THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

STORIES INVOLVING THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

[TNG: Season 7: Homeward]

SUMMARY: The crew of the Federation starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D adhere to the Prime Directive when they observe the loss of a planet's atmosphere as it wipes out the last remaining members of the Boraalan primitive civilisation. However, the Federation observer assigned to the planet and for a time stationed there, by name Dr Nikolai Rozhenko and Worf's adoptive brother, violates the Prime Directive by rescuing the inhabitants of one village. He transfers them secretly to the Enterprise's Holodeck, into a simulation of certain caves on their planet. Rozhenko's action obliges the Enterprise crew to join him in a tricky plan to relocate the villagers without them ever realising they have left their planet.

Worf and his shipmates aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D are disturbed to learn that his foster brother Nikolai (Dr Nikolai Rozhenko) has, while acting as a cultural observer stationed on the primitive planet Boraal II, infringed the Prime Directive by sheltering the natives of one village in caves to protect them from the dangerous plasmonic storms caused by the planet's suddenly dissipating atmosphere. Like Rozhenko, Wof assumes Boraalian guise so as to blend in with the natives while he carries out an assessment of the social damage.

Worf, disguised as a native, meets Rozhenko in the caves on Boraal II where the latter has taken the inhabitants of one village to shelter from the storms

At a staff meeting at which Rozhenko argues the case for interfering to protect the Boraalans, Picard insists on full non-interference under the Prime Directive.

Picard insists on full adherence to the Prime Directive, which means leaving all the Boraalans to perish

Accordingly, the Enterprise crew observe the disappearance of the planet's atmosphere and consequently the deaths of those on the planet.

Picard calls on his crew to honour those on Boraal II about to die as the result of the natural disaster, but Rozhenko says he sees no honour in it and leaves the Bridge. The dead planet.

However, Rozhenko has secretly created a duplicate of the Boraalan caves on the Enterprise's Holodeck and fakes a blip in the ship's systems to disguide his transferring of the villagers there so that they do not realise that they have left their planet. Rozhenko calls Worf into the Holodeck and shows him the villagers in the holo-caves.

Rozhenko shows Worf the Boraalans in a holo-simulation of the Boraalan caves

Although Worf and Picard are angry with him, Rozhenko puts forward a plan that Picard feels obliged to go along with in order to safeguard the Boraalan survivors and minimise the breach of the Prime Directive. Rozhenko's plan is to keep the natives in the holo-caves, locate a new home planet for them, and have the villagers travel through the Holodeck, altering the holo-environment gradually until it is similar to that of the new planet, and then the Enterprise would beam the villagers to the new planet. In this way, the villagers will believe they have travelled across their home planet just to another region, and thus they need not learn about interstellar travel which would disrupt their society's natural development.

Rozhenko explains his plan to Captain Picard

As chief engineer Geordi La Forge struggles to maintain the holo-scenario following damage to the Holodeck system caused by the plasmonic storms, the plan is made more complicated when one Boraalan, named Vorin, accidentally wanders out of the Holodeck and finds himself in the bewildering and overwhelming environment of a starship. Picard explains where he is and invites him to choose between returning to his people, though Vorin knows he must keep the starship a secret as it the knowledge would destroy his people, or of staying in the world of the Federation.

Vorin accidentally leaves the Holodeck and finds his way to the Enterprise's Ten Forward where Deanna Troi calms his fears. Picard discusses Vorin's choices now that he knows he and the other villagers are not on Boraal II

Additionally, Worf learns that Rozhenko has fallen in love with a Boraalan woman, made her pregnant and plans to stay with her to bring up their child. (She is pictured in the right of the second picture, next to Rozhenko.) This widens the rift already between the two brothers but, despite their differences, they eventually come to value their co-operation and together they ensure the success of Rozhenko's plan and then part on warmer terms. The Boraalans are successfully transported to a new home on a different planet, with none of them realising that they have left their own planet.

A: Rozhenko and Worf have the Boraalans take refuge in their tents from (holographic) storms on the Holodeck. B: The tents, Boraalans, Rozhenko and Worf are beamed off the Holodeck. C: The empty holo-scenario. D: The new planet. E: Tents and everyone are beamed onto the new planet. F: The Boraalans in their new home, unaware that they have made an interstellar journey.

However, Vorin is unable to decide whether to return to his people and keep his discovery secret or whether to accept Picard's invitation to stay among Federation people. Overwhelmed, he commits suicide.

Vorin's dead body, viewed by the ship's doctor and Picard

DISCUSSION: Rozhenko's breach of the Prime Directive is clear-cut. If a television viewer should be asked who was "correct" - the Enterprise crew for standing by as a planet's population is destroyed, or Rozhenko who would have liked to save all the Boraalians if he could have done - doubtless the answer would be the latter. Possibly in any discussion of the Prime Directive, a Trekkie is entitled to go with their feelings. Rozhenko himself makes the point that he did because he felt he had to, and every one of our hero Starfleet captains, have to deal with those feelings at some point or other. Rozhenko's behaviour and all the ethical pros and cons of the Prime Directive are thrown into sharp relief by the fact that he is Worf's brother. It means that Worf becomes emotionally involved whether he likes it or not. It also heightens the emotional argument for Picard to agree to Rozhenko's plan, after Rozhenko reveals the Boraalians' presence on the Enterprise to Worf. These aspects do not just heighten the television audience's interest and involvement (since one of our heroes, Worf, is personally involved), but they also complicate any straightforward discussion about the Prime Directive as regards the Boraalian situation. These emotional tie-ins add to the drama and entertainment, and are of higher importance than a "dry" story about the Prime Directive, but in the "dry" sense they are strictly speaking unnecessary. The situation, and hence the opportunity for uncluttered thinking about the Prime Directive, is complicated by the fact that Rozhenko is motivated, or further motivated, by the fact that he has fallen in love with a Boraalian woman, has made her pregnant, and he intends to stay with her and help bring up their child.

NOTES: Vorin is played by Brian Markinson, who appears as Dr Geiger in [DS9: In The Cards], and in [#13 Cathexis] as Lieutenant Pete Durst reprised in [#14 Faces] in which he also plays Vidiian scientist Sulan. The on-location scenes in the caves were filmed in the Bronson cave area at Griffith Park. Griffith Park is the location (and real-life location) of Griffith Observatory. Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory are seen in [#50 and #51 Future's End]. The use of a Holodeck to transport a people without them realising it is the originally intended technique for Starfleet's relocation of the Ba'ku in the later [Star Trek IX: Insurrection].

 

 

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