What do you think of the temporal directive?

[WhiteLion]

I would like to know your opinion on the Star Trek temporal directive, according to which technologies obtained from other times must not be used for the risk of altering the timeline.

Apparently it doesn't make much sense, since someone from another timeline transmits the knowledge of the technology in question, in fact it has already altered the timeline.

For example, transfasic torpedoes have been used by voyager, since their use has already been done in the timeline, why not continue using them?

[Lord Revan]

I would like to know your opinion on the Star Trek temporal directive, according to which technologies obtained from other times must not be used for the risk of altering the timeline.

Apparently it doesn't make much sense, since someone from another timeline transmits the knowledge of the technology in question, in fact it has already altered the timeline.

For example, transfasic torpedoes have been used by voyager, since their use has already been done in the timeline, why not continue using them?

First this depends highly on how the temporal mechanics work in the said universe, in Trek it's said that too much timetravel will cause the fabric of the universe to unravel (metaprorically speaking of course, there's no literal fabrics involved), so limits on it are not just a good idea but a must have.

The temporal prime directive works in similar ways to general order one (aka the prime directive), in that if damage cannot be avoided one should limit the resulting damage. Meaning in this case yes technically you've already altered the time be giving knowledge of future tech but by limiting the exposure of people to that future tech you can limit the damage to the timeline.

[Themightytom]

I agree, there are extreme examples of the Temporal Prime Directive being broken, but not relatively minor ones. Kirk didn't go back in time to save David, or for that matter Spock, Picard didn't go back to save his brother's family, Sisko didn't save his wife Data didn't go back in time to save Janeway didn't go back in time and offer to let Voyager return home while she destroyed the Caretaker array herself (Idiot). Time Travel is known as of Kirk's Era, as just a trip around the sun, or a question for the Guardian of Forever.

It discourages MOST abuses of time travel, and given the examples where time travel is used, it almost always comes with near catastrophic changes to the future. McCoy wipes out the federation, somehow Sisko and Bashir wipe out the federation, Voyager blows up some future version of Earth, the Borg almost do it on purpose, time travel is dangerous to the people in the timeline regardless of whether it creates new ones, so as a person IN the time line it makes sense that you'd have a rule not wanting people to mess up your whole existence.

[Solauren]

Also, thanks to Enterprise, we've seen the possibility of Temporal warfare being used, and it's not pretty.

[WhiteLion]

in principle it is correct as reasoning. But from what you see in the series they ignore this directive many times. At this point we might as well take some advantage of it and use some technology smuggled from the future ....

[Tribble]

in principle it is correct as reasoning. But from what you see in the series they ignore this directive many times. At this point we might as well take some advantage of it and use some technology smuggled from the future ....

No, they shouldn't because:

A) as others have stated there could be drastic consequences to the timeline to the past and future, and you wouldn't know what those changes were until you carried out the act (assuming you survived). Unless you're in the position where you are about to lose anyways (such as when Earth was about to be wiped out by the whale probe in ST IV) why take the risk?

B) Parallel / Alternate universes also occur in Star Trek, with TNG "Parallels" implying that the number is essentially infinite. Smuggling weapons from the future may just result in a new timeline forming rather than changing the original. Unless things are desperate enough that its worth creating an alternate timeline to live in (and that's assuming things go better in the new timeline you create) why bother?

[WhiteLion]

yes, you are certainly right, my brain is not reliable on this, because regardless of the destiny of civilization it would just like to see the star fleet armed with weapons of the 29th century