WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League #48, by Si Spurrier, Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan, David Baron and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.

The Justice League has saved countless worlds over the years. Many of its members have become recognized as galactic heroes. However, the team has never had to confront the possible ramifications of its actions and how it could change the destiny of entire world if its members aren't careful.

While saving a world from a tyrannical Empress, the Justice League is forced to confront its own Prime Directive crisis -- and it proves why the principal from Star Trek is so vital.

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What Is the Prime Directive?

In the Star Trek franchise, the Prime Directive is one of the chief guiding principals of the intergalactic Starfleet. The code prohibits explorers and crews from interfering with or influencing the natural development of civilizations they encounter while on their journeys. This way, Starfleet isn't given into the temptation to influence the development of planets and alien races towards their own ideas -- regardless of any notion of morality or philosophy that the species has already developed.

The code forces each member of Starfleet to respect the fact that every race should have the chance to grow and develop in its own way. This allows Starfleet to keep from becoming (or even just appearing to be) conquerors on a galactic scale.

Instead, the Starfleet remains a peaceful organization dedicated to expanding knowledge and kinship across the universe. It's a controversial ideal in-universe, however, as many have been shown across various incarnations of the series to view the Prime Directive as a dangerous hindrance to Starfleet actually trying to improve life in the galaxy.

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Why the Justice League Should Follow the Prime Directive

After saving the children of an alien world when they are marooned in space, the Justice League returns them to their home planet and learns how they were left to die by the rulers of their world. The warring native factions, the Way of the Cell and the Way of the Spark, are both controlled by the Empress Siddinx.

Despite Wonder Woman's concerns about the Justice League taking a proactive role in shaping the future of the world, the rest of the League decides it's their responsibility to try and liberate the world from the objectively villainous Siddinx.

Arriving on the planet with the rescued children, both the Way of the Cell and the Way of the Spark turn on Siddinx. Inspired by the "Stargods" that had descended from on high to bring them salvation, the two races quickly unite against Siddinx and attack her. They are very quickly defeated and detained, so the two races quickly plan on executing her right then and there.

Wonder Woman warns her teammates of the potential fallout if they enforce their own morality on this species, which will ultimately make them dependent on the League. Superman says he's never claimed to be a non-interventionist and saves Siddinx's life anyway.

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Wonder Woman is quickly proven right, as the League tries to help set up democratic elections -- only to discover the Justice League has been unanimously elected to serve as the new leaders of the world. By imparting its morality on the world and outright changing the destiny of the planet, the Justice League has to face the consequences of its actions.

Wonder Woman essentially preaches that the League should follow an ideal similar to the Prime Directive: The team shouldn't interfere in the development of entire species if they're not willing to take full responsibility. The League knows nothing of this world and yet, its members have casually changed its entire history and destiny. To dethrone the former leader but not commit themselves to build up a new leadership structure is just an invitation for chaos.

As Wonder Woman explains, they really shouldn't even try to lead a world they don't understand. Wonder Woman isn't wrong when she brings up all the complications the Justice League has introduced, not just for its members but for the world they just saved. It might be time for the DC heroes to consider some form of the Prime Directive moving forward.

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