Prime Directive
The Prime Directive forbids Starfleet interference with alien cultures less advanced than the Federation. It is sometimes described as the Federation's "highest law", although certain incidents[1] have shown that it binds Starfleet only.
Requirements
In general, the Prime Directive forbids Starfleet from interfering in the politics of other cultures; when interacting with cultures that are unaware of alien life and/or have not yet developed interstellar space flight, it forbids Starfleet personnel from even revealing their true nature and origins.
The origin of the Prime Directive may lie with the Vulcans; even before the founding of the Federation, their policy was to avoid contact with other civilizations that had not yet developed warp drive technology.[2]
Enforcement
In TOS, the Prime Directive was treated as a loose guideline that was subject to the Captain's discretion, and Kirk was known to throw it out the window on more than one occasion. In TNG, the interpretation is much more strict, but Picard still disregarded it on more than one occasion without serious repercussions.
Criticism
- "The Prime Directive serves many purposes, not the least of which is to protect us. It keeps us from allowing our emotions to overrule our judgement."
- --Captain Picard, TNG "Pen Pals"
While envisioned as a moral restriction against the kind of cultural domination and contamination practiced by European nations colonizing Africa, the Americas, Australia, and other regions with less advanced technology, the Prime Directive is widely regarded as excessive in its restrictions on Starfleet intervention. On at least two occasions[3], strictly following the Prime Directive would have resulted in the extinction of a sentient species; fortunately for the species involved, the Prime Directive was disobeyed in both instances.