S2 E04: The Prime Directive as Liberal Eurocentric Superiority
Over the last four years, I have been promising to finish cleaning up the audio from the various panels that I have been on and improve the show notes. Now that GraysMatter Podcast is up and running, I have taken the time to also revisit these panels. Please join me in experiencing Justin on Panels.
Starfleet's Prime Directive is evidence that Borg, Dominion, & Klingons are not the only ethnocentric civilizations in Star Trek. Let's talk about how and why deciding what's best for another culture is problematic regardless of intentions, even in space.
With: Justin Grays, Stephanie Stensland
Justin on Panels is available on the following platforms:
“On Earth, there is no poverty, no crime, no war. “You look out the window of Starfleet Headquarters and you see paradise. Well, it’s easy to be a saint in paradise, but the Maquis do not live in paradise. Out there in the Demilitarized Zone, all the problems haven’t been solved yet. Out there, there are no saints — just people. Angry, scared, determined people who are going to do whatever it takes to survive, whether it meets with Federation approval or not!”
The episode that Stephanie is referring to in her introduction is “Darmok” (TNG 5x02).
Jas Holza was the name I couldn’t remember - he was the Bajoran politician whom I called the “Federation’s poster Bajoran” from the episode “Ensign Ro” (TNG 5x03). Dr. Crusher called him a good dancer; Ro Laren called him a nobody and “token Bajoran that respectable people invite to symposiums and diplomatic soirees”. He is the token Black republican. Orta was the person with the voice box.
The episode with the anthropologists was “Who Watches The Watchers” (TNG 3x04); the proto-Vulcans were the Mintakans.
“Beverly, the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proved 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.”
The episode where everyone from one planet was addicted to drugs was “Symbiosis” (TNG 1x22). Merritt Butrick is the name of the actor whom I was trying to remember - he played T’Jon in this episode and David Marcus in the movies. He died of complications from AIDS in 1989.
The “planet with all the kids who were 300 years old” was Earth (or “Earth Two” or “Miri’s World”, depending on one’s point of view) from the episode “Miri” (TOS 1x11).
The episode with the technology that could jump the crew home was “Prime Factors” (VOY 1x10) - the device was the spatial trajector, and the Sikarians didn’t want to share that technology.
Harry Turtledove is an alternate history author. I was referring to Québec as seen in his Southern Victory series. AlternateHistoryHub and EmperorTigerstar made a multi-part video series on that timeline - you can watch the first video here.
“And the Federation is pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of others. How convenient that must be for you, to turn a deaf ear to those who suffer behind a line on a map.”
The quote that I thought belonged to Michael Eddington actually belonged to Keeve Falor, also from the episode “Ensign Ro”.
I was correct when I was thinking that the episode with Vaal was “The Apple” (TOS 2x09). The Nimbosian horses were indeed unicorns, and Captain Kirk was making love to the mountain. Shatner’s daughters Leslie and Lisabeth were in the episode “Miri”, while Melanie was in Star Trek V.
The other Emissary from the past who wanted to bring back the caste system was Akorem Laan. The episode was “Accession” (DS9 4x17).
In the episode “Court Martial” (TOS 1x14), the character was Lt. Cdr. Benjamin Finney; his daughter was named Jame. The unrelated upperclassman from the academy whom I got Finney confused with was Finnegan. Oops.
But Commodore Stone and Captain Chandra are the characters whom I refer to here - I mentioned it in my piece “On Tokenism”.
Cover Art by Michelle Chmura | Theme Music by Caleb Kelson | Edited by Rachel Hanson
If you can, please help me continue to create and produce Justin on Panels. As little as $1/month will help me get into a position where I can spend more time working directly on the podcast and eventually expand it’s reach. To this end, I am on both Patreon and Ko-fi, membership platform services designed to help facilitate the relationships between patrons and creators.
I know that it's not always possible to sponsor someone on a monthly basis. If you would help me with a one time donation, please feel free to use PayPal, CashApp, or Vemno. Producing content takes time and effort, and any support would be most appreciated. Your donations help me cover expenses and eventually will let me be able to create quality content full-time.