The trolley problem is bullshit because in the real world when you’re presented with a lose-lose situation, the correct response is to look for a third option.
This is what I never understood. The principle of respecting the autonomy of other cultures is good imo, but what “cultural contamination” could be worse than the total extinction of the civilization you’re trying to protect?
Applying the Prime Directive in such extreme circumstances turns it from an anti-imperialist ideal to a Social Darwinist one.
And yet if your teenage ensign is given a death sentence, definitely violate the Prime Directive. The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many and all that…
The Prime Directive shouldn’t have even applied with that. They can’t stop a foreign government from executing their own citizens for stupid things, but trying to execute another nation’s citizens is an international incident and falls under standard international politics. The Federation seems to give Starfleet ship captains ambassadorial powers, so Picard should have started threatening sanctions and making comments about how executing Wes could be considered an act of war.
Going down to the planet, introducing yourself to the pre-warp civilization, making no effort to hide the fact that you are aliens from another world, planning your shore leave and preparing to fuck as many of them as you can? Not a prime directive violation.
Rescuing one of your kids who accidently breaks one of their rules and is immediately condemned to death, and asserting that as a member of your crew he is subject to your punishments and not theirs? Prime directive violation.
Taking one of the locals up to space to see the thing they consider to be a god, and openly defying the very foundations of their civilization’s system of law and order? Not a prime directive violation.
Apparently the ‘prime’ in ‘prime directive’ just means ‘this is the first one we thought of’ and the ‘directive’ part of ‘directive’ means ‘however you feel like interpreting it this week.’
For their internal politics, yes the PD applies. For general interaction, no, the PD no longer applies. You can also land on a pre-warp world if they’re already buying Romulan Ale from the Ferengi. It’s not like you can make it any worse once the cat’s out of the bag. Consider that Kirk was sent to negotiate with the Organians back when they were thought to be a pre-industrial species; that was fine since they had already been contacted by some other people, including the Klingons.
And lo did he raise his leg unto the heavens. And thus he did swingeth it over the back of the chair as we must swing our souls over the depths of hell to find a seat at the right hand of Riker. Engage.
Your comment has caused a schism in the planet’s religion and now there is a faction that is building chairs with very high backs preventing individuals from raising their legs over them … the schism is countered by another faction that teaches their followers to learn to do the splits and swing their legs over any chair … this schism is countered again by another faction that lives in rooms with low ceilings and tight spaces to stop anyone from swinging their legs in any direction … this schism is countered again by followers that learn to become contortionists that can swing their legs over any seat in any confined space … this schism is countered by a group that swears off chairs and sitting on anything (they have short life spans as they die early due to deep vein thrombosis) … 2,000 years after the Great Riker evangelized her gospel, chairs are now a controversial topic on the planet.
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