The way you were acting towards Earth – trying to protect it from mankind, interfering in matters which were none of your business… matters which should rightfully be decided by humanity itself!
"Are we only to watch over them? When I was invited here, I thought I would learn justice from you. But is the gods' 'justice' purely watching others?!"
—Zamasu to Gowasu, Dragon Ball Super
"You're always talking about the consequences if we step into this. But maybe you should think about those that'll happen if we don't."
—Arcee to Optimus Prime, Code Prime
Every world is defined by its particular boundaries, within which some understanding of reality emerges as truth. Two truths cannot coexist, and so from the introduction of foreign bodies is conflict and chaos spawns. That’s why we limit our involvement in local affairs.”
—- Donald Duck explaining his policy in the Kingdom Hearts manga.
Unrelated Note: Some readers may be alarmed to see how willing Tagon is to culturally contaminate aboriginal aliens in order to achieve a military objective. Addressing those concerns, the author has this response:
It makes for a good science-fiction adventure to have the captain say something along the lines of "Prime Directive be damned." It makes for much better science-fiction, however, to have the captain able to say in frank honesty "I have no idea what this Prime Directive concept is, and it sounds like foolishness that belongs in another universe entirely. Go away. I have work to do." If you persisted in whining about native cultures, that captain would have no choice but to shoot you.
Keeve Falor: You are innocent bystanders, and I cannot condone violence against those who are not our enemies.
Captain Picard: Then I don't understand why you're unwilling to help us.
Keeve: Because you're innocent bystanders. You were innocent bystanders for decades as the Cardassians took our homes. As they violated and tortured our people in the most hideous ways imaginable. As we were forced to flee.
Picard: We were saddened by those events, but they occurred within the borders of the Cardassian Empire.
Keeve: And the Federation is pledged not to interfere with the internal affairs of others. How convenient that must be for you. To turn a deaf ear to those who suffer behind a line on a map.
Captain Picard: Then I don't understand why you're unwilling to help us.
Keeve: Because you're innocent bystanders. You were innocent bystanders for decades as the Cardassians took our homes. As they violated and tortured our people in the most hideous ways imaginable. As we were forced to flee.
Picard: We were saddened by those events, but they occurred within the borders of the Cardassian Empire.
Keeve: And the Federation is pledged not to interfere with the internal affairs of others. How convenient that must be for you. To turn a deaf ear to those who suffer behind a line on a map.
— Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Ensign Ro")
Rohana: I must remind you, our sacred law, the Dae'Uhl, clearly forbids us to interfere with lesser beings... unless there is a direct threat to the empire. Your choice to aid these terrans is... perplexing.
Artanis: Why do you assume that they are lesser beings, Rohana?
Artanis: Why do you assume that they are lesser beings, Rohana?
Marlon Brando's Head: Let's begin with the big-number one rule: you CANNOT interfere with human history.
Jeff East: Oh. So if there's some kind of big disaster, like an earthquake or a terrorist attack, I should just stand by and let it happen?
Marlon Brando's Head: What? No, you can totally step in and prevent disasters and stuff, that's fine.
Jeff East: Ohh, but I have to do it discreetly, so that humanity doesn't find out about aliens and thus have their understanding of the universe shaken to its core.
Marlon Brando's Head: Pfft, nah, go ahead and tell them all about Krypton. Give interviews about it, see if I care.
Jeff East: So what the fuck do you mean about not interfering in human history, then?
Jeff East: Oh. So if there's some kind of big disaster, like an earthquake or a terrorist attack, I should just stand by and let it happen?
Marlon Brando's Head: What? No, you can totally step in and prevent disasters and stuff, that's fine.
Jeff East: Ohh, but I have to do it discreetly, so that humanity doesn't find out about aliens and thus have their understanding of the universe shaken to its core.
Marlon Brando's Head: Pfft, nah, go ahead and tell them all about Krypton. Give interviews about it, see if I care.
Jeff East: So what the fuck do you mean about not interfering in human history, then?
— The Editing Room's abridged script for Superman: The Movie
"What happens when we come in and fix all their problems, huh? We're not so up our own asses to say "art is suffering", but art is experience. The Partnership talked about A6K's great works as tombs and temples to greed, but that's their fucking existence. That's the world they've built. That's the art they've made.
We need to let them make their own statements. We need to let them define their own identity. It's bullshit, but it's less bullshit than the alternative. We're the system now. We are. The system. We've gotta' look generations ahead. We can help them now, but then their kids' kids' kids' kids are just going to be us. If we're going to be the authority, we won't be the authority that destroys originality. We're gonna' be cool.
We cannot disrupt them.
The Artists Cultural Collective votes No."
We need to let them make their own statements. We need to let them define their own identity. It's bullshit, but it's less bullshit than the alternative. We're the system now. We are. The system. We've gotta' look generations ahead. We can help them now, but then their kids' kids' kids' kids are just going to be us. If we're going to be the authority, we won't be the authority that destroys originality. We're gonna' be cool.
We cannot disrupt them.
The Artists Cultural Collective votes No."
"When the early Union explorers reached out into space, they acted more like missionaries than observers. Not in the religious sense, there was no proselytizing or anything like that. But they wanted to help. When they got to Gendel 3, they found a divided world, bristling with nuclear weapons, continents sliced up by national borders. So they landed. They revealed themselves, their technology, everything. They figured it was the right thing to do, that maybe they could help this planet skip over the nasty growing pains that all worlds seemed to have to go through. But they couldn't control the spread. Nation-states fought each other, wars broke out everywhere, because they all wanted to use the advancements for personal gain and for political dominance. They wiped themselves out in five years, nine billion people gone. After that, new laws were put in place. Strict prohibitions when it came to cultural contamination. And all they tried to do was help."
— Kelly Grayson, The Orville, "Future Unknown"
Rodan: Probative space fleet. Neo-crystal structure, atomic power and weaponry, on its way to blast some part of the galaxy to dust, I suppose.
Leela: Then you must stop them!
Rodan: But that would be against every law of Gallifrey! Oh no, I could never interfere, only observe.
— Doctor Who, "The Invasion of Time"
