SFDebris: Pen Pals

[Tyyr]

Janeway never even stopped to consider his point. She just quoted the regs back to him and told him to shut up. If the core principle of your society can't stand up to the questioning of an idiot like Tom Paris and instead must be treated as sacrosanct dogma... you might have a problem.

[Mikey]

*ahem*

That's the bulk of the issue with the TNG-era PD. in TOS, the PD was meant as a guideline to direct people's thinking; in TNG, it was meant as a replacement for thinking. That's way all the drama in TNG associated with the PD was as much about people deciding to think for themselves as about the moral issues involved.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Extinction is the end of civilization, not part of its development.

I'm reminded of what Kirk said about Yonada.

No, the people of Yonada may be changed by the knowledge, but it's better than exterminating them.

[Mark]

I can almost see how the TNG writers thought it may be a good idea, originally.

After all, if some space faring do-gooders decided to stop the asteroid that wiped out the Dinosaurs, they certainly humanities evolution likely wouldn't have happened. There are ways it could have been made workable. However, that example wiped out a large group of lizards, not a civilization of thinking, feeling PEOPLE.

Ok, I suppose a thousand years from now those rustic pre industrial farmers we save from a comet may develop into the new "baddies" of the galaxy, but what does that say about Starfleet that those people are never given the choice or the chance. In todays society, if we see somebody about to be killed and do nothing, we can be criminally liable, but TNG Starfleet, thats a matter of course.

[Tyyr]

Bad things could happen if you don't do something. The emphasis is on "could". However a bad thing WILL happen if you do nothing. Of course, good things could happen if you do something. The future is uncertain, and as such you can't base your decision on it. What you do know is that if you don't do something millions or billions are going to die, and you're just going to let it happen.

In situations where you're not talking about the annihilation of a species for some preventable reason I can see leaving well enough alone. Beyond that, it just starts getting ridiculous.

[Mikey]

It seems sometimes that the TNG-era PD was more of an excuse to avoid getting the UFP's hands dirty rather than a moral guiding principle.

[Tyyr]

Which fits nicely into the communist revolution idea that explains the differences between TOS and TNG.

[Graham Kennedy]

It seems sometimes that the TNG-era PD was more of an excuse to avoid getting the UFP's hands dirty rather than a moral guiding principle.

Picard specifically states this in Symbiosis.

I don't know I'd defend the PD to the extent of Pen Pals or Homeward, but I can somewhat see his point. Say they save Sarjenka's planet as a matter of policy. Doesn't that leave them with a certain moral responsibility for it? The planet was in chaos, after all - do they save it and then just walk away, or do they stay to help? I'd say that you pretty much have to do the latter. But if you do... how long do you stay? As T'Pol said, the Vulcans stayed on Earth, and a century later they're still there, and resented for how little they help more than appreciated for how much.

And do you do this for every endangered primitive species you encounter? Saving them from natural disasters, diseases... wars? The Federation's real fear seems to be that they'd inevitably end up setting themselves up as the great arbiters of the galaxy, deciding who gets to live and who doesn't, who gets help and how much. That's not a comfy place to be in, especially given that Picard claims that such interference has, historically, proved to be disasterous for the species they are helping, every time.

[Deepcrush]

While I agree with GK on the point its a tough spot to be in. I also have to say that if you can help but don't then the position is even worse off. The UFP had the ability to help and guide races without being to noticed if noticed at all. This can be a major responsibility but if you just stand by every time something goes wrong, which is the worse outcome?

I don't preach the "with great power comes great responsibility" crap. I don't believe in it as that says that only certain people should have to live to a standard. Its my belief that "with life comes great responsibility" and this isn't dependent on you power or ability, but more your efforts or lack there of.