What happened next on Aminiar 7?

[T'aral 0]

Ok: so the Enterprise interferes with the computer war between Aminiar 7 and Vendicar in the episode "A Taste of Armogeddon". On the surface it would seem like a good thing, ending 500 years of systematic murder for reasons which - after as few as fifty years - probably became irrelevant.

 

Here's the question, though: once the war has ended and people come to realize that all their leaders had to do was simply say "Why don't we turn off the computers and just leave each other alone?" ... what will their response be? The ruling council of both planets had been sending their own people to death chambers for centuries, killing off mothers, children, whomever - and they could've stopped at any time?

 

Within the first year wouldn't there be an overthrow of the government - perhaps even a violent one? Then, with the government overthrown, the cultures of both planets would be at a loss as to what to do next since for five centuries they've been doing what they're told. It's kind of like people who protest for democracy without understanding what democracy even is ... terrible mistakes are made because of it.

 

The net result becomes chaos and destruction of both cultures - not because of the war, but because of the release from it.

 

So: Prime Directive question ... given that it was stupid of Ambassador Fox to force the Enterprise into orbit, and just as stupid for the warring factions to involve the Enterprise in their little computer war, what are your feelings regarding this clear violation of the Prime Directive? Will things turn out as I have described? By interfering, has the Federation taken responsibility for re-developing these cultures? General thoughts?

 

 

Just making conversation ...

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Seeing how the Federation seems to just love taking responsibility for planets, I suppose they might have tried re-developing the planets. Though I think Fox should be in for something.

[Jorahl 0]

I've always thought this was a good episode for us today. War was made sanitary so somehow folks could deal with it going on in a limited manner. It couldn't become ugly enough to turn away from....or ugly enough to get the job done. To paraphrase a civil war soldier, it's a good thing war is so ugly otherwise we might start to like it. But not to bog down on the endless discussion that could come from this episode.... on to the question....

 

 

I do not believe the civilians would turn on the government. They clearly knew what was going on. All the lives lost were lost in maintaining their civilization rather than letting it be destroyed in open war. They all walked into the disintegration booths willingly. If there was any reaction it might be more self blame in why no one else thought to turn the whole system off. But, it had become a way of life. It was natural, expected, just how things worked. Fear of the unknown was worse than fear your number might one day be called.

 

I also think the first reaction would have been more concern that the other side might be willing to return to open war. All those who willingly died would have died in vain had the war returned to a non-simulated state. There was too much to lose so whatever disputes started the war would have to be addressed.

 

How things would fully play out relies on things we weren't told. What the whole fight was about in the first place is key. It could be something small that grew and after centuries of war was no longer the point. With that a cooling off period then restored relations might be best. If it was something important then things get interesting.

 

The Federation's role should then be to present options to both parties. They couldn't see life without the computer controlled war so they needed to be shown what had worked and not for others. No options should be enforced. If they wanted to restart the whole system then that would be their call.