Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"I never saw why I had to give up science in order to write, or the other way around, so I didn't!"
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Relations with Extraterrestrial Life | ||
| Instructions to earth citizens on how to behave when encountering alien civilizations. |
This is the earliest reference to the idea of a non-interference directive, or as it is called in the Star Trek universe, the Prime Directive, that I know about.
The two sections of a chapter citing regulations on relationships with aliens arise in the following contexts: the first instance arose when semi-sentient trees and other vegetation was seeking to either kill or disable the Earth citizens.
In the second, several Earth citizens were trying to dig up and take back to Earth some semi-sentient trees.
| "Section 17 of the chapter on Relations with Extraterrestrial Life. No employee of this company may employ weapons against or otherwise injure or attempt to injure or threaten with injury any inhabitant of any other planet except in self-defense and then only if every means of escape or settlement has failed.
"Section 34 of the chapter on Relations with Extraterrestrial Life. No member of this company shall interfere in any phase of the internal affairs of another race. |
| From Ogre,
by Clifford Simak. Published by Astounding Science-Fiction in 1944 Additional resources -
|
The basic idea of the Prime Directive is that no interference with other civilizations is allowed. It is primarily used in situations when Federation starships or personnel contact new alien civilizations.
However, this is pretty clearly what Simak has in mind. I don't know if this is the first reference to this idea in sf, but it obviously antedates the usage in Star Trek by a generation.
Devoted readers of Clifford Simak, a gentle humanist genius, are probably not surprised that he would think about this.
Readers of H. Beam Piper may also be thinking about Little Fuzzy; the plot revolves around the question of what sapience really is, and how should we treat the life we find on distant worlds.
Compare to the Noninterference With Other Worlds from In the Deep of Time (1879) by George Parsons Lathrop, the law of contact from Orphans of the Void (1952) by Orville Shaara, the Prime Directive from With Folded Hands (1947) by Jack Williamson, the treatment of extramundane aborigines from Symbiotica (1943) by Eric Frank Russell and alien self-government from Co-Operate or Else (1942) by A.E. van Vogt.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Ogre
More Ideas
and Technology by Clifford Simak
Tech news articles related to Ogre
Tech news articles related to works by Clifford Simak
| Is It Better To Be Short? |
| The Coming Hell Of ChatGPT Salesbots |
| Holly+ Processes Your Singing In Holly Herndon's Voice |
| Megachurches Catch Up To Heinlein |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'The pokkecon rang again. *The coffee’s for him?* Tsuyoshi said.'
The Jetsons imagined so much future.
'Rod placed the brain inside the panel... the horse raised its head, wiggled its ears, blinked twice, gave a tentative whinny.'
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
'Chain of hotels that specialized in non-human service.'
'But then... not every bulldozer operator works on the Moon.'
'Griff found the white and pink map distracting and switched it off using his tongue mouse.'
