THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

MAIN DISCUSSION

THE TEMPORAL PRIME DIRECTIVE

Inadvertent or deliberate changes to the timeline are viewed as being undesirable by Starfleet. During Starfleet's first deep space exploration of the 22nd century, Captain Archer and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise were compelled to interfere a number of times in the Temporal Cold War to attempt to preserve the timeline, aided by a temporal agent from the future. The Temporal Prime Directive is a General Order which was introduced later, and which prohibits interference with the normal development of history, and includes a ban on giving aid or information to inhabitants of previous eras because such actions might influence future eras. By the 29th century there exists the Temporal Integrity Commission, a government agency of the United Federation of Planets (it is stated as being 'a government agency' by Encyclopaedia); it was established to monitor the timestream and to despatch timeships to investigate deviations from the normal flow of history. It entered Star Trek canon in [#50 and #51 Future's End], an episode which takes place in 2373 and on Earth in 1996. Presumably this Commission is a development of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations, two of whose officers are seen in [DS9: Trials And Tribble-ations]. An insight into the workings of the 29th century Federation as it works to protect the timeline is seen in [#118 Relativity]. If necessary they will recruit people from the past in their efforts to restore damage to the timeline. In the 29th century Janeway is recorded as having been responsible for three major temporal incursions; her inclination toward breaching the Prime Directive on occasion extends also to the Temporal Prime Directive. Long before, the Temporal Prime Directive had existed, or in [TOS] the notion thereof, but it is not known when the term "Temporal Prime Directive" was first officially employed by the Federation. The implications of the Temporal Prime Directive, though not referred to as that, are explored in [TOS: City On The Edge Of Forever]. In that story the fundamental principle of non-interference is upheld. The term Temporal Prime Directive is used in [#157 Shattered].

Ducane's words to Seven could apply to both Directives: "Uncertainty is part of the equation. We don't know what's going to happen." These words are significant because there really can be no absolutes, either in applying the Prime Directive (or Temporal Prime Directive) nor for Starfleet personnel in trying to gauge the potential result of interference or non-interference. Furthermore, the uncertainty of any outcome means that analysis or discussion of events or possible alternative events can never be an exact science.

Captain Braxton intercepts USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant in 2373 and informs Janeway: "Your vessel is responsible for a disaster in my century, a temporal explosion that will destroy all Earth's solar system. I've come back in time to prevent that occurrence. My mission is your destruction. You must not resist."

Close detail about the Temporal Prime Directive is irrelevant to this article, but the following major incidents are given as examples of interference occurring in the social evolution of one society or more due to violation of the Prime Directive and/or Temporal Prime Directive. Violation normally occurs due to incomplete adherence to the directive, or to incomplete remedy thereof.

1. In [Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home], Captain Kirk and certain senior officers rescue two hunted humpback whales from the late 20th century and bring them to the 23rd century in order that they can communicate with a large mysterious alien probe. The probe seeks contact with humpback whales by in the 23rd century they are extinct due to over-hunting. The probe's presence is causing severe damage to Earth. The whales respond to the probe, which then departs, leaving Earth safe. In this case, Kirk interfered by re-introducing an extinct species and/or his act was one of justice in view of the whales' extinction through hunting and/or he restored an ecological balance in nature. It is not disputed that he saved Mankind. It might be argued that by travelling back in time to retrieve the whales, Kirk was interfering and that the natural course of events, or "natural" course of events, would be for life on Earth to be wiped out. The latter is not tenable since Mankind is the central species in Star Trek.
2. In [DS9: Trials And Tribble-ations], the USS Defiant and its crew, commanded by Sisko, end up travelling back in time and bringing back one tribble adult (or more; tribbles are born pregnant). The ultra-fast reproduction rate of tribbles, once removed from their predator-filled home environment, means that Deep Space 9 is soon inundated by tribbles. This tribble population looks as if it will start to restore the species which, in the 23rd century, had been exterminated by Klingons.

   
   tribbles repopulate the 24th century, starting with Deep Space 9 station

3. Several of Kirk's voyages involved travel through time. In [DS9: Trials And Tribble-ations], two officers of the Federation's Department of Temporal Investigations note that, Kirk, who sometimes ignored regulations when he felt it was for the greater good, amassed 17 separate temporal violations during his career, more than any other person on file. Kirk went back in time on six occasions that are known about through portrayal or mention on the television screen: [TOS: The Naked Time], [TOS: Assignment: Earth], [TOS: Tomorrow is Yesterday], [TOS: City On The Edge of Forever], [TOS: All Our Yesterdays] and [Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]. He also went forward in time in [Star Trek VII: Generations].

   
   Sisko is interviewed by two humourless agents from the Department of Temporal Investigations

4. In [#50 and #51 Future's End], the crew of USS Voyager is unable to restore the timeline fully after visiting Los Angeles on Earth in 1996 where they prevent villain Henry Starling from travelling to the future and destroying Earth's solar system. Starling, a native of that time period, experiences life-changing circumstances and acquires the means to travel to the future, the timeship Aeon, only because of interaction between Voyager and the Aeon in 2373. After their adventure, the Voyager crew remember their experiences which, if time had been fully restored, they should not be able to, and they retain the 29th century mobile emitter technology. In addition, most or all of the revolutionary inventions produced by Starling made, such as the microchip, also remain, though it is reasonable to suppose that these were developed by persons other than Starling.

   
   Starling and minion Dunbar capture Janeway and Chakotay; the location is Los Angeles on Earth in 1996

Instances of time travel in visual form (with or without remedying the timeline; only one or two [Voyager] instances are given), click a date: 1893 1930 1947 1953 1969 1986 1996 2024 2063 2267 2293 2366 2370 2390 3000 (source ST DVD)