The USA and the "Prime directive"

[SpyMoose]

Why do you ask?

I asked if the borg have a prime directive to point out that the federation and these less advanced civilizations have a common enemy, the difference being that the federation leaves them totaly unequiped to defend themselves from assimilation. The federation has an obligation to themselves and the primitive planets to try to protect everyone from the horrors of the galaxy that threaten everyone.

 

[Quantum Quack]

So the Federation (USA) gives WMD's to a lesser culture (IRAK) so that it can defend itself from a common enemy the Borg (say Communism). But the lesser culture (IRAK) turns against the Federation (USA) and threatens to use these WMD on the Federation instead.
Where is the wisdom in giving a lesser culture the ability to defend itself using weapons that are capable of destroying the giver and even themselves.
I think the problem is that one can not give some one the ability to act wisely.

 

[CounslerCoffee]

I asked if the borg have a prime directive to point out that the federation and these less advanced civilizations have a common enemy, the difference being that the federation leaves them totaly unequiped to defend themselves from assimilation.

Wrong. The borg see prewarp cizilizations as inferior, and not fit for assimilation. The whole thing about the borg is that if you don't pose a threat to them, then they won't assimilate you (Unless you have really cool technology).

The federation has an obligation to themselves and the primitive planets to try to protect everyone from the horrors of the galaxy that threaten everyone.

And for all we know, they do. But probably without that planets knowledge. I had a map of the Alpha Quadrant (The Sector in which the federation resides), and they have several prewarp civilizations within their boarders that they protect.

 

[SpyMoose]

I am still not convinced that letting these people live and die in their pre-warp squalor is the responsible action. I also don’t believe that the USA/Iraq (Note the spelling) analogy is useful, because while Americans were self serving, and didn't care what sort of tyrant they supported in order to irk our communist enemies, the federation is not so stupid and there superior technology would allow them to make more politically responsible choices of who to support when. In the case of when we did this for Afghanistan, we egged them on, supporting their resistance fighters to kill communists, and once the communists withdrew, we completely distanced ourselves from the problems they faced reconstructing after the war that we had made possible for them. The federation would never be so callous, and their replicator based economy could certainly rebuild a primitive nation after war.

 

[CounslerCoffee]

The federation can not go out of it's way to protect planets that are going to get attacked. The last I heard they had a treaty to stop that thing from happening. The Klingons don't do it, the Romulans don't do it, and other civilizations don't do it. Primative civilizations pose no threat, so they don't get attacked - not even by the borg.

The federation would never be so callous, and their replicator based economy could certainly rebuild a primitive nation after war.

Yes, they could. But replicators do not run forever. They have to have a certain kind of matter to run off of (This matter is only found in space). If you watch Voyager, then you hear people talking about replicator rations; it's because they can't get a refill, that's why they have a mess hall (For actual food that they have to acquire).

 

[SpyMoose]

How would the federation deal with somone like me who wants to contact and begin relationships with primitive races even if they arnt in immidiate danger, purely because I think thier quality of life should be improved. I bet thier secret vulcan police would come to my house in the night and mind meld me into such a stupor that I cant even replicate my toast in the morning.