SFDebris: The Prime Directive

[Captain Seafort]

YouTube

Following on naturally for Dear Doctor, we have an examination of the biggest bugbear of them all. A decent analysis for its length, and Chuck must've had to draw a line somewhere, but it's something that I almost think could have done with a multi-part analysis to examine its development from TOS to Enterprise.

[Deepcrush]

While a multi-part review would be interesting, I think Chuck managed to hit the heart of the matter. The PD has gone from a point of advice to a State Dogma and as such has blinded the current UFP to moral right and wrong.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Janeway ordering Paris not to interfere when it was the right thing to do was the lynchpin right there, methinks.

[Lighthawk]

Janeway ordering Paris not to interfere when it was the right thing to do was the lynchpin right there, methinks.

The only defense in that case though was there was time travel involved too, though even the risk of temporal paradox was pushing it as far as just letting that civilization die.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Are you talking about 30 Days, or another episode where Janeway slapped Paris across the bridge?

[Lighthawk]

Whichever one was shown in the prime directive SF debris. I really don't recall much of Voy in detail.

[Captain Seafort]

Time and Again

[Tyyr]

Episode #3 I think. They really should have made this a season 3 episode so you could really enjoy Janeway taking a baton to the face.

I think his review was long enough to hit the important points of the argument. Sure you can go into minute detail about every aspect and every occurrence of the Prime Directive but you can lay out a pretty solid case for its evolution from a guideline to dogmatic bullshit in fifteen minutes.

[Mikey]

you can lay out a pretty solid case for its evolution from a guideline to dogmatic bullshit in fifteen minutes.

We've done that more than a couple of times on this very forum.