THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

MAIN DISCUSSION

LACK OF PUNISHMENT FOR BREACHES OF THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

Hero captains show a marked reluctance to sacrifice themselves, their ship or their crew to uphold the Prime Directive. Captain Kirk opts to save his crew rather than uphold the Prime Directive in several episodes e.g. [TOS: A Taste Of Armageddon], [TOS: The Return Of The Archons], [TOS: The Apple], [TOS: Bread And Circuses]. Picard opts to save a single crewmember rather than uphold the Prime Directive in [TNG: Justice]. It seems that any direct assault on the crew turns the situation away from involving the Prime Directive. However, self-sacrifice or potential for it, is shown in certain non-Prime Directive circumstances where lives would be saved e.g. Janeway beings a collision course with the missile Dreadnought to save the inhabitants of the planet Rakosa V in [#33 Dreadnought].

For example, Captain Kirk was ordered to make contact with the seemingly pre-industrial Organians in [TOS: Errand of Mercy]. In addition, Kirk directly interferes with the laws or customs of alien worlds in [TOS: Friday's Child, [TOS: For the World Is Hollow And I Have Touched the Sky], [TOS: The Cloud Minders], [TOS: The Apple], [TOS: The Return of the Archons] and [TOS: A Taste of Armageddon], in order to achieve a Federation objective, to save the lives of his crew, or both.

Starfleet's reluctance to seriously discipline those who breach the Prime Directive is telling. Presumably, James Kirk is more valuable to them as a starship captain - to demote him or eject him from the service would be to lose someone of his calibre. Picard's nine violations are held as evidence against him in [TNG: The Drumhead] although the witch-hunt nature of that trial rendered the trial void, but for Picard the nine violations remain on his record yet he retains his rank and is, moreover, captain of the fleet's flagship. That Janeway, on return from the Alpha Quadrant, is promoted to Admiral while Picard remains a Captain is not attributable to Prime Directive violations. No prosecution for a violation of the Prime Directive is seen in Star Trek, though Captain Ronald Tracey in [TOS: The Omega Glory] is detained and we are left in no doubt that he will face charges. The non-canon book novel 'Prime Directive', by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, deals with the political and career fall-out from a violation allegedly committed by Kirk.

The penalty for breaking the Prime Directive should be execution. Commodore Menzies states that there is only one capital crime on the books, that of visiting Talos IV, ref. [TOS: The Menagerie]. If the Prime Directive, which is considered the foremost directive by the word "Prime" in front of it and it being called General Order No. 1 (not a lower number), then enforcement should be paramount (I am aware of the pun). If a member of Starfleet knows that they would never be executed for infringing the Prime Directive, there is no bottom line incentive for adhering to it. That the likes of James Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard even retains command after several clear-cut breaches of the Prime Directive serves as no encouragement to others, and Janeway is even promoted to Admiral after Voyager's return from the Delta Quadrant (she is an Admiral in [Star Trek X: Nemesis]; her promotion is not, however, seen in [Voyager]). In circumstances where to uphold the Prime Directive would mean sacrificing his or her life, without the fear of execution for disobeying a member of Starfleet knows it really does not matter what they do to save his or her life or the lives of others (whether Starfleet or not) - even if they are later imprisoned, they are at least still alive. The fear of execution would also have to be absolute otherwise they may decide to breach the Prime Directive to save their life (or the lives of others) and hope that they could plead extenuating circumstances and get the execution commuted.