Topic: Crimes of the Enterprise Crew:

[Nemesis]

Not included are local crimes where they have effectively been granted a pardon (Fridays Child).

Kirk
 - Espionage against the Romulans (The Enterprise Incident).
 - Violation of the Prime Directive.  By giving the Yangs the correct pronunciation of their "holy words" and explaining them he changed their natural development.  (The Omega Glory)
   
Spock (confessed)
 - Espionage against the Romulans (The Enterprise Incident).

Scotty
 - Eco-terrorism vs the Klingon Empire (The Trouble with Tribbles). 

[knightstorm]

1. The prime directive is really more of a suggestion
2. Wasn't the cloaking device a gift from the slutty Romulan commander
3. Kirk gave the Klingons wonderful pets as a gift.  The Klingons were the ones who committed ecological terrorism by exterminating the species by the end of the century.

[Villa64]

Prime Directive ...

Private Little War:  Gave the tribes guns.

A Piece of the Action:  Left the Communicator, set up a govt, and created an expectation for a Federation "cut".

Return of the Archons, and that one w/ Vaal:  Took down the govt

Just about all the ones w/ a parallel earth, whether Romans, Nazis, or whatever.

I just figure that Kirk used to write one hell of an after action report back to starbase.
EXCERPT, AAR, A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR PLANET: 
A BALANCE OF POWER, JUST LIKE THE BUSH WARS IN THE 20TH CENTURY ON THE ASIAN CONTINENT.

<Apparently no one told Kirk that we *lost* Vietnam>

As far as the Enterprise Incident:  The plot device (Kirk is crazy!) is what was intended to protect the crew from prosecution later.  Could Kirk be prosecuted by the Romulans later?  Sure!  Better not schedule any vacation there.  He probably got a medal from his own govt.

..and I doubt that the Klingons even understand the *concept* of preserving the environment, so I dont think that eco terrorism is a worry.

[Nemesis]

Kirk gets out of those as the Prime Directive only covers the natural development of developing civilizations that are unaware of warp drive and alien civilizations.

The Archons for example were stagnant not developing as were the Vaal.  Both also interfered with nearby starships.  The same for the planet in Spocks Brain.

The Iotians were already aware of warp and alien civilizations due to contact with the Horizon (pre Prime Directive).   

The Private Little War he was countering the Klingon agent who had already upset the natural development protected by the Prime Directive.

The Nazis - John Gill did the damage and Kirks action again was to push the already interfered with world back towards its own path.

The Romans.  How did Kirk interfere?  You could argue that SCOTTY interfered when he knocked down their power system and weaseled around Kirks orders.

..and I doubt that the Klingons even understand the *concept* of preserving the environment, so I dont think that eco terrorism is a worry.

Klingons are fully aware of ecology.  The fact that the so called natural ecology is not prized over the useful ecology of farm lands does not make destroying those farm lands any less eco terrorism.

[Villa64]

Kirk gets out of those ...

Apparently so.  Interesting with a rule that is described as "the commander would rather lose his ship and crew than violate the Directive."  Always seemed to me that Kirk put the ship ahead of the Directive, not behind.

[Nemesis]

Kirk gets out of those ...

Apparently so.  Interesting with a rule that is described as "the commander would rather lose his ship and crew than violate the Directive."  Always seemed to me that Kirk put the ship ahead of the Directive, not behind.

Kobyashi Maru.  Kirk break rules.

In this case though each of those examples is either a stagnant civilization or one already aware of or interfered with by aliens and therefore not a rules breach by Kirk. 

Consider in Errand of Mercy the Federation sent Kirk to the primitive planet Organia and in the episode they don't mention any prior open contact.  Kirk goes there with a Federation mandate to take the world into the Federation ready or not.  Which shows just how much the Federation REALLY follows the Prime Directive.

[Nemesis]

The Prime Directive interpretation that I disagree with most is Picards.

The key element of the Prime Directive is that it is to PROTECT the developing civilization.  Yet at least twice when Picard is faced with relatively primitive civilizations about to be destroyed by natural calamities well beyond their ability to survive he has to be forced to act to save them and he cites the Prime Directive as blocking him. 

How does letting a species die protect it? 

How does saving a civilization in such circumstances violate the directive given that Kirks actions in the above mentioned incidents is sanctioned as appropriate?

[Villa64]

Consider in Errand of Mercy the Federation sent Kirk to the primitive planet Organia and in the episode they don't mention any prior open contact.  Kirk goes there with a Federation mandate to take the world into the Federation ready or not.  Which shows just how much the Federation REALLY follows the Prime Directive.

Yeah thats the example that I use also regarding the Directive vs how important other factors are.  Taken to its ultimate length, the Directive would justify racial suicide, ie, "you cant fight back from the invasion cuz you would interfere w/ Klingon Manifest Destiny".

Funny, everyone else went down for Directive violations, just not Kirk.  I guess it would be a dumb series if each week you saw your hero in penal colony.

[Corbomite]

How does letting a species die protect it?

It is not about "protecting" it, it is about letting evolution and universal random chance take their course. If you save that poor unaware species today, they could evolve into that genocidal, fanatical species bent on destroying everything tomorrow. All the Prime Directive does is take the power of God out of our hands and tried to objectify it into a course of action that can be dealt with by mortals. As mortals, we fail occasionally.

[Nemesis]

I've been watching through TOS and found another one.

Kirk - Genocide:

While tracing a series of events spanning centuries the Enterprise came to an occupied Federation colony.  Even though he knew the alien species was intelligent, possibly extra galactic and was en route to some specific destination Kirk exterminated the species with no attempt at communication or compromise.   The Episode had an appropriate title - Operation - Annihilate!.  This was an act of personal vengeance as his brother and his sister-in-law had both died resisting the occupation of the planet.  He in fact had a back up plan of exterminating all life on the planet if he could not find a way to just kill the occupying aliens.

[762_XC]

Were the flying pizzas intelligent?

[Nemesis]

According to the Episode yes.  They were using the colonists to build space ships to continue on their way.  Each "pizza" was effectively a neuron in a dispersed brain. It might not have recognized humans and others with non dispersed brains as sentient.

[762_XC]

But they were still pizzas. And I'm thinking survival via pizza genocide rates higher in the 60's than it would in TNG's more namby-pamby softpedaling version of ST.

Picard: Can we communicate with them?
Kirk: Pass the oregano.

This is why Kirk is a badass.

[Nemesis]

I just watched The Trouble with Tribbles the other day and therefore have to make an addition:

Mr. Spock eco-terrorist.  It was his idea to transport the tribbles.   Scotty was following orders and solved the engineering problem (presumably hooking scanners and transporters together to find and transport all the tribbles automatically) but did not do so on his own initiative.

Of course there is the follow up crime by someone(s) aboard the Defiant of taking tribbles into the future and reviving the species.  It isn`t made clear which one did so but I`d guess the constable as Quark is the `victim` when it comes to the future tribble plague.

[knightstorm]

Once more, Spock and Scotty gave the klinks a wonderful gift, but like the vicious gutter race they are they failed to appreciate it, and went on to commit a horrible ecological crime against the galaxy by annihilating the tribble species.  The crew of the Defiant rectified this horrible wrong by reviving the noble creatures.

[762_XC]

The Defiant is a crime.

[Nemesis]

How does letting a species die protect it?

It is not about "protecting" it, it is about letting evolution and universal random chance take their course. If you save that poor unaware species today, they could evolve into that genocidal, fanatical species bent on destroying everything tomorrow. All the Prime Directive does is take the power of God out of our hands and tried to objectify it into a course of action that can be dealt with by mortals. As mortals, we fail occasionally.

I just watched "The Paradise Syndrome" where the Enterprise goes to deflect an asteroid from hitting a planet of American Indians that have no knowledge of space travel.  A special mission there just to protect a primitive culture.  No mention is made of the Prime Directive as it is not violated.  Unlike the "Picard" interpretation.

Late edit. 

Another example of Kirk racing to save a non contacted race from outside destruction "All Our Yesterdays".  They went to save as many as they could of an unknown race whose star was going Nova.  They were surprised to find the natives had traveled into their own past to escape the Nova.