Is the Prime Directive of Star Trek a good principle to go by?

Question

and if it is, why does everybody keep breaking it?

I mean the Federation's Prime Directive, of course.

Answer 1

Isn't the Prime Directive not to interfere in the developement of pre-warp cultures?

No, it's stupid. It's what kept the Vulcans from interfering and stopping the nuclear holocaust of WW3

Answer 2

I was never a fan of the prime directive. The ‘pre warp species’ part is decent, but weird. Ok, I can’t talk to these people because it could alter their development, but the moment they launch a warp ship, all bets are off? Is that the point they stop developing or just the point where it is ok to start meddling with them?
Also, the prime directive has been represented as don’t interfere with ‘the natural development’ of any species at all. if modern lawyers were to get a hold of a law like this it would isolate us from the universe. We wouldn’t even be able to visit uninhabited planets because life might someday spawn there and we would disturb that process. It’s a good rule for the wooly-headed liberal admirals back at Starfleet HQ, but the starship captains know what the real deal is and that is why they break it so often. 

Answer 3

They break it that the distinctiveness of the culture may be added to their own. To enhance the collective.



[And yes, I agree with you. It is a good principle.It's a shame missionaries don't follow that! Star Trek had many good principles in it's shows because it's creator was a Humanist.]

Answer 4

Going via technique of the whole results of SETI, and the end results of multiple analyses of the alien craft circus, of course that diverse planets have the final directive of no longer in any know traveling Earth ever in this is complete historic previous, and maximum perfect thoroughly undetectable under all circumstances. relatively like the final directive of the crimson Unicorn honestly! Cheers!

Answer 5

Nah, the rules are more subtle than that:
1. anybody claiming to arrive in the name of God (God himself, Jesus himself, the missionaries, the Crusaders, George Gaius Julius W. Bush Augustus, and many more) is fully allowed, even advised to break it.
2. the crew from the USS Enterprise is generally not allowed to break it; they are however regarded as naughty heroes if they (delicately) do.
3. everybody else (especially you, Q!! ah, would that a bunch of healthy pious missionaries could grab hold of your wicked Q-ish @rse! :) ) is absolutely forbidden to interfere with People-from-Outer-Worlds' Problems and should be severely punished if they do (that's actually where the efficiency of Mr Adams' "Somebody Else's Problem" Field comes from)

Answer 6

It is a reasonable goal..
My prime directive of course differs:
"Try to get into my wife's pants at least three nights a week.."

Answer 7

It is a good principle. Everybody keeps breaking it because it wouldn't be any fun to be human if we didn't get into other people's business!

Answer 8

"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldy go where no man has gone before."

Especially the 5 year mission part!!!!

Answer 9

Yes, definitely. Just look at Iraq. So many deaths every day... Developed countries should not (in general) interfere in the development of less developed countries. Unless it is to provide food or water in time of famine and drought, to bring medicine to prevent suffering, or to offer to assist with negotiations to bring peace

Answer 10

It's Gene Roddenberry's prime directive (one of my favorite atheists).