The Chalnoth were an interesting species for a number of reasons, the first being there was absolutely no reason to invent these - we already had at least two species that fit the bill (Nausicans and possibly the Kzinti). They just needed a large, ugly brute-species that could possibly eat Picard and others if they got too hungry.
But in the course of a project I am working on, I discovered a rather annoying - and questionable - piece of canon: Picard has visited the planet of these 'beast men' before. Also, the Chalnoth seem aware of the Mazarians and their culture.
Memory Alpha has this to say - "The fact that the Federation had made contact with the Chalnoth and Esoqq's knowledge of Mizarians both seem to imply that the Chalnoth were a warp-capable species."
Since when is the absence of information proof the information is true? Accepted Scientific methodolgy and logic dictates the exact opposite. A lack of information does not prove or disprove anything, and that episode certainly didn't even hint at them being a spacefaring culture, let alone civilized. Hell, that thing made Nausicans look like proper gentleman. Plus, the canonical entry says, "a people who have no laws or organized system of government." How would a planet full of savage anarchists build warp drives? There is simply no way they achieved that on their own.
If this was a one-time thing, I'd just let it slide, but it is the most recent time I came across an entry that states a pre-warp culture has had contact with the Federation and others. Now, it had always been my 'head canon' that some of these species were probably contacted before Starfleet officially adopted the 'Prime Directive'. I mean, non-Starfleet personal surely didn't worry about it, especially before there was a Federation. But Enterprise canon changes that, perhaps not fully, but at least enough for us to know they were borrowing the Vulcan doctrine in regards to First Contact before the formation of the UFP. However, even if Archer was 'the first' to do the deep-space thing, there were plenty of 'spacers' before, during, and after his time, so there's wiggle-room.
What do you guys think? Maybe a lot of these races were contacted by others first, who have no Prime Directive? And if so - if no-one else outside of Starfleet follows those protocols - then whats even the point? You aren't protecting that culture, you are really just leaving them wide-open to be taken advantage of by others (imagine first contact being with Ferengi?)
But in the course of a project I am working on, I discovered a rather annoying - and questionable - piece of canon: Picard has visited the planet of these 'beast men' before. Also, the Chalnoth seem aware of the Mazarians and their culture.
Memory Alpha has this to say - "The fact that the Federation had made contact with the Chalnoth and Esoqq's knowledge of Mizarians both seem to imply that the Chalnoth were a warp-capable species."
Since when is the absence of information proof the information is true? Accepted Scientific methodolgy and logic dictates the exact opposite. A lack of information does not prove or disprove anything, and that episode certainly didn't even hint at them being a spacefaring culture, let alone civilized. Hell, that thing made Nausicans look like proper gentleman. Plus, the canonical entry says, "a people who have no laws or organized system of government." How would a planet full of savage anarchists build warp drives? There is simply no way they achieved that on their own.
If this was a one-time thing, I'd just let it slide, but it is the most recent time I came across an entry that states a pre-warp culture has had contact with the Federation and others. Now, it had always been my 'head canon' that some of these species were probably contacted before Starfleet officially adopted the 'Prime Directive'. I mean, non-Starfleet personal surely didn't worry about it, especially before there was a Federation. But Enterprise canon changes that, perhaps not fully, but at least enough for us to know they were borrowing the Vulcan doctrine in regards to First Contact before the formation of the UFP. However, even if Archer was 'the first' to do the deep-space thing, there were plenty of 'spacers' before, during, and after his time, so there's wiggle-room.
What do you guys think? Maybe a lot of these races were contacted by others first, who have no Prime Directive? And if so - if no-one else outside of Starfleet follows those protocols - then whats even the point? You aren't protecting that culture, you are really just leaving them wide-open to be taken advantage of by others (imagine first contact being with Ferengi?)
