Series approach to the PD

posted on February 4th, 2011, 5:31 pm

Just found a comment on YouTube detailing how each captain views the Prime Directive. Seems pretty accurate to each captain.

Kirk: Eh... only use it to stop Klingons or something...I want my adventures and alien women, damnit!
Picard: We need to respect the Prime Directive, and not try and play God... but there are circumstances where maybe we can bend the rules a bit... let's try and do what's best.
Sisko: I really don't care- I'm too busy warring and getting pissed!
Janeway: I AM God, and I say Prime Directive good, preventing genocide... eh.
Archer: What was the question again?

posted on February 4th, 2011, 7:13 pm

Nice
However, with Kirk I have a feeling of him being overcriticised on the PD... on TOS it was often the case that he ran into situations where either someone from Starfleet before him violated the PD in the worst way possible or at least someone or something from earth did... Kinda difficult to be a hardliner when someone already screwed it up. 
On "The Voyage Home" he's totally guilty though.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 9:38 pm

Nice
However, with Kirk I have a feeling of him being overcriticised on the PD... on TOS it was often the case that he ran into situations where either someone from Starfleet before him violated the PD in the worst way possible or at least someone or something from earth did... Kinda difficult to be a hardliner when someone already screwed it up. 
On "The Voyage Home" he's totally guilty though.

Yeah, that sounds about right, but to be fair, how else are you going to procure an extinct species without breaking a few rules. And since he did save the Federation, I think he's forgiven.

To be fair to Sisko, I don't recall him ever having to actually deal with a Prime Directive situation, although I could be wrong. I can't remember if the Prime Directive was even in existence in Archer's time, but I don't think it was. As for Janeway, I don't actually remember her violating the Prime Directive all that much, but it's been a long time; and besides, when you're stranded on the other side of the galaxy you're not going to survive very long without bending a few rules. But that's just my opinion. Picard is definitely the by the book guy, though I feel like as time went on he perhaps grew a little more liberal. I feel like the Ba'ku incident especially shook his views; made him doubt the steadfastness of even the Prime Directive.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 10:01 pm

You Forgot RANSOM (Voy Equinox)

posted on February 4th, 2011, 10:05 pm

It was a comment on an SFDebris video, I just copied the ones that were written.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 10:07 pm

To be fair to Sisko, I don't recall him ever having to actually deal with a Prime Directive situation, although I could be wrong.

He had to. The episode "Children of time" for example had at least to do with the temporal part of the Prime Directive. The PD in regards of cultural neutrality was never really a point on DS9 since everyone there had at least Warp-capability. It just didn't really apply there.

And the DP wasn't existant when Archer was around; He was basically the one who set the groundstones for it. Apparently he built the basis of the PD while he was literally learning by doing (and making mistakes).

[Tyler]

posted on February 4th, 2011, 10:24 pm

Last edited by Tyler on February 4th, 2011, 10:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Since TNG, the Prime Directive applies to Warp-capable species, even Starfleets closest proper allies (the Klingons) are covered by it. His role as the Emissary was a pesky one for him because of the directive.

I don't think Archer had anything to do with the creation of the directive, with TOS implying Kirk was the one responsible for it. I think I remember something on MA or a similar site mentioning it, and TOS is probably the priority source.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 10:33 pm

Since TNG, the Prime Directive applies to Warp-capable species, even Starfleets closest proper allies (the Klingons) are covered by it.

In regards of not interfering with internal affairs, true. On DS9 however it's relatively easy to forget about this, because DS9 could have easily been something on stand-alone level not set in the Trek-universe. However it ended up to be.

I don't think Archer had anything to do with the creation of the directive, with TOS implying Kirk was the one responsible for it. I think I remember something on MA mentioning that, and TOS is probably the priority source.

TOS is the priority source, however ENT ended up to have entries in the captains log and some dialog-lines which imply that Archer had some of the ideas behind the Prime Directive after certain events (the only good one was in that episode Archer and Tucker were on that desert world, talked into helping that rebel-guy who opposed the government). It's how it ended up, not as I desired it to be.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 10:42 pm

In regards of not interfering with internal affairs, true. On DS9 however it's relatively easy to forget about this, because DS9 could have easily been something on stand-alone level not set in the Trek-universe. However it ended up to be.

Emissary of the Prophets. You can't get more involved in the culture than being the most influencial figure in their religion and emissary of their gods. That's why Sisko didn't like the position, the influence he had over them and later used at times.

It didn't happen with most other races, but most races were exempt because they either spoke to them first, were established members of the space community or were 'monsters of the week'. The benefit of being on a space station with a large civilian trading community.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 11:07 pm

I liked archer, picard and archer are my fav captains.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 11:12 pm

i prefered picard cos he applied his brain to most problems.

i didnt like janeway cos she only stayed standing cos of coffee.

archer was bland, i didnt really care about him.

kirk was silly and a walking cliché like most of tos.

sisko was funny sometimes.

posted on February 4th, 2011, 11:18 pm

Picard was my favorite captain, both for intelligence and especially the ownage of the Sheliak. The smug victory in that few seconds was one of the best scenes in Trek. He had them over a barrel and knew it well.

Sisko likewise gets bonus points for punching Q, something many in the universe (probably even Picard) have no doubt dreamt of doing every time he appears.

posted on February 5th, 2011, 7:15 pm

I thought Siskco was bad ass, like in the final two years of the dominion war, scary good