The US *Needs* The Prime Directive

Stardate 4348.0

Gene Roddenberry had a vision. "Wagon Train to the Stars". As the years went by, the vision grew into a cult phenomenom. Throughout it all however, there were always issues being confronted, in the guise of special effects, make-up and futuristic devices...

He created The United Federation of Planets. These were the good guys, the peaceful explorers and diplomats known as Mankind. Rather than forcefully conquer minor races and wage war to expand their territory, they assumed a peaceful role, trading and helping well developed races on their way. They had a very strict policy regarding minor and undeveloped cultures called the "Prime Directive". This meant, that under no circumstances, were their members to alter the natural progression and advancement of undeveloped cultures, and all they could do was watch and wait until such cultures were ready for contact.

The United States of America used to be considered the UFP (United Federation of Planets). In it's earliest forms, Star Trek dwelled upon the parallel of the Cold War, with the UFP and the Klingons (US and USSR) constantly spying, fighting and negotiating over smaller races and systems. When the Cold War ended, the series took on many other modern day issues, and the Mythos, if you will, of the UFP was really developed.

Now, some 40 years after the creation of this phenomenom known as Star Trek, the role of the United States has shifted and no longer parallels the UFP. I will never say the US followed anything remotely close to the Prime Directive, as shown by their dealings all over the world during the Cold War and after, but they were the good guys remember? They stood for Freedom and Human Rights, and Boy Scouts and Baseball. Suddenly, they have begun a war of aggression based on deceipt, and have begun invading minor countries in the false name of Liberation. They are destroying these cultures in order to pave their own economic road down the middle.

Now, the US is paralleling another race created later on in the Star Trek phenomenom. They are much closer to the Cardassians. The Cardassians quickly became an arch rival of the UFP in later shows, and the entire driving force behind their culture was military invasion and rule. They would invade, occupy and assimilate cultures into their own, ruling conquered races with an iron fist. Torture was commonplace, and they cared not how developed a culture was... As long as that culture bent to their will. For the US, it is most likely driven by economics and greed. The fear that they will no longer be the world's economic leader.

The new UFP is definately the United Nations. Of course, they are plagued with many problems, but now, instead of trying to help fix those issues, the US is sending their new representative to stir the pot even more. They are isolating themselves from the World community at every turn and I believe this is the absolute opposite path they should be taking.

Every time the US lies about their "War on Terror" and every time they invade another country for that cause, they are slipping further and further from the old vision of the UFP. Every time, they are breaking the Prime Directive.