Can someone explain the prime directive to me? surely just communicating with a new species violates it...

can someone explain the prime directive to me? surely just communicating with a new species violates it? I swear they break it every episode.

A ban on contact with any species that hasn't developed faster-than-light travel and in interfering in their development.

The Bajorans hadn't invented FTL

Weren't the Bajorians already conquered by the Cardassians?

No, but they were invaded by species FTL travel. The damage was done.

they go chill with the edos even though they think a spaceship is their god.

The Prime Directive, like the Three Laws of Robotics is one of those sci-fi concepts that people usually forget is explored through its shortcomings and failings. Taken absolutely to the letter, the Federation would have to be an isolationist hermit kingdom like the Romulans. Exploration would be out of the question.

so why does everyone get their panties in a twist when they have to break it?

like when a really high ranking crewmember is in danger and they out-tech the enemy, but they don't want to break the prime directive?

Edo were probably already aware of space travel/aliens, ditto the Bajorans.

Drama and artificial depth.

For the most part it's for pre spaceflight civilisations more than preWarp.

Like the episode were the Starfleet research base on a iron age planet fucks up and the ensuing investigation ends up with The Picard becoming a growing religion overwhelming a secular culture.

If they wanted they could easily intentionally go around making undeveloped cultures into Federation vassals with ease. The Prime Directive overall is about avoiding that rather than the debateable minutiae that usually lead to its invocation.

>so why does everyone get their panties in a twist when they have to break it?

Because it's "supposed" to be the most important standing order in Starfleet.

Oh so they just decided to say "fuck it" in First Contact then?

Who's they? The Vulcans? First Contact is about how to handle the Prime Directive by the book. As soon as a culture develops war technology and leaves their own system someone has to show up and say

>Wow wow wow alright alright chill out guys. Sweet starship. That's great but before you go and fuck everything up out there I just want you to know. All that Alien banter. All real. Don't be dicks alright. See ya round!


Also the movies don't really count in these sort of debates as they usually cut corners for the action and stand alone story.

Well, they meaning the enterprise crew. Didn't they show up and basically altered history by telling that dude what he would accomplish and even helping him out? Shouldn't they have been less conspicuous about it?

oh yea ofcourse i forgot about the time travel plot. Well yea they have but of the very few exceptable times to break the Prime Directive, Earth itself falling to the Borg of all people is probably #1.

same thing technically happened in The Voyage Home too when Scotty tells that guy how to make transparent aluminum. Then him and McCoy are just like "Fuck it"

yea but again the movies don't count. GOAT scene anyway.

HELLO COMPUTER

Well they probably could've traveled back in time to BEFORE the Borg fuck everything up but what do I know

Scotty tells McCoy "How do we know he didn't invent it?" Which would serve as a A self-fulfilling prophecy which makes it more than ok.

Unless he wasn't actually the one that invented it. Which means they fucked up.

There's a series 4 episode, googling, called "first contact".

Basically it's Op question given an entire episode of screen time

Basically engaging with cultures who aren't ready for contact fucks them up!

Not a bad episode, certainly high tier, you can tell because Patrick Stewart actually bothers acting in it. That's usually a good sign

Saw it for the first time a few days ago. Fucking brilliant episode. I wonder if the X files was on TV at the same time inspiring the episode.

I think season 4 has been a bit of a drop n quality overall but some individual episodes are absolutely top tier.

>Riker got to bone that thirty nurse


I do anything to be a first officer in SF

>>Well they probably could've traveled back in time to BEFORE the Borg fuck everything up but what do I know

They were only capable of going back in time because of the Borg, but you know that and are using this as an entree to help get more posts for the thread.

You know actually watching through in order for the first time thanks to Netflix.

Wesleys actually a pretty cool guy.

Fuck off Wheaton

No he wasn't.