Talk:Temporal Prime Directive

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"The existence of Starfleet Regulation 157, Section 3, Paragraph 18 (quoted in DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"), further complicates matters."

Is it possible this rule became known as the "Temporal Prime Directive"? It does seem that what was once created as a basic rule (probably after all of Kirk's infractions) became more of a fundamental theology and guiding principle as more time-travel activities became noticed - especially to the degree that the Temporal Investigations Bureau being created.

What do others think? -- MiChaos 18:16, 14 Jan 2006 (UTC)

I would think that the Temporal would be a newly-formed aspect of General Order 1, only more subjective with such subjects as the Temporal Cold War coming into play. --ChrisK 13:46, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Doctor's mobile emittor thoughts

How does the Doctor's mobile emitter fit into this? Doesn't his use (and continued use) of this technology from the future violate the TPD? It certainly changed history. Is this ever addressed in Voyager? Carbonari 23:55, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

• Greetings, that is actually a very interesting observation. Proper protocol would've been the destruction of the emitter and information related to it. However, the writers probably forgot about this aspect and were focusing on giving the Doctor mobility. - Adm. Enzo Aquarius 23:57, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Scientific point-of-view

From a scientific point of view, the concept of a timeline is very questionable. If you travel back in time, you will inevitably change the course of history, whether or not you kill historically important people. Even if you altered the flight of a butterfly in the past, that might create a hurrican [sic] which will result in huge changes of the future.

I removed the above information from the background section, as "scientific point of view" here is another word for personal opinion and speculation. We will "inevitably" alter the course of history, regardless of whether we kill someone? Is this statement based on personal experience? If so, you've made a major scientific achievement, my friend. :D --From Andoria with Love 04:10, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

It's based on the reality of Chaotic Environmental Scenarios (here dubbed CES). Hurricanes are formed by VERY small things, in the beginning; no telling which little vibration of the air will start them. Other weather patterns form, as well, in similar circumstances. If you walk on dirt, you might've just killed a particular microbe a million years down the line...or even 100 years down the line. Talking to one person changes the second they arrived at a given place at a given time, ALWAYS...on most of those occasions, they may go about their business; on some, they might very well not: Gabriel Bell involved this exact scenario, in fact. What Temporal Investigations no doubt does is the subjective task of figuring out if the changes made to the timeline constitute a viable threat to history, which is in turn subjective: the history everyone in the Federation wants is the one in which they win; the Borg Collective has no problems with altering that to try to assimilate anything (which makes you wonder why they didn't just time-travel WAY before they got to Earth, but that screams mental plot-hole). Either way, the entire situation is simple: none of the time travel scenarios is accurate, since if any of this was possible, the wars would already be over...unless, of course, Temporal Investigations is smack-dab on Forever World, where nothing ever changes, and time apparently does not pass. *grins* --ChrisK 13:34, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

Also, be aware, scientific point of view is as opinionated as the opinion that humans can see the visible light spectrum. They can. Period. --ChrisK 13:45, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

As for the "Forever world" quip. I seem to recall that the Guardian of Forever protected the area around it from temporal changes... so it's possible that Temporal Investigations is based there.

It's possible that there were limits to the borg time travel technology, though that the Enterprise was able to alter it's deflector dish (which was already jettisoned and destroyed in the same film, without the option of a replacement part coming around for another 300 years or so...) to replicate the tech does kinda torpedo that concept.

The only plausible theory I have on the subject was from a novel that suggested that the machine planet V'Ger made contact with was The Borg. It's possible that this somehow altered their history as a race, perhaps leading them to take to the stars in the first place, thus the Borg would be aware (from assimilating previous starfleet personnel) that assimilating earth before voyager probe launches would prevent them from going to the stars at all. With the post WWIII era being defined as the point in history when humanity would be most vulnerable. (StarkeRealm 07:31, 21 July 2007 (UTC))