Prime Protective

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Does the Prime Directive have a counterpart, the "Prime Protective"? Essentially, to refuse any offered interference/involvement when you recognize that the other party could cause problems for your society? Or is that a level of foresight pre-warp civilizations wouldn't possess?

 

[at Quark's]

Does the Prime Directive have a counterpart, the "Prime Protective"? Essentially, to refuse any offered interference/involvement when you recognize that the other party could cause problems for your society? Or is that a level of foresight pre-warp civilizations wouldn't possess?

Perhaps not, but what about the Federation itself? They know far more advanced races exist that could give them, say, Q levels of power or immortality, things which (borrowing from Babylon 5 here) they might not be ready for. It even might be the case some of those races have a 'higher order prime directive' of their own, barring unusual circumstances.

Upon a bit of reflection, there's the Malcorians from the TNG s4 episode First Contact. They don't have a rule as such, but by the end of the ep, their leader recognizes they're not ready yet.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Hmm.

And before anyone says it. I don't mean isolationist, like Terra Prime. Just a friendly "thanks, but no thanks/not yet".

 

[The Wormhole]

There was a similar policy employed by Section 31 in the novels in that they would send teams in to sabotage any efforts made by a pre-warp civilization to develop warp drive if those people were deemed a potential threat.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What constitutes a potential threat?

 

[The Wormhole]

Well, the example provided in the novels was a carnivorous race which if they achieved warp drive would head out to space and eat other sentient beings.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I guess they were created too late to stop the Anticans.