Prime Directive refers to Starfleet General Order One, the single most important directive that prohibits Starfleet officers from interfering in the natural evolution of a species, especially those of a lesser technological stage. Countless stories have been told throughout the forty-two years of Star Trek that tackles the Prime Directive in some form or other. Perhaps one of the strongest stories – if not THE strongest story – to explore the Prime Directive and the ramifications of its violation comes in the form of the eponymous 1990 novel from the husband-wife writing team of Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.
Simply put, the U.S.S. Enterprise is charged with the observation of a pre-warp civilization, something goes horrifically wrong, and Captain Kirk is charged with violating the Prime Directive and forced out of the service. So now the book is all about Kirk and his crew trying to figure out what really happened and hopefully clear his name. Now, of course, by the time we reach the end of the book, the status quo will have been restored; this is a Star Trek novel that isn’t going to affect the canon in any way. So you’re left with the journey of how our main characters are going to resolve the situation that they were placed in.
Prime Directive is one of those classic Trek novels that still holds its weight and does a far better job of tackling the consequences of violating Starfleet’s most sacred law than any other form of Trek media to date. It is a book that introduces massive stakes, presents our heroes with a seemingly impossible situation, and the road to its resolution and the return to their usual roles is depicted with enough interesting twists and turns that won’t keep you second guessing, but it will keep you engaged. Most importantly, all the characters are true to their depictions. There’s never a moment where you won’t be going “That’s not how so-so is supposed to act.” When it comes to capture the voices and nuances of that original crew, the Reeves-Stevens have nailed those voices to a tee in most of their outings and this one is no exception.
There are seldom few Star Trek novels from the early days that I would go back and read over and over due to the strength of the material. Prime Directive ranks up there as one of the best. Well worth a read or twenty.
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