In Star Trek, one of their most important rules is called the “Prime Directive” and it forbids them from interfering in the natural evolution of primitive cultures (where “primitive” means anyone who hasn’t figured out either warp drive or subspace communication). The movie “First Contact” is about humanity’s first warp flight and the subsequent visit from a passing Vulcan ship that starts the transition of Earth from post-apocalyptic wasteland with continued technological advancement to the Utopia it’s shown as in the main series.
It’s one of their few laws that gets explicitly referenced a lot. And broken a lot, though usually either by accident or because of special circumstances. They also have a similar rule in The Orville and IMO do a really good job of exploring it and the implications of both following and breaking it.
Btw for any Star Trek fans that have passed on The Orville thinking that it must be a silly parody since it’s by one of the makers of family guy, give it a shot. It’s a comedy, yes, but it fully respects what they are doing and doesn’t try to turn it into a big joke. I hold it just below any of the Star Trek series. The writing isn’t quite as good, though I’d put the storytelling on par.
Oh, I know that “no interference” idea from Arthur Clarke, in “Songs of Distant Earth”. This was shown in Star Trek ? I haven’t watched yet
In Star Trek, one of their most important rules is called the “Prime Directive” and it forbids them from interfering in the natural evolution of primitive cultures (where “primitive” means anyone who hasn’t figured out either warp drive or subspace communication). The movie “First Contact” is about humanity’s first warp flight and the subsequent visit from a passing Vulcan ship that starts the transition of Earth from post-apocalyptic wasteland with continued technological advancement to the Utopia it’s shown as in the main series.
It’s one of their few laws that gets explicitly referenced a lot. And broken a lot, though usually either by accident or because of special circumstances. They also have a similar rule in The Orville and IMO do a really good job of exploring it and the implications of both following and breaking it.
Btw for any Star Trek fans that have passed on The Orville thinking that it must be a silly parody since it’s by one of the makers of family guy, give it a shot. It’s a comedy, yes, but it fully respects what they are doing and doesn’t try to turn it into a big joke. I hold it just below any of the Star Trek series. The writing isn’t quite as good, though I’d put the storytelling on par.
Thanks !!