Watch: 10 Weirdest Laws In The Star Trek Universe

The universe of Star Trek has some pretty out there rules.

Anyone who knows about Star Trek knows about the prime directive. The rule that states that no Starfleet officer can interfere with the development of an alien civilization under any circumstance. This has been shown to be more of a suggestion than a rule, as most captains, maybe other than Katherine Janeway, have violated this rule more than once.

There’s of course James Kirk and his constant violation of the directive is part of his entire character. Jonathan Archer spoke about needing such a doctrine in Enterprise and Benjamin Sisko didn’t violate it outright but he broke or pushed the bounds of several other laws on this TrekCulture’s list of 10 Weirdest Laws In The Star Trek Universe.

The problem with the laws in Star Trek.

On the surface, the laws of Star Trek give the show, characters, and audience a basic rule structure to follow so that you know when and how these rules will be examined, and to what end a punishment will be handed out if violated. Unfortunately, it’s not always obvious or consistent with how these rules are implemented or if any of the people caught breaking them will be deal with.

In Enterprise, which took place before Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets were official, this was something more understandable. Archer and his Dr. Phlox even had an argument over what to do with regards to two alien races that were inhabiting the same planet.

A situation that wouldn’t be possible to have happened in The Next Generation or Voyager, as those shows had already established a clear and concise rule structure. That was very often not followed across multiple shows.

The biggest issue with laws in Star Trek, and something the video touches on, is the infrequency that they’re implemented, observed, or even inforced. Making them largely a non-factor unless the plot demands it.