THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

STORIES INVOLVING THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

[Seasons 3 & 4: #68 and #69 Scorpion]

Episode Index - part of Ship's Logs which includes illustrated transcripts and synopses

Voyager finds itself in the heart of Borg space, in the midst of a conflict between the Borg and Species 8472. The Borg are losing the war. But it is not the case of "my enemy's enemy is my friend" for Species 8472, via telepathic contact with Kes, threatens to "purge" other species as well.

in the heart of Borg space, aft view from Voyager shows numerous Borg cubes

a member of Species 8472

Janeway's choices are to retreat or to continue to travel through Borg space with the high risk of assimilation. Borg space extends for thousands of solar systems and the chances of the crew escaping without being assimilated by the Borg Collective would be slim. However, the Doctor manages to adapt Borg nanoprobes as a means of defeating Species 8472's powerful bio-weapons, thus providing the basis for Janeway to make the alternative and unorthodox option that she takes. Her answer is to aid the Borg in developing a weapon to defeat Species 8472, in exchange for safe passage through Borg space. The alliance proves successful, though uneasy, and the Voyager crew also devise a successful plan, codenamed Scorpion hence the story's title, which prevents the Borg from assimilating Voyager afterwards.

the Doctor's treatment begins to rid Kim of the tendrils that are consuming his body following an attack on him by Species 8472

Janeway, Tuvok and Seven of Nine work together on a Borg cube to develop weapons to counter Species 8472

The Borg are not a pre-warp civilisation ("civilisation" is a cover-all term and not necessarily descriptive - discussion of the nature of the Borg, however, is irrelevant here). Indeed, the Borg are more technologically advanced than the Federation e.g. they possess assimilation technology and transwarp transport. But the Prime Directive's definition, as came to evolve and is in force by the 2360s ref. [TNG], means that Janeway should not interfere even in a spacefaring civilisation's situation. Yet, despite Chakotay pointing out the spirit of the Prime Directive (though "Prime Directive" is not mentioned in the story), she presses ahead and supplies the Borg with knowledge which decisively alters the outcome of a major conflict, for the nanoprobe warheads developed jointly with the Borg and fired by Voyager oblige Species 8472 to retreat and end the war. Janeway's decision is made from desperation, with Voyager's survival the main priority.

Janeway: "We just need the courage to see this through to the end." Chakotay: "There are other kinds of courage: like the courage to accept that there are some situations beyond your control. Not every problem has an immediate solution." Janeway: "You're suggesting we turn around." Chakotay: "Yes. We should get out of harm's way, let them fight it out! In the meantime, there's still a lot of the Delta Quadrant left to explore. We may find another way home." Janeway: "Or we may find something else. Six months, a year down the road, after Species 8472 gets through with the Borg we could find ourselves back in the line of fire. And we'll have missed the window of opportunity that exists right here right now!" Chakotay: "How much is our safety worth?" Janeway: "What do you mean?" Chakotay: "We'd be giving an advantage to a race guilty of murdering billions. We'd be helping the Borg assimilate another species, just to get ourselves back to Earth. It's wrong!" Janeway: "Tell that to Harry Kim. He's barely alive thanks to that species. Maybe helping to assimilate them isn't such a bad idea. We could be doing the Delta Quadrant a favour." Chakotay: "I don't think you really believe that. I think you're struggling to justify your plan, because your desire to get this crew home is blinding you to other options. I know you, Kathryn! Sometimes you don't know when to step back." [Seasons 3 & 4: #68 and #69 Scorpion]

However, Chakotay is right when he tells Janeway: "....your desire to get this crew home is blinding you to other options." She fails to consider that her decision could have serious repercussions.

Janeway: "The Doctor explained my condition. You're in command." Chakotay: "I understand." Janeway: "They'll push you, they'll threaten you. But they need you. They need this alliance. You have to make this work. I want you to make this work. Get this crew home." [Seasons 3 & 4: #68 and #69 Scorpion]

Janeway cannot be expected to know the full nature of those repercussions in advance, but she should still have considered them. She considers the possible consequences of altering the balance of power in the region as regards the Kazon, both as regards giving them technology and also in respect of forming an alliance with one Kazon sect, yet in [Scorpion] she considers only how to make her plan succeed given the untrustworthy nature of the Borg. Later, at the end of 2374, in [#94 Hope And Fear], Janeway encounters an alien named Arturis who is bent on revenge against her and Voyager, whom he blames for the destruction of his people by the Borg, accusing her of interfering to maintain the Borg.

in fluidic space, Voyager destroys Species 8472 bioships

It is interesting to speculate whether or how far Janeway's decision would have been affected if she had known before she entered into the alliance with the Borg that it was the Borg who started the war with Species 8472 by invading their realm with the aim of assimilating them. But at the time when Janeway is told this information, by Chakotay who deduced it earlier during a conversation with the Borg drone Seven of Nine, the tactical situation is such that it cannot be allowed to affect matters. That tactical situation is that USS Voyager is inside fluidic space which is the realm of Species 8472, facing attack by Species 8472 bioships, and Janeway avers that the right decision now is to fight Species 8472 in full co-operation with the Borg i.e. Voyager's very survival is at stake. That course of action is successfully pursued after Janeway and Chakotay work out their differences.

A consequence of Janeway's decision is the rescue of the Borg drone and the Borg's alliance representative Seven of Nine. The Voyager crew sever Seven of Nine from the Borg Collective, and over the next years she gradually recovers her humanity, while her retained knowledge of the Borg proves invaluable both for Voyager and later for Starfleet. In addition, Species 8472 is, as a result of the Voyager-Borg alliance, fully aware of Mankind and fearfully take steps to deal with the human threat by training personnel to infiltrate Starfleet, but Voyager's discovery of the plan leads, eventually, to dialogue and a truce, [#98 In The Flesh]. Janeway's decision to intervene in the Borg's conflict with Species 8472 has bad consequences (for species left still facing the Borg threat) but also good consequences.

Seven of Nine in Sickbay after being severed from the Borg Collective

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