Voyager’s Robert Beltran called the Prime Directive “bunk”

In Star Trek, the Prime Directive was the compass for all Starfleet personnel. Simply stated, it meant that any and all members of Starfleet should not interfere in the natural development of a society, even if it meant saving lives. Unsurprisingly, some Starfleet officers had issues with the Prime Directive, especially when they saw people suffering and knew they could help. Of course, the directive wasn’t set in stone and did offer some leeway in certain situations. And there were plenty of times when Starfleet personnel ignored the order which Robert Beltran, who portrayed Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager, obviously wouldn’t have had a problem with.

In an interview with CNET, Beltran expressed his disdain for the order, even calling it fascist.

"The idea of leaving any species to die in its own filth when you have the ability to help them, just because you wanna let them get through their normal evolutionary processes is bunk — it’s a bunch of fascist cr**. I much prefer the Cub Scout motto."

And considering the many times it was violated by captains across Starfleet, it was clear others didn’t see the directive as unbendable. Captain Kirk himself violated the Prime Directive eleven times while Captain Janeway disregarded it four times. But, as Captain Picard said, “There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions.”  Though later, he did express his support of the Prime Directive by saying “the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy… and a very correct one. History has proven 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.”

Beltran’s point of view certainly has merit when you consider the ramifications of non-interference. There were plenty of times when personnel didn’t interfere, and people paid the price for it.  Someday, we may have our own version of Starfleet and may even be able to travel to distant worlds. It does make me wonder if such a regulation will need to be established then and how such a mandate could affect others across the galaxy.