STO Academy Forum

I have a 2 questions about the prime directive in regards to the "Rules of Engagement".

QUESTION 1:

"In regards to the 'rules of engagement' involving a Federation or Alliance member; what does one do if while exploring an unexplored sector of space suddenly comes across a situation involving a non warp-capable species (whose existence was unknown to the Federation prior to this incident) is being revealed the reality of warp capability and interstellar space travel by a warp-capable species (also unknown to the Federation) that is attacking them and invading their home world at the moment you discover their existence (the non warp-capable species), what is your response?

QUESTION 2?:

"What if the 'warp capable species' attacking and invading this newly discovered 'non-warp capable species' residing in a solar system in an unexplored sector of space happen to be Federation Starships? (what would you do then?)"

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1. Strictly speaking, according to the prime directive, don't interfere. However I think they could interfere if the non-warp capable species somehow asked for help.

2. Hail the ships to stop. Maybe also contact Starfleet/Federation for orders.

I'm not sure you could interfere even if they asked for help as you would be using superior technology to "interfere" in a dispute.

You would technically be interfering with 2 species, the attacker and the defence by intervening at all

That is true, but isn't Starfleet required to answer all distress calls? Maybe at the very least they would investigate?

(01-10-2018, 02:53 AM)Attilio Wrote: [ -> ]That is true, but isn't Starfleet required to answer all distress calls? Maybe at the very least they would investigate?

Exceptions and Inconsistencies regarding the Prime Directive according to Memory Alpha:

• Cultures already contaminated could be "repaired" but the allowed scope of those repairs is unknown.
  
• A society that sent a general distress call to any space-faring culture could be exempt.
  
• The quadrant in which the culture resides has lost a large number of lives.
  
• The society was previously interfered with by non-Federation citizens (e.g., Klingons) in a manner that would have violated the Prime Directive had it been done by Starfleet personnel.

So I'd say, Starfleet interference in this case is allowed.

Voyager had a few episodes directly related to this discussion... like the one with the survivors rescued in the middle of deep space that were seeking a cure to a plague on their pre-warp world...

I thought that was on Enterprise?

Could be both I guess.

(01-14-2018, 03:15 PM)Trudard Wrote: [ -> ]I thought that was on Enterprise?

Could be both I guess.

yeah! I realized that as I went to bed and was going to fix it this morning lol the one where Phlox easily finds a cure but ethically decides he can't intervene to save them, just tell them that they are going in the right direction with their research.
Guess we could also argue about the Vulcans holding us back on developing warp speeds like in "First Flight" too.

I was getting it mixed up with the Voyager episode "False Prophets" where the two ferengi from the Barzan wormhole swindle a middle age planet posing as their "Holy Sages."

I wish we could have a flox's species as an option to play that would be so aswome

(01-15-2018, 07:08 PM)Trudard Wrote: [ -> ]I wish we could have a flox's species as an option to play that would be so aswome

In a way you can. Pick a Federation Alien and use this in the character creation.