Gods???

 

[Crazy Eddie]

While I understand Picard's decision in "Symbiosis", nevertheless, Picard made his decision in such a cold-hearted and contemptuous way. I don't remember that he even informed the Ornarans of how they were being exploited or of the real status of their condition.

He didn't need to. Without the spare parts for their freighters, they wouldn't be able to ship any more felicium from Brekka. In a few weeks, once the population got through their (admittedly profound) withdrawal symptoms, they would very quickly put two and two together and then heads would roll.

OR they would figure out how to repair the plama coils themselves and resume shipments. If they manage to be high-functioning addicts and still find a way to get shit done, who is Picard to take that away from them?

 

[Tenacity]

a member of the Federation.

Lily didn't ask how many members, she asks how many planets. To which Picard answered over 150.

150 worlds=50 states. X number of colonies=3,007 counties.

If it were over 3000 planets, Picard would have said so.

 

[Mojochi]

Help what? Every problem they encounter? You'd have to be insane... damn near suicidal to think that would be possible. It's as untenable a philosophy as the opposite notion of "Kill them all & let God sort them out"

 

[Emperor Norton]

Lily didn't ask how many members, she asks how many planets. To which Picard answered over 150.If it were over 3000 planets, Picard would have said so.

"Planets" can be interpreted the same way as asking how many states there are.

 

[Markonian]

It would depend. Would it be let me help:

• a species within their own cultural terms, or
• by imposing UFP/human ideals on an alien race

If the latter, then that's imperialism, where Starfleet are basically making all races they encounter conform to what they believe to be right, whilst if its the former then it could open Starfleet up to all sorts of weird practices and beliefs. Non-interference may be harsh by comparison, but it is ultimately safer for all parties, even if it does present a few ethical quandaries for our heroes.

Just read Byrne’s New Visions comic, volume 5, “Hidden Face”. The crew encounters Human-like aliens who cover their face in masks. Same day they decide to disregard the PD, and trigger a social revolution because they disapprove of the masking. The characters come across as white-savior, unfortunately.