star trek novel prime directive

Prime Directive (novel)

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Prime Directive is a Pocket TOS novel written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens . Published by Pocket Books , it was first released in hardback in September 1990 .

• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Cover gallery
• 4.1 Canon characters
• 4.2 Non-canon characters
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Summary [ ]

During the last year of the first five-year mission, the USS Enterprise is called to the pre-contact world of Talin IV. The mission is unusual from its inception, as the Enterprise is not allowed to travel at warp speed, nor use subspace communications for several days – an unusual precaution, as they are approaching a world that should have no means of detecting their approach. An observation post has been built on the Talin moon by the Federation's First Contact Office (FCO), to observe the indigenous culture in preparation for a possible first contact . The Talin, a reptilian race with a culture comparable to Earth in the late 20th century , are divided into two principle factions – the "Browns" and the "Greens", engaged in their own "Cold War". The First Contact Office and the crew of the Enterprise are both anxious to see the Talin survive this highly volatile point in their history, but are prohibited from intervening by the Prime Directive . The possibility of a first contact is complicated by the fact that the Browns and the Greens are perilously close to instigating a nuclear war. At the same time, scientists on Talin are on the verge of discovering the existence of subspace communications through experiments with dilithium . Both these facts mean that the FCO and the Enterprise must be particularly careful to avoid detection. Further complicating matters, the elderly and curmudgeonly Dr. Alonzo Richter, creator of the Richter scale (a complex grading of cultural development by which a planet is determined to be ready for first contact) has also traveled to Talin IV, advocating ignoring his own scale and that the Talin be contacted immediately.

While observing the planet and the tensions between its two superpowers, Kirk learns that the FCO has been caught and photographed by military observation posts while spying on the planet, possibly exacerbating the tense political situation and perhaps even violating the Prime Directive. He leads an away mission to secretly retrieve data from the Talin military to determine how badly the FCO mission has been compromised. As he returns, a nuclear missile explodes in its silo, leading to limited nuclear exchange between the Browns and the Greens. Determining that the explosion was accidental and was in fact likely to impair the planet's natural cultural evolution, Kirk and the Enterprise act quickly and covertly to disable or destroy the missiles before they can cause further harm. The near destruction of the world, and (to the Talin) miraculous chain of events that saved them, pull the Talin back from the brink of destruction and instigate a new period of peace and cooperation. Kirk convenes a board of inquiry on his own actions, and is determined to have saved the Talin without contravening the Prime Directive. Almost immediately after, however, the entire nuclear arsenals of both the Browns and the Greens are launched without warning or reason. When Kirk attempts to once again prevent the Talin from destroying themselves, a nuclear missile impossibly targets and strikes the Enterprise , seemingly indicating that Kirk's actions have revealed the presence of the Enterprise . The ship is nearly destroyed, and Talin IV is swept by firestorms. Scotty , the only member of the senior staff not on the bridge , reluctantly charges Kirk with violating the Prime Directive, and destroying a world.

Kirk, Spock, Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura become infamous for their actions, known as the "Enterprise Five". When Starfleet threatens to court martial all five, Kirk resigns in a vain attempt to protect his crew. Starfleet refuses to investigate the bizarre chain of events that led to the destruction of Talin IV. McCoy attempts to force the issue by punching an admiral, but later resigns himself when he realizes the Starfleet would rather see the issue swept under the rug than face the negative publicity of a high profile trial. Chekov and Sulu soon follow. Spock is demoted to ensign, and also resigns, Uhura is the only member formally tried, and is given a dishonorable discharge. Despite being separated and disgraced, all of Kirk's crew work to return to Talin (now branded "Kirk's World") and determine what actually happened. Kirk finds himself working under an assumed name on a terraforming project and as a cargo handler on a freighter. Spock joins forces with a group of radical college students who advocate the repeal of the Prime Directive on humanitarian grounds. Sulu and Chekov join the crew of an Orion smuggler and slave trader in hopes of stealing his ship. McCoy and Uhura purchase a ship and work to create a false identity for McCoy, the dreaded space pirate "Black Ire". While the rest of crew work to reach Talin, Scotty finds himself frustrated in his own efforts investigate the disaster, while he supervises the repairs to the Enterprise under the direct command of the arrogant Lieutenant Lawrence H. Styles .

Spock manipulates the student group and the Vulcan embassy to secure credentials for himself and Dr. Richter to speak to the Federation Council . Spock deliberately steers the conversation so that the assembly is forced to concede that Talin IV, by merit of the worlds held in trust for them by the Federation for future development once they achieve space travel, could already be considered a de facto member of the Federation. Based on this premise, all the Talin must do to receive Federation aid is request it. Spock then stuns the Council by introducing two Talin astronauts, one from each of the warring nation states. With the assistance of Richter and the FCO crew, the joint mission escaped just before the disaster.

The crew reunite at the now-closed FCO outpost on the Talin moon. Spock's investigations reveal that the natural development of the Talin was in fact harmed by extraterrestrial influence… but not Kirk, the Enterprise , or the crew of the FCO. These aliens, who call themselves the Many, resemble large insects, and operate as a hive mind, exist on solar energy, and communicate by means of organically-occurring radio. Kirk discerns that the Many created the conditions and instigated the nuclear war on Talin IV to prepare the planet for consumption by another entity, a creature called the One. The Many tell Kirk where to find the One. Scotty, having fitted a new pair of warp engines to the Enterprise , is tasked with locating the One, and brings along the Enterprise Five as observers for the Talin. Once beyond the jurisdiction of the Federation, Scotty orders Kirk and the rest of the crew to assume their usual posts. The One is revealed to be a massive, planet-sized creature moving slowly through space towards Talin IV. Spock posits that the One is immensely old, possibly older than this universe. In sixty years, the One will reach Talin IV and consume it. While McCoy advocates destruction of the One, comparing it to a dangerous shark or other predator. Kirk points out that a shark can't help being a shark; moreover, it is extremely unlikely that the Enterprise (or all of Starfleet, for that matter) could have the firepower necessary to destroy the impossibly old planet-sized creature. The Federation and the Talin arrange for the One to be redirected to a gas giant in the Talin system, saving both the Talin and the One.

Thanks to Spock's presentation to the Federation Council and the truth about what happened at Talin revealed, emergency relief is rushed to aid the stricken world. Just as the rescue mission commences, Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise Five are reinstated to full rank and resume their mission, with an apology from the Federation. Spock discovers that through a natural ability to weave a protective cocoon, over two billion Talin have survived the disaster, and are waiting in hibernation. Kirk leads the first away team to the planet's surface, and makes the long-awaited first contact with a Talin child, with the words, " Let me help. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

" You have broken our most sacred commandment, James T. Kirk – and in doing so, destroyed a world. "

" As of this day, you are relieved of your command, stripped of your rank and all accompanying privileges, and discharged from Starfleet. "

" May whatever gods there are have mercy on your soul. "

Background information [ ]

• The authors had originally intended the hardback novel slot they had been contracted for to form what eventually became Federation ; however, their initial outline was rejected by Paramount Licensing as not permissible (it would take another four years to change their minds). Still with a novel slot to fill, the pair developed the concept of a world being devastated by nuclear war in a week. ( Voyages of Imagination , p. 125)
• Reaction to the novel was reportedly critical, with many fans unhappy with the in medias res approach, beginning with the aftermath of the Talin mission. As Voyages of Imagination recorded, " It was clear that most of the upset fans had not gotten past the first part of the book. " ( Voyages of Imagination , p. 125)
• The novel is set during the final year of James T. Kirk's first five-year mission, and after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . The Pocket Books novel timeline in Voyages of Imagination sets this story just before Star Trek: The Animated Series , thus explaining alterations to the Enterprise bridge set and main bridge crew.
• The audiobook adaptation, by the Reeves-Stevens, omits most of the " Enterprise Five" plotlines – Spock does not resign, but instead is given control of the investigation into the Talin disaster; the other disgraced officers are then brought in to support him. Some of Kirk's storyline survives to act as an introduction to the flashback to the Talin mission.
• The novel was reprinted in paperback in the UK in May 1991 by Pan Books .
• Prime Directive reached number ten on the New York Times Best Seller List for 16 September 1990 , its first week on the list. [1] It remained on the list for six weeks. The paperback reprint reached number ten on the Paperback Best Seller List for 1 September 1991 , its first week on the list. [2] It remained on the list for five weeks.
• The Science Fiction Book Club released a special edition of the hardback in December 1990 .
• This novel influenced the writing of the 2009 film Star Trek . Roberto Orci , who wrote the film's script together with Alex Kurtzman , clarified, " The inner monologue of the characters in that book inspired our characterizations and descriptions in the script, but nothing specifically story-wise was referenced. " [3]
• Bookriot.com ranked the novel among as one of the best Star Trek novels. [4]

Cover gallery [ ]

Characters [ ]

Canon characters [ ], non-canon characters [ ], references [ ], external links [ ].

• Prime Directive at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Prime Directive at Wikipedia
• Prime Directive at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• 1 Marlys Burdette

• Prime Directive

Starfleet's most sacred commandment has been violated. Its most honored captain is in disgrace, its most celebrated starship in pieces, and the crew of that ship scattered among the thousand worlds of the Federation...

Thus begins Prime Directive , an epic tale of the Star Trek universe. Following in the bestselling tradition of Spock's World and The Lost Years , Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have crafted a thrilling tale of mystery and wonder, a novel that takes the Star Trek characters from the depths of despair into an electrifying new adventure that spans the galaxy.

Journey with Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the former crew of the Starship Enterprise to Talin – the planet where their careers ended. A world once teeming with life that now lies ruined, its cities turned to ashes, its surface devastated by a radioactive firestorm – because of their actions. There, they must find out how – and why – this tragedy occurred and discover what has become of their captain.

Star Trek consists of 28 total books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

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Why 'Star Trek's Prime Directive Changed the Course of Sci-Fi Forever

As Captain Archer says, we didn't come to space to play God.

If you're a sci-fi fan, there's likely been a time in your life when you've been show-surfing and stumbled upon a classic of a bygone era. Maybe it was The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) or The Man From Planet X (1951), but so many of these early sci-fi films seem to share a common thread. Extraterrestrials either land on Earth, or humankind reach out into the stars and eventually other planets. Either way, we as humans are faced with a life form we've never seen before and have no understanding of. Using the previously mentioned films as examples, we immediately meet these new forms of life with suspicion, an intent to exploit them, or even outright violence. One might chock some of this up to social commentary of the time period, as 1950s science fiction, in particular, was steeped in the nuclear arms race and the rising panic instilled through McCarthyism. However, even today, we see more than a few films where extraplanetary life is immediately acted upon in an outright hostile manner. With that having been said, there are more than a few bits of media that see humanity coexisting with a menagerie of alien life — most notably, Star Trek .

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One of the biggest reasons why can be traced back to the 1960s with the bright future of Star Trek: The Original Series (1966). In Gene Roddenberry 's vision of humanity's next steps, we've eliminated the endless cycle of want for the material and have turned our eyes to the stars, joining the intergalactic community as part of the United Federation of Planets. Starship captains venture into the unseen reaches of space, discovering worlds and brokering peace and collaboration between countless sentient species well beyond our own solar system. Some even back during Trek 's debut likely wondered if you've got such advanced technology at your command, why not just take what you want? Do as you please? Thankfully, Roddenberry was forward-thinking about this question as well, resulting in Starfleet's Prime Directive, also known as General Order 1.

Under this Starfleet regulation, it's expressly advised that officers do everything in their power not to interfere with the development of another society or culture, even if the desire to intervene is for positive reasons. Throughout the Federation, its many races came to the same conclusion: People showing up with high-tech compared to the native population doesn't tend to end well, regardless of the intent of the visitors. Captain Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) puts this into perspective beautifully in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) during the episode "Symbiosis," stating, "history has proven again and again that whenever manking interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well-intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disasterous."

Even viewed as a non-human phenomenon, Captain Picard has a very good point. Even if there's no violence intended, just the idea of a more advanced civilization existing out there can cause severe ripples through even the most unified group of people. Thinking back to The Day the Earth Stood Still , humanity's first reaction to an otherworldly being wasn't a positive one. The benevolent extraterrestrial Klaatu ( Michael Rennie ) simply arrived with good will (and even a gift for the American President, had a nervous soldier not damaged it first) to provide humanity a warning: That our development of atomic weapons was concerning the community beyond our own planet. Before we even had the chance to hear Klaatu out, however, he was shot by the military and placed under guard while we attempted to pick through his saucer. For a guy who was just trying to do mankind a favor, we reacted about as well as our post-WWII minds were expected to.

This is exactly what makes the concept of the Prime Directive so special during a crucial time in sci-fi. Starfleet officers take an oath to preserve the tenets of the Prime Directive, with many officers openly stating that they would rather put their lives and that of their crew on the line to avoid violating the biggest rule that Starfleet holds dear. In reality, things aren't always as cut and dry, as more than a few episodes spanning the entire Star Trek franchise dealt with the dilemma of avoiding violation of the Prime Directive. Sometimes a violation is unavoidable, and officers have to simply do the best they can to minimize the damage. Depending on the Trek show in question, the Prime Directive is a little more... Flexible, but the core principles of it nearly always remain intact. Until a civilization has developed warp technology and can introduce itself to the intergalactic community, maybe the Federation doesn't drop Starfleet on its planet, waving tricorders and phasers around. Even if the civilization in question is causing self-inflicted issues, every society has growing pains, a lot of them. It doesn't seem unreasonable to bring a people along at their own pace as opposed to scaring the hell out of them or prompting a violent response.

Although it's better in theory than in practice in many Trek episodes, the idea of the directive showed future science fiction aficionados that we didn't have to blast our way through alien species we encountered. In-universe, it's also what separates the races of the Federation from the more domineering views of the Klingon Empire or the Romulan Star Empire, who have quite a few less scruples with exploiting and interfering with others. The Prime Directive is far from an absolutist doctrine, but it fosters a remarkable amount of restraint within Starfleet's technological prowess. For Trek fans in particular, we've seen the result of unfettered abuse of technology in the franchise's Mirror Universe, where Starfleet is the iron fist of the fascistic and human-centric Terran Empire. A galaxy brought to heel under force is a galaxy that has lost its freedom and self-determination, and it can all result from a mindset that is anathema to the Prime Directive.

In the wake of Trek and the Prime Directive, we've broadened our media horizons to include possible futures we often didn't consider during the Cold War era. Steven Spielberg 's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) follows a child attempting to help a new friend get home beyond the stars. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) shows the incredibly whimsy of existing in the universe, even after Earth is in the rearview. Arrival (2016) even puts us back in the position of the less-advanced civilization, thinking the worst of our exraplanetary visitors until we realize, much like Klaatu, they want to do us a favor. Maybe these tentacled folks aren't living up to the Prime Directive so to speak, but the film's perceived panic and understanding is wiped away once we're able to communicate with our new visitors. Compared to earlier science fiction where humanity so often sought to conquer or immediately perceive threats where none existed, all of these films and many more are a significant sign of a paradigm shift in the genre.

Roddenberry's vision even today is incredibly bright compared to much of science fiction. Star Trek has surely endured many dark moments, and there's not a thing wrong with grittier sci-fi media in general, but a galactic community pushing for equality and cooperation is one that can be inspiring for many. It's a worldview that many science fiction lovers can imagine living in. As cool as movies like Blade Runner (1982), Star Wars (1977), or Alien (1979) are, being a part of their universe would likely be a very different proposition. Earth ravaged by corporate greed? A violent and authoritarian Galactic Empire imposing its worldview? Wealthy moguls attempting to capture hostile life forms for war?

When you put it that way, letting the Mintakans figure things out before joining the wider community out in space doesn't sound so bad. They can take their time along with plenty of other pre-warp civilizations, Starfleet is never out of things to do or places to be.

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Spock's Greatest Star Trek Impact Wasn't As A Starfleet Captain

Star trek’s redshirt has a real world meaning, 9 versions of the borg in star trek.

Acting as the foundation of Starfleet's philosophy, the Prime Directive is an integral part of the lore of the Star Trek franchise, but what exactly is it? First introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 21, "The Return of the Archons," the Prime Directive has governed every ship's crew during their journeys into deep space and beyond. Even if the rule has been severely broken or bent on numerous occasions, it is nevertheless the guiding principle that keeps Starfleet the enlightened organization that the franchise has made it out to be. Though every captain has their own interpretation, the Prime Directive is absolute.

As old as the franchise itself, the Prime Directive has steered the stories told within the Star Trek universe and is one of the things that separates Star Trek from other less utopian science fiction. With Strange New Worlds explaining the Prime Directive's origins , fans have been able to get a clearer picture of the history of the rule, and why it holds such an important place. Also known as Starfleet General Order 1, its place at the top of the heap of regulations shows just how imperative the Prime Directive is to the philosophy of not only Starfleet and the Federation, but the philosophy of Star Trek itself.

RELATED: Why TOS Never Got A Series Finale Until Star Trek VI

The Prime Directive Is Starfleet's Non-Interference Principle

As Starfleet began sending fleets of ships deep into the unexplored regions of the galaxy it soon became clear that first contact in Star Trek was an important and delicate procedure. The Prime Directive was devised to protect underdeveloped alien civilizations from interference by Starfleet, their crew, and the abundance of advanced technology that they possess. The Prime Directive prohibits Starfleet personnel from interfering with the natural development of a society for good or bad, and that has often meant that crews must stand by as an entire civilization is wiped away by natural disasters or technological folly. While not a perfect rule, the Prime Directive's blanket ban on interference is necessary.

Interpretations Of The Prime Directive

"The Return of the Archons" episode explained the principle best when Spock was forced to remind Captain Kirk that destroying the planet-controlling computer would violate the directive. While Kirk and the Enterprise saved the Earth on numerous occasions, they also saved alien civilizations through a rather loose interpretation of Starfleet's golden rule. In Star Trek: The Original Series , season 2, episode 19 "A Private Little War," Kirk used Federation weaponry to arm a civilization against enemies who were armed by the Klingons. Such a gross misinterpretation of the rules would seem like a clear violation, but Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 16, "Too Short A Season," confirmed it was common practice.

By Star Trek: Next Generation 's era, the Prime Directive had grown from a set of rules to an actual philosophy that colored every decision. Picard spent his tenure as the Enterprise's captain extolling the virtues of the Prime Directive, but was forced to break it during the events of season 3, episode 4, "Who Watches the Watchers" and season 4, episode 15, "First Contact." While every captain of the Enterprise is required to make compromises regarding the Prime Directive, Picard's strict interpretation was the hallmark of his captaincy. As Star Trek continues to expand its lore through its past and future, it is clear that the Prime Directive will always be the guiding light of Starfleet.

MORE: Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

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Star Trek: Prime Directive

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Publisher Description

Starfleet's most sacred commandment has been violated. Its most honored captain is in disgrace, its most celebrated starship in pieces, and the crew of that ship scattered among the thousand worlds of the Federation... Thus begins Prime Directive , an epic tale of the Star Trek ® universe. Following in the bestselling tradition of Spock's World and The Lost Years , Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have crafted a thrilling tale of mystery and wonder, a novel that takes the Star Trek characters from the depths of despair into an electrifying new adventure that spans the galaxy. Journey with Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the former crew of the Starship Enterprise TM to Talin -- the planet where their careers ended. A world once teeming with life that now lies ruined, its cities turned to ashes, its surface devastated by a radioactive firestorm -- because of their actions. There, they must find out how -- and why -- this tragedy occurred and discover what has become of their captain.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AUG 29, 1990

The latest addition to the Star Trek canon revolves around violation of the Prime Directive forbidding interference with alien cultures. Instead of stopping a nuclear war on Talin IV, Captain Kirk has apparently triggered Armageddon: a devastated world now bears the name ``Kirk's Planet.'' The Enterprise is a crippled hulk, and her senior officers have left Starfleet in disgrace. But Kirk and his comrades are determined to restore their honor by finding out what really happened on Talin IV. Excessive use of frames and flashbacks complicates the story line, a flaw offset by strong presentation of the bonds among the Enterprise crew. The intricate Star Trek universe is handled well, especially in an amusing subplot putting Sulu and Chekov aboard an Orion pirate ship. While this installment is unlikely to attract new readers to the series, Trekkies will not be disappointed.

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Table of Contents

About the book, about the author.

Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are the authors of more than thirty books, including numerous New York Times bestselling Star Trek novels. For more information, please visit Reeves-Stevens.com.

Product Details

• Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek (October 2, 2002)
• Length: 406 pages
• ISBN13: 9780743454186

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Star trek: prime directive.

Starfleet’s most sacred commandment has been violated. Its most honored captain is in disgrace, its most celebrated starship in pieces, and the crew of that ship scattered among the thousand worlds of the Federation… Thus begins “Prime Directive”, an epic tale of the Star Trek universe. Following in the bestselling tradition of “Spock’s World” and “The Lost Years”, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have crafted a thrilling tale of mystery and wonder, a novel that takes the Star Trek characters from the depths of despair into an electrifying new adventure that spans the galaxy. Journey with Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the former crew of the Starship Enterprise to Talin– the planet where their careers ended. A world once teeming with life that now lies ruined, its cities turned to ashes, its surface devastated by a radioactive firestorm– because of their actions. There, they must find out how– and why– this tragedy occurred and discover what has become of their captain.

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Published May 10, 2022

Strange New Worlds 101: The Prime Directive

Go inside the episode with a look at the history of the Prime Directive

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Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode one to follow!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is here, so to celebrate, we’ve created a weekly Strange New Worlds 101 series to explore and explain some of the key concepts and Easter Eggs that appear within the show. If you’re a newcomer eager to learn more about Trek or a diehard fan who just wants a quick refresher, this is the series for you. This week, we’re tackling General Order 1, which fans know by a different name.

In the series premiere aptly titled “Strange New Worlds,” Pike knows he shouldn’t interfere with a pre-warp culture. He’s aware of the fact it directly violates General Order 1, and basically every rule of Starfleet. But when he learns that Starfleet’s battle with Control in season two of Star Trek: Discovery led the society to the brink of disaster, he has to take a stand. He steps up to do the right thing and fix his mistake, because, as he says, any blood that’s spilled will be on Starfleet’s hands.

It turns out that his move was correct:  the society turns away from civil unrest and internal conflict to look to the stars and begin to heal. Their scientists work on building starships, not weapons, and students learn about the visitors from another world who came in peace. Admiral Robert April manages to get Pike and his command crew out of trouble with Starfleet command, and suggests that General Order 1 will soon be going by a new name:  the Prime Directive.

Pike jokes that the name will never stick, but he’s wrong about that. The Prime Directive has been a part of Star Trek since The Original Series , where it first is referenced in the episode “The Return of the Archons.” The Prime Directive is simple:  Starfleet is not to interfere with the development of a culture that is living and growing. In the season two TOS episode “Bread and Circuses,” the Directive is explained as meaning, "No identification of self or mission. No interference with the social development of said planet. No references to space, or the fact that there are other worlds, or more advanced civilizations."

In the episode “The Omega Glory,” Kirk declares that a captain would rather sacrifice life, crew, and ship rather than violate the Prime Directive. However, across the series, most captains, including Kirk himself, show a rather laissez-faire approach to it. Kirk certainly has his issues following orders, and Picard bends the rules on more than one occasion, as do Sisko and Janeway.

Captain Archer of Star Trek: Enterprise can’t be faulted for not following the Prime Directive, as it didn’t exist when he was leading a starship. He even declared that the day they did draft a directive he would follow it, though this was part of a speech about how until that day he’d continue to do what he felt was right. However, there are references made throughout Enterprise to a Vulcan policy of non-interference, which is likely what Starfleet modeled the Prime Directive on. Enterprise also explores the beginnings of the Temporal Prime Directive, which forbids anyone from altering history while traveling through time, via a time traveling agent from the 31st century sent to stop a Temporal Cold War.

In Star Trek: Discovery , General Order 1 is also referenced several times, with the series opening with Michael Burnham and Captain Georgiou trying to help save a dying culture without revealing themselves or their ship. This is, essentially, the Prime Directive before it earned the familiar name, which means that Georgiou is perhaps the captain who actually followed that rule the most as compared to the other captains we see. So far in Star Trek: Lower Deck s we haven’t seen the crew of the Cerritos face a situation that calls for a choice between the Prime Directive and doing the right thing, but we’re sure that Captain Freeman and her merry band of command crew and ensigns would have a hilarious and heartfelt approach to navigating the Directive’s rules while still saving the day.

This Season on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Season 1 Sneak Peek

Star Trek: Prodigy tackled the Prime Directive in the episode “First Con-tact,” when Hologram Janeway introduces the concept to her young crew. While Dal and his friends ultimately don’t pull off a successful First Contact and do ignore the Prime Directive, it serves as a strong entry point in the franchise to introduce the littlest ensigns in your crew to the concept.

Captain Pike is right about many things, but the Prime Directive? That’s here to stay. Relive your favorite moments from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere with our official recap . In the meantime, let us know your favorite time a captain might’ve bent the rules around the Prime Directive on social!

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Federation Prime Directive , Star Trek Prime Directive , Starfleet Prime Directive , The Prime Directive - August 15, 2022

Star Trek's Prime Directive- History, and Introspection

There is no rule, no law, that is more Federation and Starfleet than the Prime Directive. It is one of the cornerstones. It's also known as General Order Number One; "No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society."

The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy… and a very correct one. History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well-intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous."

It's a straightforward concept before a civilization achieves warp speeds, they must be allowed the natural progression towards that. Even in the face of destruction, if that's how the dice rolls for your civilization, then that will of the universe will be respected. 

The very core of the philosophy was the concept that Starfleet should refrain from any interference, covert or otherwise, even if well-intentioned.

So fundamental was the observance of the Prime Directive that Starfleet officers would uphold it, even if it meant their lives.

The origins of the Prime Directive are Vulcan.  When or how they came up with this rule for themselves is unknown, but T'Pol of the Enterprise advised Captain Archer of it. He strongly agreed with the philosophy after seeing the damage done by interference on a pre-warp planet.

It wasn't just the General Order, the Prime Directive had 47 sub-orders by the end of the 24th Century.

Some of them included:

• Providing intelligence of the greater universe, (the Federation's or any other alien species) even if that species leaders already know of it, to pre-warp societies
• Avoiding or subverting the established laws of a society.
• Helping to escape a natural disaster known to the civilization, even if Starfleet's inaction would result in a society's end
• Helping advance technologies or science of pre-warp societies
• Advancing the overall development of a pre-warp society

The Prime Directive on first read seems simple and straight-forward. But nothing is ever purely logical. It has been bent, broken, or abandoned in the course of the Star Trek universes. Here are a few examples of it being tested.

Trouble with Kirk

Captain Kirk had trouble following the Prime Directive on numerous occasions.

When the Enterprise dealt with the people of Beta III, they discovered a stagnant, pre-warp civilization. Rather than abiding by the Prime Directive, Kirk dismantled the ruling supercomputer Landru, which freed the people but left their society in need of further direct intervention as seen on Lower Decks when the Betans attempt to turn it back on.

In another instance, Kirk destroys the Vaal, a reptilian machine that has kept a society primitive for over 10,000 years requiring the Federation to come in and pick up the pieces.

In another mission, on the planet Neural, Klingons have decided to give advanced weapons (flintlock rifles) to one faction of the population, to take over the planet by proxy. Kirk decides to balance the scales, violating the Prime Directive and arms the other faction, believing that was the lesser damage.

The cowboy captaining of Kirk reflects the times in which the show was made. Kirk doesn't have to be there to pick up the pieces of the newly freed, he is off to the next mission. The conflict between acting on conscience to free people that you believe need your help, or to leave them be, reflected the times as Star Trek ran during the Vietnam War. The Prime Directive is a policy of noninterference.

That's why there's such a sharp contrast between Kirk and Picard. They are opposites, especially regarding the Prime Directive.

It's the principle…

The USS Enterprise under Captain Jean-Luc Picard became a place of ideals and the expectation of always presenting the very best of Starfleet. Even when he did violate the Prime Directive, it was only to limited degrees or to save what had become a very messy situation.

When Data was contacted by Sarjenka of Drema IV, this contact ultimately gave Picard the excuse to save her and her people without them knowing as her communication was a direct plea for help. Otherwise, he would have allowed her and the rest of her people to die per the Prime Directive.

When the power source keeping a research location hidden from a proto-Vulcan civilization fails, killing some of the staff, the Enterprise goes to assist them. Dr. Crusher breaks the Prime Directive by beaming and treating one of the locals who is hurt investigating the observation post. This leads to a situation where he tells the populace of "The Picard" rekindling belief in the supernatural. It takes a full intervention by Picard to stop this belief.

 When Wesley Crusher was going to be executed for his crime of falling into some flowers by the Edo people, Picard intervenes asking "When has justice ever been as simple as a rulebook?" Picard's duty to protect the crew or their children, even when it endangered thousands, outweighed the dictates of the Prime Directive for Picard.

The long way home

Captain Janeway of the USS Voyager had the choice between leaving the Caretaker's Array or destroying it as the Caretaker died he. Lt. Tuvok advised Captain Janeway of the potential Prime Directive violation of involving Voyager in the struggles of the Kazon and Ocampa. Destroying the array "would affect the balance of power in this system. The Prime Directive would seem to apply." However, because the Kazon ship would not have collided with the array if not for the arrival of Voyager and the Marquis ship Val Jean, Janeway's destruction of the array was a corrective action that reinstated the Caretaker's self-destruct plan and thus did not technically violate the Prime Directive. Destroying the array sacrificed returning Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant quickly, leaving them to have to find another slower way home.

The Pralor Automated Personnel Units (APU) were seeking to stave off their extinction with the help of Lt. Torres. Janeway forbade Torres to do this as it was a violation of the Prime Directive. She said it was the "equivalent of altering their genetic structure," and that "extinction is often the natural end of evolution". The APUs kidnapped Torres but she destroyed her work thus removing any interference in their evolution.

There is one directive that supersedes all others and that is the Omega Directive.

A team of 127 top-Federation scientists, led by the Starfleet physicist Ketteract, was working on a top-secret experiment at a classified research station in the Lantaru sector in the mid-23rd century. Research showed that a single molecule of Omega contained the same power as a warp core. Theoretically this power could sustain a civilization indefinitely. Ketteract's goal was an inexhaustible power source, or as pointed out by Seven of Nine a power that could also be used as a dreadful weapon.  The Borg had been aware of this molecule and had named it Particle 010. Federation cosmologists theorized that the Omega molecule once existed in nature for an infinitesimal period as the big bang occurred. Some even claiming that the Omega was the primal source of energy for the Big Bang.

 The scientists were able to synthesize a single Omega molecule, which only remained stable for a fraction of a second. With destabilization, the research center was destroyed killing all. Discovered during the rescue and recovery attempts was a rupture of subspace within a radius of several light-years, causing warp travel to become permanently disabled.

After this incident, Captain Kirk created the directive and suppressed all knowledge of the events. Only starship captains and flag officers are briefed about it and specialized teams would be dispatched to deal with any Omega-related crises.

Great Bird, great vision

Gene Roddenberry was a World War II Army fighter jet pilot. After the war, he became a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. He served in law enforcement for years and then switched to become a writer. In 1963, he helmed a TV show called The Lieutenant, and it featured many as-yet-unknown actors, including Leonard Nimoy.

In the 1950s and 1960s, as the world worked to reclaim itself post-war, the bigger countries preyed on the weaker, less developed ones. It was Capitalism vs Communism. Roddenberry saw this and it is reflected in the future he wanted. Where neither capitalism nor communism wins but a society of free people seeking to better themselves and the universe. The Prime Directive is that continued reflection, giving people a chance to develop how they naturally will without the involvement of 3rd parties like the US or USSR.

It's a utopian dream to be sure, but that's why we watch, especially now with Discovery, where the past will heal the future, bringing back the Federation and its ideals, including the Prime Directive, to protect civilizations that need that shield 930 years from their home.

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Den of Geek

“We’ve Got to Visit Them”: A Doctor Who/Star Trek Crossover Would Be Unforgettable TV

That "Space Babies" nod is just the latest in Russell T Davies' campaign to get these two sci-fi shows together

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“We’ve got to visit them one day!”

It is, among everything else happening in “ Space Babies “, a pretty throwaway line. Ruby Sunday notices the TARDIS has landed indoors, and says “Is that like a matter transporter, like in Star Trek?” And the Doctor answers, “We’ve got to visit them one day!”

Blowing that one line up into an entire article may seem excessive (although it’s not like the pipeline from “ throwaway gag ” to “entire episode” is a long one – the premise of “ Mummy on the Orient Express ” started out as a comedy phone call the Eleventh Doctor had at the end of Season Five’s finale, “ The Big Bang ”).

But the thing is, when Russell T Davies announced he’d be getting back on his throne as the King of Doctor Who, he had lots of new ideas, but also, some that he never got around to. We already know that episode five of this series is based on an idea that was too expensive to film last time.

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And one of the Great White Whales of Davies’s last tenure, ever since the Eccleston days, was a Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover episode.

Russell T Davies Wants the Doctor on the Enterprise

In his memoir/stack of emails that got turned into a book, The Writer’s Tale , written with Benjamin Cook, Davies writes “I would so love to see the Doctor on board the Starship Enterprise , puncturing all that Starfleet pomposity with his sheer Doctor-ness.”

He goes on to say that “When we began in 2004, Star Trek: Enterprise was still on air, and I told [producer] Julie [Gardner], in all seriousness, that I wanted to do a Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover. It was on our list of plans, until Star Trek: Enterprise was axed.”

It was an idea that Davies loved so much he went back to it for the Easter special that would eventually become Planet of the Dead , in an episode that would have potentially seen the TARDIS land on a starship Endeavour , with crinkly forehead aliens and all the Trek tropes. But eventually Davies discarded the idea as too much like parody – if you can’t land on the real, actual Enterprise , what’s the point?

But sadly, for Davies’ tenure, there was no real, actual Star Trek anymore. Let’s be honest, even Star Trek: Enterprise wasn’t proper Trek, with its faintly industrial looking, submarine-esque sets and its NASA jumpsuit-inspired costumes, the prequel never really managed to be the iconic Trek show of our imaginations.

But now Davies is back, and so is Star Trek, and not just any Star Trek .

Strange New Worlds

If (and that is a massive “if”) that TARDIS were going to land on a Federation starship, there’s no prizes for guessing which one it would be. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is begging for the chance.

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Strange New Worlds is an episodic show whose tone is a mix of drama, comedy, and high science fiction concepts that would gel well with new Doctor Who , and has already demonstrated that it is not above a little bit of crossover horseplay with last season’s Lower Decks overlap.

Strange New Worlds also offers the Enterprise. With all due respect to all other Trek iterations, if  you are bringing the actual TARDIS into the world of Trek, you don’t want the Doctor getting to know Saru, or Boimler, or even having a drink in Quark’s Bar, as great as any of those things would be to see. You want the Doctor on the actual Enterprise 1701 no-bloody-A,-B,-C-or-D. You want him meeting Spock, and Uhura, and more-often-than-seems-statistically-likely Kirk. And that is what Strange New Worlds has to offer.

So, before we all run off and start writing our fan fiction of what that episode might be, the question is “Could it actually happen?”

Davies is the first to admit such a crossover, between multiple huge media franchises and everybody’s lawyers and writing teams, would be a logistical nightmare. Talking about it to The Times in 2009, he said “Can you imagine what their script department would have wanted, and what I would have wanted? It would have been the biggest battle.”

And that was before Doctor Who fell under the Disney umbrella.

Why Not Star Wars?

In fact, a Star Wars crossover might be a good deal more plausible under the circumstances (the Star Wars alphabet “Aurebesh” has already appeared in alien graffiti in the Who episode “Face the Raven” and the current TARDIS art team reportedly hid an R2D2 Easter Egg in the design), but while that might seem an easier fit, it is nowhere near as satisfying.

Despite Davies’s recent flirtations with the fantasy genre , Trek and Who are pure sci-fi at heart, with values of exploration, empathy and a willingness to shift your own perspective that doesn’t sit so well with Star Wars ’ epic battles of good and evil.

The fact that Davies is still saying in interviews that “I love that show… I wish we could [cross over with Trek.] I’m a huge fan of the new franchise” is, counter-intuitively, probably a sign that there are no secret talks going on behind closed doors.

But it has been managed before – just not on telly

The Comic Book Crossover: Assimilation

As many people have no-doubt skipped reading the article to write in the comments already, there has already been a Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover, the IDW comic mini-series “Assimilation 2 ”. It’s a good demonstration of the potential rewards and pitfalls of a TARDIS/Enterprise team-up.

This saw the TARDIS team of Eleven, Amy and Rory land on the Enterprise 1701-D, getting together with Picard and co to take on a Cyberman/Borg super-army. It had some good fan servicey bits in, and some neat ideas (the TARDIS landing in a historical holodeck program and not realising they were in the future was nice), but it also showed the challenges of doing this well.

First and foremost – Doctor Who and Star Trek both span half a century of various media, with entire wikis full of lore. For instance, if the Star Trek: Enterprise crossover had taken place, the Doctor might have wondered why Starfleet wasn’t busy trying to repel the Dalek invasion of Earth.

And it would have to do this while also dealing with the fact that Doctor Who has mentioned Star Trek, the television show, quite a few times in continuity. The comic mini-series spends a lot of time dealing with this, concocting an elaborate plot about the merging of universes, but it’s all just a little bit unwieldy for 45 minutes of family entertainment.

But even beyond those logistics, which can be pretty efficiently handwaved away, the big issue with the comic series was that the Doctor and the Enterprise crew quickly become just too damn chummy .

Natural Enemies: The Doctor vs Starfleet

Back in The Writer’s Tale , Davies acknowledges that “In an official crossover, the Doctor would have had to learn that Starfleet is wonderful, but that’s a small price to pay.”

But the big issue that any crossover would have to contend with (and also, frankly, the big reason for doing the crossover in the first place) is that the Doctor and Starfleet are natural enemies.

You want to see how Starfleet would handle the Doctor? There’s plenty of Trek episodes to give you a clue. We don’t just mean the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “ A Matter of Time ” sees a time-travelling historian turn up on the Enterprise and generate no end of trouble, or the Enterprise episode, “Future Tense” that sees it find a time machine that’s bigger on the inside.

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The character that most resembles the Doctor in Star Trek is Q – a (sometimes) exiled member of a stuffy order of beings that transcend space and time who turns up in Star Trek at random times to flirt with the Captain and generally cause trouble.

Meanwhile, if you want to see what Starfleet looks like through a Doctor Who lens, one need only look at the legions of generic space explorers who turn down the Doctor’s help with a curt “Thank you, funnily-dressed weirdo, but as a highly trained team of professionals, I think we can handle this ourselves” before they all get horribly murdered or eaten.

As we’ve already said, the fundamental values of Trek and Who are the same. Exploration, empathy, communication before combat, a desire to learn and enjoy the wonder of the universe. But at its very heart, Star Trek has always been a workplace drama, about professionals who are doing a job. Just as intrinsically, the Doctor is a tourist on a gap year that never ends.

Starfleet’s Prime Directive, for better or worse , is to never interfere. The Doctor’s prime directive is to never interfere unless he feels like it (which is all the time ).

And that’s why it would be good! Watching the Strange New Worlds Enterprise crew scanning stuff with their tricorders while the Doctor wanders around licking things and pushing random buttons, and seeing Pike agonise about the Prime Directive while the Doctor just casually overturns a system of government he dislikes, sounds like real fun.

Moreover, Strange New Worlds and the current incarnation of Who are both franchises operating not only at their peak, but also almost in their most platonic forms. Seeing that come together would make an unforgettable hour of TV.

Doctor Who airs on BBC One, iPlayer and Disney+. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds airs on Paramount+.

Chris Farnell

Chris Farnell is a freelance writer and the author of a novel, an anthology, a Doctor Who themed joke book and some supplementary RPG material. He…

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 Review: “Whistlespeak” Deconstructs the Prime Directive

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 6 takes the crew on a classic Star Trek mission but offers a unique perspective on the Prime Directive.

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Discovery, Season 5, Episode 5, "Mirrors."

For better and worse, when Star Trek: Discovery debuted on Paramount+ in 2017, it did a lot of things differently from past iterations of Gene Roddenberry's universe. While this seems like a smart thing to do in a six-decade-old narrative universe in order to keep things fresh, fans do expect certain kinds of adventures for these characters. Star Trek: Discovery got off to an awkward start with longtime Trekkies when it tried to be an epic space opera rather than a diplomatic procedural in space. Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 addressed this by going back to franchise roots, with Episode 6, "Whistlespeak," going as far as giving the USS Discovery crew a classic Star Trek away mission.

Here, Captain Michael Burnham and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly are sent on an undercover away mission to retrieve the next clue on their hunt for the Progenitors' technology. The society on the planet is a pre-warp civilization, meaning the Prime Directive is in play. Sneaking around a pre-warp society is as classically Star Trek as it gets. It happened in Star Trek: Insurrection , the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , and even Captain Pike's second Star Trek: Discovery episode . In all these previous cases, the ship's crew broke the Prime Directive and revealed themselves to the indigenous people by the episode's end. However, "Whistlespeak" added a unique twist that examined Starfleet's General Order Number One and tied in neatly to the season's overall quest. Meanwhile, on the ship, members of the crew dealt with the events of previous episodes that shook them to their cores. With only four episodes left in the series, this is likely the last time fans will get to see a mission like this on Stark Trek: Discovery .

“Whistlespeak” Put the Spotlight Back on Sylvia Tilly

Captain michael burnham and her old roommate get one last adventure together, star trek: discovery's alex kurtzman & michelle paradise talk final season.

Sylvia Tilly is a "Mary Sue" in the most idealized sense of the term. She's a fan-insert character who was practically perfect in every way. Yet, there is more to the infamous fanfiction caricature coined by Paula Smith in "A Trekkie's Tale." Smith's story satirized early Star Trek fanfiction writers who had a habit of bungling the legacy characters to prop up their self-inserts. Lieutenant Mary Sue doesn't represent bad writing because she was inherently awesome. Rather, it's because the amateur authors made James T. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew fools around her. Tilly is brilliant and beloved, but she doesn't "ruin" the other characters by being too good at what she did. Rather, they were defined by their relationship with her.

Tilly successfully completed the Mother Compeer's Journey, a ritualistic race that granted access to a sacred space. Along the way, she bonded with Ravah, the child of the society's high priest, Ohvahz (Alfredo Narciso). This was another subtle proof that Tilly's superpower was connecting with people, not being flawless. Even though they were competing on this journey, Tilly helped Ravah complete the race. Unfortunately, she discovers the "prize" for winning the race was sacrificing one's life to the gods the people believe control the weather. Naturally, Captain Burnham saved them, but only because of Tilly's ability to connect with Ravah.

Like what "Under the Twin Moons (Season 5, Episode 2)" did with Captain Burnham and Saru, "Whistlespeak" is a chance for the captain to have one last mission with her roommate and best friend, Tilly. At the start of the mission, Tilly was insecure about her effectiveness as a teacher, and unsure if she was actually reaching her students. The relationship she built with Ravah indicated that Tilly can't help but be effective in that role. From the moment the awkward and affable theoretical engineer was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery , it was clear that she wasn't the typical Starfleet officer. However, in the 32nd Century, Tilly was the best person Starfleet had on hand who could mold cadets into the kind of heroes they need to be.

Star Trek: Discovery Examines the Consequences of the Prime Directive

With great technological power comes at least some responsibility, 'they're not really villains': star trek: discovery's moll & l'ak actors defend their characters.

The undercover away mission in a less advanced civilization and the eventual revelation of the larger galactic society are staples of Star Trek storytelling. The Prime Directive was a creation of Star Trek writer Gene L. Coon, who was responsible for many of the iconic elements established in Star Trek: The Original Series . Instead of conquering other planets or revealing themselves to the locals, Starfleet doesn't interfere with developing societies. However, many of Coon's own stories for Star Trek: The Original Series were about breaking the Prime Directive for better and worse.

The Denobulans who built the weather control towers on Halem'no may not have even been Starfleet, thus the Prime Directive didn't technically apply . Nonetheless, they built these towers to save the indigenous society from catastrophic storms like the ones on their own planet. In their own way, they broke the Prime Directive out of genuine concern for others and a sincere desire to help. The Denobulans perhaps assumed the towers would buy time for the society to advance, discover the technology and eventually learn to maintain it. Instead, the locals built a religion around the towers, believing that the gods were punishing them when four of the five towers fell to entropy.

In fairness, Captain Burnham didn't want to break the Prime Directive until she learned of the threat to Tilly and Ravah. Yet, in doing so, the captain helped the indigenous people learn to maintain and, possibly, repair the weather control towers. "Whistlespeak" showed how breaking the Prime Directive for even the best reasons can lead to regrettable consequences. Conversely, it also showed how breaking the rules can save others. This ethical dilemma fit right in with classic Star Trek's most famous interrogations of the Prime Directive.

The USS Discovery Crew Is Also on a Search for Purpose and Meaning

The crew are fully-fledged heroes in star trek: discovery season 5, but they want more, star trek: discovery's callum keith rennie shows a new side of starfleet.

In "Jinaal (Season 5, Episode 3)," Adira Tal broke up with the love of their life, Gray Tal, and then brought the Time Bug on the ship in "Face the Strange (Season 5, Episode 4)." In light of these, it makes sense that the capable young officer now feels insecure about their place aboard the USS Discovery. While some might expect Tilly, Paul Stamets or Dr. Hugh Culber to support them, it was actually the ship's new gruff First Officer, Commander Rayner, who helped Adira out. The people closest to Adira treated them with kid gloves because, in a very literal sense, they're still a kid. As of this writing, Adira is still a teenager. Commander Rayner showed confidence in their abilities, and his brusque style may be what Adira needed to rebound from the hits they took this season.

Tilly, Adira's training officer, also had her own crisis of faith, though it was far removed from this season's overarching story. Perhaps as setup for the upcoming spin-off Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , Tilly blamed herself for the surge of cadets dropping out of training. That Adira is so uncertain of their abilities and place in the bigger picture may be another blow to her confidence in her abilities as a teacher. Similarly, one of Adira's two found fathers, Paul, is desperate to crack the secret of the Progenitors' technology.

After Starfleet abandoned the project to recreate the USS Discovery's Spore Drive , Stamets began the season feeling aimless and despondent about his life's work. Yet, it doesn't seem like he's looking to replace the Spore Drive with this new discovery. Rather, he's likely hoping that the knowledge of the Progenitors will allow him to replicate the technology so it can still replace warp drive. Despite finally becoming the kinds of heroes Star Trek fans are used to seeing on TV, the USS Discovery's crew aren't done evolving and growing as people. With just a few episodes left in the season, fans now hope that the crew realizes their fullest potential before bowing out.

One Discovery Crewmember May Have Already Found What They’re Searching For

Dr. hugh culber is still struggling to process his personal journey, star trek: discovery's sonequa martin-green embarks on one final voyage.

The first scene with Dr. Culber in "Whistlespeak" builds on all the mentions he's made of his "abuela" this season. Dr. Pollard, the USS Discovery's other physician, developed a hologram technology similar to Tony Stark's B.A.R.F. system from Captain America: Civil War . The main difference was that instead of being made from programming software and provided data, the hologram was rendered from other people's memories of the digitally "resurrected" subject. As such, despite Culber's memories of his grandmother's spirituality, she reminds him that he's a man of science.

Ever since participating in the Trill zhin'tara ritual with Jinaal , he's felt strange. He learned that he was not only in good physical condition, but in good spiritual shape as well. Dr. Culber's journey across Star Trek: Discovery's five seasons was rough, even by Star Trek standards. He was killed in Season 1 and resurrected via the mycelial network. Just a few months later, he was whisked 1,000 years into an arguably worse-off future. Through solving the Burn and the planet-destroying Dark Matter Anomaly, he's been dealing with this trauma and serving as the ship's counselor. However, joining Jinaal and searching for, ostensibly, humanity's creators finally brought him a level of serenity.

As Dr. Culber stumbles into spiritual awareness, the exact opposite is happening on the planet below. His abuela may have raised him to be a doctor who trusts science, but the Progenitors' advanced science made him a man of faith. In a good use of irony, the revelation of advanced alien technology may rob Ohvahz and his people of their belief. He told Captain Burnham that past attempts to end the practice of sacrifice led to violence. Unfortunately, this well-crafted contrast just sort of sits there at the end of the episode. Perhaps it's a deliberate choice, because such things never align so easily in real-life either.

Star Trek: Discovery debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

• Offers a fresh perspective on Star Trek's Prime Directive philosophy.
• Excellent use of the ensemble on the ship in stories that were narratively and thematically germane.
• No villains or violence in the episode is another classic staple of Star Trek storytelling.
• While well-crafted, the lack of strong resolution for the stories about Faith may be a missed opportunity.
• Saru's continued absence makes his earlier arc feel disconnected from the Season's narrative and like an afterthought.
• The episode deploys a third Star Trek staple: vague sci-fi reasons robots or the transporter can't be used to complete the mission.

6 Star Trek Lost Era Questions Section 31 Movie Can Answer

• Star Trek: Section 31 explores the mysterious "lost era" of Federation history, potentially answering questions about pivotal events.
• Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou faces her past sins, recruited by the secretive Section 31.
• The film delves into Captain Rachel Garrett's journey and could resolve the fates of iconic starships like the USS Enterprise-B.

Michelle Yeoh's upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 film takes place in Star Trek's "lost era," and could answer several questions about this mysterious period of 24th century history. After the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, about 70 years pass before Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes over command of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. While TNG mentioned several historical events that took place over the preceding years, much about this period of Federation history remains unknown. The confirmation that Kacey Rohl will play a young Rachel Garrett in Star Trek: Section 31 places the timeline for the film squarely in Star Trek's "lost era."

Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou made her debut in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, and she became one of the show's best villains-turned-antiheroes. After the USS Discovery traveled to the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Georgiou began experiencing strange and debilitating symptoms. Because she was from the Mirror Universe of the 23rd century, Georgiou was dying from her displacement in both universes and time. In Discovery season 3, the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) sent Georgiou back to "a time when the mirror universe and the prime universe were still aligned," which was, apparently, the early 24th century. Star Trek: Section 31 visiting Star Trek 's "lost era" could finally answer the following questions.

What Is Star Trek's "Lost Era" & What We Know

Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Section 31 will be set in the "lost era" of Starfleet history, but what is it, and what do we already know about it?

How Did Rachel Garrett Become Captain Of The Enterprise?

Section 31 will likely reveal more about garrett and her starfleet career..

Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neil) appeared in only one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , but she made quite an impression. As the Captain of the doomed USS Enterprise-C, Garrett had a confident and commanding presence that made her immediately captivating as a character. It's unclear what Starfleet's secret security organization Section 31 would want with the young Garrett , but her Starfleet journey will undoubtedly be an interesting one.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise," the badly damaged USS Enterprise-C inadvertently travels through a temporal rift and changes the timeline. Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise-D eventually determine that the Enterprise-C must return to its own time period to restore the proper timeline. Despite knowing they will be destroyed, the Enterprise-C returns to its proper time to prevent the bleak future. Captain Garrett is killed before her ship makes it through the wormhole, but Starfleet later honors her sacrifice and service with a statue in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

Although some of Rachel Garrett's life and career history have been explored in Star Trek tie-in novels, these stories are not considered canon and may not line up with Star Trek: Section 31's interpretation of the character.

What Happened To The USS Enterprise-B?

Little is known about the career of the enterprise-b after its appearance in star trek generations..

The USS Enterprise-B debuted in Star Trek Generations, which saw Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) join the ship's maiden voyage. Under the command of Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck), the Enterprise-B was quickly pulled into an impromptu rescue mission when it received a distress call from two Federation transport ships carrying El-Aurian refugees.

The El-Aurian ships had been trapped in an energy distortion known as the Nexus, and the Enterprise soon faced the same distortion. Scotty managed to break the ship free, but Kirk was caught in a hull breach and presumed dead, when, in actuality, he was trapped within the Nexus. Nothing canonically is known about what happened to the USS Enterprise-B or Captain Harriman after Star Trek Generations or exactly when the ship was decommissioned and replaced with the USS Enterprise-C. Section 31 could fill in some of this history and reveal more about one of the iconic starships named Enterprise .

How did Captain Bateson & The USS Bozeman Get Stuck In A Time Loop?

The uss bozeman was stuck in a time loop for 90 years..

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 18, "Cause and Effect," the USS Enterprise-D gets stuck in a time loop in which it repeatedly crashes into the USS Bozeman. Once Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) figures out how to send himself a message between loops, he eventually prevents the collision. Captain Picard then welcomes Captain Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer) and the Bozeman's crew to the 24th century, as the ship had been missing for over 90 years.

5 Star Trek Time Loop Episodes, Ranked

Star Trek loves a good time loop and here are 5 of the best. Star Trek loves a good time loop and here are 5 of the best.

In 2278, the Bozeman was only three weeks out from the starbase when the ship encountered the temporal distortion where it was trapped for 90 years. Star Trek: Section 31 could reveal more about Captain Bateson and his ship, as well as the journey that led to them to the temporal distortion in the Typhon Expanse. Captain Bateson is the only named member of the Bozeman's crew, so Section 31 could also explore the other crew members who were aboard.

What Was Going On Between The Federation & The Romulans?

The romulans have rarely been on good terms with the federation..

The Earth-Romulan War was waged from 2156 to 2160, and the relationship between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire has been rocky, at best, ever since. In the early 24th century, the Federation was involved in conflicts with the Romulans, including the Tomed Incident. Although little is known about this encounter, it cost thousands of lives and led to the signing of the Treaty of Algeron in 2311.

The Treaty of Algeron redefined the Romulan Neutral Zone and prohibited Federation starships from developing or using any kind of cloaking device. After the treaty was finalized, the Romulans withdrew from interstellar politics for over fifty years, until they returned in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 26, "The Neutral Zone." Star Trek: Section 31 could reveal more about the relationship between the Federation and the Romulans during the early 24th century.

In 2358, Captain Erik Pressman (Terry O'Quinn) violated the Treaty of Algernon by testing an experimental cloaking device that had been developed by a secret group at Starfleet Security. William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) was serving under Captain Pressman on the USS Pegasus during this incident.

Why Did The Federation Allow The Cardassian Occupation Of Bajor?

The occupation lasted from 2319 to 2369..

In 2319, the Cardassian Union violently conquered and occupied the planet Bajor, and this period of history informed much of what happened on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The Cardassians not only decimated Bajor's population, but also destroyed significant parts of the planet's infrastructure and poisoned their natural resources. Throughout the occupation, Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) worked with the Bajoran Resistance, which eventually helped drive the Cardassians off of Bajor.

Star Trek: The Cardassian Occupation Of Bajor, Explained

The Cardassian Occupation of Bajor was one of the most defining moments of Star Trek's next generation, but what actually happened?

Although the Prime Directive technically prevented the Federation from interfering, this general order has always been open to interpretation and numerous Starfleet Captains have violated the Prime Directive to help those in need. The Cardassians have long been one of the Federation's most ruthless enemies, but they haven't had a major presence in a Star Trek show or movie since the end of DS9. Star Trek: Section 31 could provide more insight into the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, and why the Federation didn't interfere sooner or more directly.

What Happened During Captain Picard's Command Of The USS Stargazer?

Picard commanded the stargazer for 22 years..

Jean-Luc Picard began attending Starfleet Academy in 2323, and sometime over the next few years he met and befriended Jack R. Crusher (Doug Wert). Upon graduating from the Academy, Picard and Crusher were both assigned to the USS Stargazer. By the year 2333, Jean-Luc Picard was serving as the helmsman on the USS Stargazer, when the Captain was killed. Picard took command of the Stargazer and Starfleet was so impressed by his actions that they officially appointed him as the starship's Captain.

Lt. Commander Jack Crusher served under Captain Picard until 2353 when he was killed on an away mission. Jean-Luc personally returned Jack's body to his wife, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). Section 31 could further explore Picard's time at Starfleet Academy or his time as Captain of the Stargazer, and provide more insight into his friendship with Jack Crusher. Jean-Luc Picard remains one of Star Trek's most beloved and iconic characters, and Star Trek: Section 31 could fill in more of his backstory.

Star Trek: Section 31 will be available to stream at a future date on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Section 31

In this Paramount+ exclusive movie event, Michelle Yeoh returns as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, who was first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery Season 1. Star Trek: Section 31 centers on Yeoh's character as she faces her past sins and is recruited by Starfleet's secret division that protects the United Federation of Planets.

Director Olatunde Osunsanmi

Writers Craig Sweeney

Cast Humberly Gonzlez, Joe Pingue, Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Robert Kazinsky, Michelle Yeoh, Kacey Rohl

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Prime Directive (Star Trek: The Original Series) Kindle Edition

• Part of series Star Trek: The Original
• Print length 438 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Pocket Books/Star Trek
• Publication date October 2, 2002
• File size 769 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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Journey with Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the former crew of the Starship Enterprise TM to Talin -- the planet where their careers ended. A world once teeming with life that now lies ruined, its cities turned to ashes, its surface devastated by a radioactive firestorm -- because of their actions. There, they must find out how -- and why -- this tragedy occurred and discover what has become of their captain.

About the Author

Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003YCOPNE
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books/Star Trek; Reprint edition (October 2, 2002)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2002
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 769 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 438 pages

About the authors

Judith reeves-stephen.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Judith Reeves-Stevens

Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens are bestselling novelists as well as a writing/producing team who have created, written, and produced television in the United States, Canada, and Australia. In June, 2013, they were honored with a Constellation Award for “Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2012” for creating the new series, PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD. 



Another of their television projects was literally out of this world: RACE TO MARS, a four-hour miniseries for Discovery Channel Canada and the Science Channel. Part of an unprecedented television event, the mini is the companion piece to MARS RISING, a six-hour documentary series detailing the current state of Mars exploration. Judith and Garfield worked with more than seventy scientific and technical advisors to create the dramatic story of the first human mission to Mars in the year 2031. The Toronto Star praised the miniseries as “a tautly written tale that simply zings with tension… a dramatic winner.”



Judith's and Garfield's familiarity with Mars arose, in part, from their acclaimed non-fiction book: GOING TO MARS: The Stories of the People Behind NASA’s Mars Missions, Past, Present, and Future. The book was co-written with Brian Muirhead of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, former Flight Systems Manager for the Mars Pathfinder mission, Chief Architect of NASA’s Project Constellation to establish a permanent outpost on the Moon in preparation for human expeditions to Mars, and now JPL’s Chief Engineer. 



In addition to their work in television, Judith and Garfield are New York and Los Angeles Times bestselling authors whose novel, ICEFIRE, was praised by Stephen King as “a hardwired, totally riveting, dare-you-to-put-it-down story of disaster, heroism, and suspense. There’s no need for techno-thriller fans to wait for the next Clancy or Coonts; ICEFIRE is the best suspense novel of its type since THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.” Judith and Garfield conducted some of their research for ICEFIRE during an expedition to Antarctica on assignment for Microsoft’s “Wild Lit” series of adventure-travel articles for the Internet. Among the eleven other bestselling authors selected by Microsoft for this series were Amy Tan, Clive Cussler, Tom Robbins, Ed McBain, Tama Janowitz, and Nelson DeMille.

Their newest book, WRAITH, is a chilling tale of rogue technology, conspiracy, and supernatural suspense, revealing how classified government research into remote viewing has spawned a terrifying new form of warfare: Ghosts have been weaponized. WRAITH will be published in April 2016, by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

Their previous novel from Thomas Dunne is SEARCH, is a novel of “forbidden history,” featuring the writing team’s unique blend of cutting-edge science and unrelenting suspense in a breathtaking race to uncover the secret origins of human civilization. Publishers Weekly said, “This fine archaeological quest novel smoothly blends a fast-moving fantasy plot with a solid scientific backdrop... Smart, suspenseful writing and a clever concept add up to a compelling read.”

In genre media, Judith and Garfield are perhaps best known as writer/producers on the fourth season of ENTERPRISE, for which AintItCool.com called their episode, “The Forge,” “not only the best episode of ENTERPRISE, but the best episode of STAR TREK” Well-known to the Star Trek community, the couple have written four acclaimed non-fiction books detailing the production history of the franchise, and appear in the supplementary DVD material that accompanies the release of Robert Wise’s director’s edition of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, as well as providing commentaries for the Blu-Ray editions of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE and STAR TREK: THE FINAL FRONTIER.



In the world of features, Judith and Garfield have recently brought their love of sci-fi worldbuilding and epic storytelling to two classic genre franchises. For the Goddard Film Group, they have delivered the first feature script of a proposed trilogy based on Jerry Pournelle’s classic interplanetary military sci-fi novel series, JANISSARIES. For Kirin Media Ventures and George Paige Entertainment, they have also delivered the first script for a trilogy of movies based on Andre Norton’s bestselling WITCH WORLD franchise.

Judith and Garfield began their writing careers as science and technology educators; have served on a NASA Space Policy Workshop with “distinguished forward-thinking individuals” including Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Charles Elachi, NASA Chief Scientist, astronaut John Grunsfeld, and filmmaker James Cameron; and have worked with the Disney Imagineers as “Lead Land Writers” to develop concepts, stories, and attractions for the new SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND theme park opening in 2016.

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