Prime directive -- but what is a directive?

[jayrath]

We get all bent out of shape in various threads, as if the prime directive were law or the 11th commandment.

But what does it mean that it's a "directive"? Is it merely a recommendation? A guideline -- or rigid law?

It seems to not even be a Starfleet regulation. I suspect that its fictitous drafters meant it to be interpreted by those on the spot. That's why they made it merely a directive: to allow leeway.

 

[BillJ]

We get all bent out of shape in various threads, as if the prime directive were law or the 11th commandment.

But what does it mean that it's a "directive"? Is it merely a recommendation? A guideline -- or rigid law?

It seems to not even be a Starfleet regulation. I suspect that its fictitous drafters meant it to be interpreted by those on the spot. That's why they made it merely a directive: to allow leeway.

Isn't it Starfleet 'General Order #1'?

 

[plynch]

We get all bent out of shape in various threads, as if the prime directive were law or the 11th commandment.

But what does it mean that it's a "directive"? Is it merely a recommendation? A guideline -- or rigid law?

It seems to not even be a Starfleet regulation. I suspect that its fictitous drafters meant it to be interpreted by those on the spot. That's why they made it merely a directive: to allow leeway.

Isn't it Starfleet 'General Order #1'?

depends who the writer or story editor is at the time

A "directive" is an order. It directs one to do something. There are multiple eps where people say how important, almost sacred, it is. What they do is another matter.

 

[BillJ]

We get all bent out of shape in various threads, as if the prime directive were law or the 11th commandment.

But what does it mean that it's a "directive"? Is it merely a recommendation? A guideline -- or rigid law?

It seems to not even be a Starfleet regulation. I suspect that its fictitous drafters meant it to be interpreted by those on the spot. That's why they made it merely a directive: to allow leeway.

Isn't it Starfleet 'General Order #1'?

depends who the writer or story editor is at the time

A "directive" is an order. It directs one to do something. There are multiple eps where people say how important, almost sacred, it is. What they do is another matter.

The Prime directive is probably as thick as a phone book. Too many people try to boil it down to it simply being a strict rule about non-interference, which it obviously isn't.

I think it's Janeway that mentions there are 47 sub-clauses in the Prime Directive. Sounds like a starship captain has quite a bit of leeway in what actually constitutes interference.

 

[MacLeod]

No doubt, the PD has changed slighlty over the years it has been inplace.

 

[BillJ]

No doubt, the PD has changed slighlty over the years it has been inplace.

Actually it seemed to go through a wholesale change during TNG from well meaning rule to strict religious dogma.

 

[Timo]

Here in the European Union, "directive" is something of a household word. When the European Parliament issues one of those, every member nation must obey the content or there will be hell to pay - but the EU generously allows the nations to turn the directive into a local law first, so that it's compatible with the rest of the national legislation. Basically, then, a directive is an order to write a law.

We might be seeing something like that here, too. The UFP federal legislation issues a directive that each of its diverse sub-organizations (nations or other) formalizes into something else with appropriate form but the intended content. For Starfleet, it becomes General Order 22½; for Vulcan, it might become Obvious Logical Choice §2966, and for the Interstellar Brotherhood of Nationally Unassociated Free Traders, it could be Guild Rule 221B.

OTOH, it seems to be that the PD/GO1 only affects Starfleet and has no bearing on the civilians of the UFP. Perhaps it's simply that the UFP government has issued a directive telling Starfleet to mind its own business and never to allow its skippers to play god (because that's a job for Galactic Commissioners and other civilian authorities), and Starfleet has followed this directive by issuing General Order 1, the entire content of which is "Obey the Prime Directive (see app.1)".

Timo Saloniemi

 

[BillJ]

OTOH, it seems to be that the PD/GO1 only affects Starfleet and has no bearing on the civilians of the UFP.

Timo Saloniemi

Bread and Circuses would seem to disagree with you.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Actually it seemed to go through a wholesale change during TNG from well meaning rule to strict religious dogma.

Yes, I got that impression, too.

In the context of TOS, I always just considered the Prime Directive an intentionally vaguely-defined "rule" that could be used whenever a reason was needed to prevent our heroes from using their superior technology to solve an episode's dilemma in the first ten minutes. It gave the writers an alternative to having the phasers or the transporters or whatever just happen to break down every third or fourth episode.