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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!hou5h!hou5a!hou5d!hogpc!drux3!ihnp4!ihuxs!okie
From: okie@ihuxs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: The Enterprise can go warp 15, easy - (nf)
Message-ID: <418@ihuxs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Oct-83 13:16:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxs.418
Posted: Wed Oct 26 13:16:39 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Oct-83 07:15:34 EDT
References: <3355@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 21

(reply to uicsl!twt...)

When Kirk and Spock stole the cloaking device (*The Enterprise Incident*),
they were under orders to do so by the Federation.  Besides, the Prime/
Composite/whatever Directive wouldn't really apply, since the Romulans
are a spacefaring culture equal to the Federation, and not a developing
culture susceptible to damage by such an incident.

(actually, line two should read "...under StarFleet orders to do so.")

And in the case of McCoy and the fantabulous brain zapper (*Spock's Brain),
that culture was actually degenerate, if Spock was correct.  McCoy's
"interference" wouldn't have mattered, as the culture wasn't developing,
it was stagnating.  If you want to go deeper into the matter of the
Directive and the *Enterprise* crew's involvement (specifically Kirk's)
with it, read "The Price of the Phoenix" and "The Fate of the Phoenix"
by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath.  Great books on their own, they
both involve marvelous arguments for and against the Directive, Kirk's
actions, etc.

B.K. Cobb