I don’t know that the Prime Directive even needs to be invoked here.
Well it was - that's the thing. The original series prime directive when it's referenced doesn't line up with that Memory Alpha definition, and I don't think canon Star Trek ever actually laid it out. They reference it in a wide range of situations that don't neatly fall under one rule.
There's a lot about the original show that isn't internally consistent.
TOS is riddled with inconsistencies, to the extent that it's more of an anthology than a coherent narrative. That's one of the charms of Star Trek, imo. It's more like a comic book series than a rigid canon. The characters and universe and events are all sort of consistent, but with so much time and so many writers there's a bit of drift (which is better for actual storytelling, imo).
Well it was - that's the thing. The original series prime directive when it's referenced doesn't line up with that Memory Alpha definition, and I don't think canon Star Trek ever actually laid it out. They reference it in a wide range of situations that don't neatly fall under one rule.
There's a lot about the original show that isn't internally consistent.
TOS is riddled with inconsistencies, to the extent that it's more of an anthology than a coherent narrative. That's one of the charms of Star Trek, imo. It's more like a comic book series than a rigid canon. The characters and universe and events are all sort of consistent, but with so much time and so many writers there's a bit of drift (which is better for actual storytelling, imo).