Prime Directive Considerations of The Genesis Terraforming Project in:

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan story by Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards screenplay by Jack B. Sowards and Star Trek III: The Search For Spock written by Harve Bennett

Without actually mentioning it by name, the Prime Directive comes into play on a whole new level of advancement in the Genesis plot line that carries through Star Trek feature films 2 and 3. Witness the original mission of the U.S.S. Reliant, on assignment from Dr. Carol Marcus' team of scientists on Space Station Regula One. Their mission was to find a completely lifeless planet or moon on which the Genesis device could be "safely" tested. In the words of Carol herself: "There can't be so much as a microbe, or the show's off." In other words, this Federation / Starfleet group effort needs to reassure themselves that, even with a technology that can almost instantly mold life on a planetary scale, they aren't interfering with the "natural development" of any other lifeforms that may already be present there, even those so "primitive" that they haven't developed beyond single-celled forms. And something present in the film, but even more magnified in Vonda N. McIntyre's official novelization, is the fact that Reliant is having a very, very difficult time finding a planetoid with absolutely no life of any kind. Virtually the opposite of what conservative astronomers are estimating as probabilities out among the stars.

It is partly a conceit on the part of the Genesis scientists that lifeless anything exists anywhere in the universe. While it seems plausible to think of dead moons based on generally accepted theories of what constitutes life by the official human science of the 1980's when this film was made, broader holistic theories have since found greater favour by the wise, indicating that everything in the universe is alive and interconnected. If one were to measure the rate of vibration of consciousness on a scale of seven densities, as outlined in our article on "The Fourth Density", most of what is normally considered to be alive by our old science falls into the limited range of second through fourth density. Each time any science fiction story has a team of explorers figuring out that the phenomenon they're investigating is actually alive, I think, "D'uh?! Why would that not have been your first assumption?" The search by Dr. Carol Marcus and the Reliant for a lifeless space body is probably doomed to failure by the very nature of the whole universe being alive on some level already anyway. Thus Genesis isn't really bringing life, it's just changing it from one form to another, which starts to sound like a "life" version of the Law of Conservation of Energy. There may be no way of operating Genesis within the confines of The Prime Directive. If you want to perform terraforming, you've got to be brazen enough to make an evolutionary impact and stand by the influence you've exerted on the universe.

Of course, deciding what impact you desire is fair, and for right or wrong, Dr. Marcus and her colleagues have their criteria. Since Genesis is designed to produce primarily second density life forms, hopefully it won't be wiping out anything else of second density or higher. Restricting it to operate only on arenas of low first density, such as a moon that is considered "dead" by old scientific standards may be the best one can do. Sadly, the Mutara Nebula looks like the kind of place where non-physical beings of fifth density (or higher?) might congregate, so its first actual detonation location doesn't seem to have been the best of choices, and may have contributed to the rapid collapse of the resulting planet as the Nebula struggled to return to something more closely resembling its old form. (It probably felt like it suddenly had a kidney stone that it needed to dissolve, which it successfully did after not too much time.)

Interesting too is the Klingon perspective of Genesis heard in the third film. Even if it is a propaganda-like viewpoint, it has its basis in truth as well. Why should the natural life of the universe be converted, planet by planet, into something more agreeable to human beings? What right do they have over other creatures to decide what a planetary environment should be? Perhaps rather than looking for the elusive lifeless planet, the Regula Scientists would be better to follow the example Spock sets in Star Trek 4, where he mindmelds with two humpback whales to ask for agreement before he and his fellow crewmates transport them three hundred years into the future. Instead of avoiding the negotiation for agreement by pretending that there's no intelligence out there, just accept that it's everywhere and gain agreement prior to terraforming. Sure communication on that level isn't all that feasible yet, but neither is the Genesis project. Let's trust that Genesis as seen in the films isn't something we will be able to do before we understand how to find agreement with all of the life that fills the universe so wondrously.

And it is clear from the storyline of the movies that real steps for reaching agreement with intelligence have been skipped. Obviously the Klingons have a somewhat legitimate bone to pick politically, but from a more scientific perspective, Dr. David Marcus admits to Lt. Saavik that he went against agreements by common scientific bodies in order to use "proto-matter" to "overcome certain problems" with Genesis. I'm not sure this short scene's only purpose was to give reason for the planet's break-up, as it seems that using a Nebula as the raw material for the process instead of a more solid moon or planet might be cause enough for what happens. This scene also ensures that David is seen in the driver's seat of his own destiny, and not just an innocent victim. I never was pleased with what happens to him in this film; in my mind I don't see a Klingon wielding a knife in front of him, I see writer Harve Bennett. Isn't it always the case that the true killer of any character is the writer who sets the scene and carves it into celluloid? Whatever David may deserve for his arrogance with Genesis, and whatever Kirk's character may get in terms of emotional territory to explore, it isn't the version of events I would have preferred. There were richer avenues of exploration with Genesis, Kirk, Saavik, and untold other elements as yet unimagined had David remained to add his presence to future stories, and I'm not very enamoured with what his absense added to this one. Particularly in terms of Kirk's progress in developing a family, which will be brought up again in the seventh film, it virtually returns him to his starting position, a flaw that many 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's tv shows including Star Trek perpetuated on a weekly basis. Developing and moving forward is a better formula for finding new territory to explore.

One of the featurettes on the Special Collector's Edition 2-disc standard DVD release of Star Trek III is entitled "Terraforming and the Prime Directive", offering further debate on the ethics of the Genesis Project, while spending a great deal of focus on thoughts of terraforming Mars. A lot of interesting points are raised, including perhaps an oversimplification of the Genesis Planet as David Marcus' Frankenstein monster. I think we can fall into a lot of traps when we oversimplify and try to say that this new work just follows the pattern of this older work, and I do think that groups and results are better formed from examples (aka enticements) than from warnings. As I often like to say, "The stick may provide speed, but without direction from a carrot, you'll be going nowhere fast." And you can quote me on that. One of the scientists speaking on the featurette nicely remembers his Heisenberg principle when he says that the minute we humans step onto the surface of another world, we have brought an impact of some sort to their ecosystem - I would even go further to include the robotic explorers we've already sent to Mars. One scientist studying how life on Mars became extinct seems curiously tunnel-visioned in his search, as though geology alone should be able to provide the answer. My bet is on archeology providing the most important clue, and I'm sorry about all the exponentially more complex variables that need to be taken into account once intelligence becomes a factor. I'll bet Martian civilization was involved in high tech warfare, and the planet's ecosystem was "nuked". Try that on for Prime Directive interference.

Well, my ramblings must, at least temporarily, end sometime, so I'll call it a day on this subject for now. And thank you Star Trek for triggering the debate, again and again, on through the years!

Read another Star Trek review: "Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home"

Star Treks 2 and 3 are available in various incarnations on DVD and Blu-Ray.
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Star Trek Two: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Cut, 116 minutes) Standard DVD 2 disc Special Collector's Edition Director's Cut Region 1, NTSC, U.S. Region 1, NTSC, Canada Region 2, PAL, U.K. DVD Extras include: Audio commentary by director Nicholas Meyer. Okuda text commentary "The Captain's Log" making-of retrospective with co-writer Harve Bennett, William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), Ricardo Montalban (Khan), and director Nicholas Meyer. production design featurette ILM visual effects featurette original interviews of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), and Ricardo Montalban. interviews of Trek fan novelists storyboard archives theatrical trailer

Star Trek Three: The Search for Spock (105 minutes) Standard DVD 2-disc Special Collector's Edition Region 1, NTSC, U.S. Region 1, NTSC, Canada Region 2, PAL, U.K. DVD Extras include: Audio commentary by director Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), writer/producer Harve Bennett, actress Robin Curtis (Lt. Saavik), and director of photography Charles Correll. Okuda text commentary "The Captain's Log" making-of retrospective, including William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Christopher Lloyd (Kruge). ILM model effects featurette Klingon language featurette, with linguist Marc Okrand. costume design featurette "Terraforming and the Prime Directive" featurette storyboard and photo archives theatrical trailer

Blu Ray 1-disc-per-movie "Summit Six-Pack" 2009 release with bonus 7th disc Region 1 NTSC, U.S. Region 1 NTSC, Canada Region 2 PAL, U.K.	The Movies - 2009 Blu-Ray rereleases and derivatives As the first six movies get rereleased for the Blu-Ray format in 2009, the world of Star Trek movie products becomes an infinitely more confusing place. If you have a Blu-Ray player, and want all six movies (possibly again), the "Summit Six-Pack" is the deal for you. Each movie comes on one disc, packed with a new transfer of the film and all the audio commentaries and other featurettes from the standard DVD 2-disc collector's edition, PLUS additional new commentaries and featurettes. New in-movie pop-up extras replace the text commentaries of the collector's edtions. A seventh disc, unique to this set, features William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Whoopi Goldberg having an open chat about their experiences making Star Trek for 70 minutes - an event dubbed "The Captain's Summit". The only caveat is that the first two films are the old theatrical releases instead of the directors' cuts, which have very different timings, and so the audio commentaries from the collector's editions are not included. So hang on to your collector's editions of "The Motion Picture" and "The Wrath of Khan", or seek them out as well if you don't already have them. However, if you don't want all six movies, or you're looking for the current version for standard DVD, your options will be very different depending on where you live, and the extras may be somewhat limited depending on which format you're looking for.
Standard DVD 1-disc-per-movie "Summit Six-Pack" 2009 release with bonus 7th disc Region 1 NTSC, U.S. Region 1 NTSC, Canada Region 2 PAL, for the U.K.	The Movies - 2009 standard DVD derivatives Like their Blu-Ray counterparts, the standard DVD derivative 2009 releases are also single-disc creatures, which means they haven't got nearly the same amount of space and can't hold all the same extras. And so these discs exclusively present the new extras instead of the old. So remember to also hang-on to your older 2-disc collector's edition sets as well, or seek them out if you didn't already have them, as word is those were generally the better extras. The somewhat watered-down standard DVD version of the "Summit Six-Pack" is now available to Regions 1 & 2 - see the links to the left. Also, many of the movies are gradually becoming available individually both in their full-fledged Blu-ray versions, and their pared-down standard DVD versions - see the individual movie listings below.
Trilogy Box Set: Star Trek 2, 3, & 4 Standard DVD: Region 1 NTSC, U.S. Region 1 NTSC, Canada Region 1 NTSC, Canada Region 2 PAL, for the U.K. Blu-ray: Region 1 NTSC, U.S. Region 1 NTSC, Canada Region 1 NTSC, Canada Region 2 PAL, for the U.K.	The 2009 derivative Trilogy Sets If you are in Region 1 (Canada or the U.S.), your options are still a bit limited at this time. "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" is still only available in the full "Summit Six Pack" or this "Trilogy" box set featuring Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. It is available in Blu Ray format or standard DVD. Check for listings of extras on "The Wrath of Khan" as well. The Nicholas Meyer solo audio commentary from the 2-disc Collector's Edition Director's Cut appears to have been rejigged and included on the individual 2009 release of the movie (see below), but not in the "Summit Six Pack" or these "Trilogy" box sets that came out a few months earlier. Yeah, it's confusing. It may be wise to hang on to your 2-disc Special Collector's Editions (see above), or seek them out if you don't already have them, until Paramount gets its act together regarding the new re-releases.

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (theatrical version) 1-disc 2009 release Region 1 NTSC for North America Blu-ray U.S. Blu-ray Canada Standard DVD U.S. Standard DVD Canada (See above for box sets) 1-disc 2009 release Region 2 PAL for the U.K. Blu-ray Standard DVD (See above for box sets)

Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock 1-disc 2009 release so far only available to North America in "Summit Six-Pack" Box Sets and "Trilogy" Box Sets. See above for more information. 1-disc 2009 release Region 2 PAL for the U.K. only! Blu Ray Standard DVD (See above for box sets)

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Read another Star Trek review: "Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home"