Star Trek Introduces Multiverse Variation of Starfleet’s Prime Directive

Warning: MAJOR spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 5, episode 9, “Fissure Quest.”

Star Trek‘s multiverse has been explored numerous times throughout its extensive history, making the latest revelations in Star Trek: Lower Decks particularly significant. The franchise has introduced alternate realities across various series and movies, creating a loosely woven tapestry of interconnected worlds. One of the latest episodes introduces a new character who expertly navigates this complex multiverse.

Discovering Star Trek’s Quantum Prime Directive in “Fissure Quest”

New Directive Highlights the Risks of the Multiverse

Lily Sloan flanked by her crewmates in Star Trek: Lower Decks

In an exciting twist, Alfre Woodard returns as Lily Sloan in “Fissure Quest,”marking her first appearance since 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact. Within the Prime Universe, Lily collaborated with Zefram Cochrane (portrayed by James Cromwell) to create the first warp-capable vessel, a pivotal moment in humanity’s trajectory. However, in this new timeline, the alternate Lily and Cochrane invent a spacecraft designed for traversing multiversal realities, accompanied by an ethical framework reminiscent of the Prime Directive.

‘We have directives which dictate ethical boundaries to contacting societies who can’t cross realities on their own.’ – Lily Sloan in “Fissure Quest.”

While Star Trek: Lower Decks does not officially name this new rule, it aptly fits the designation of the Quantum Prime Directive. Seen as a counterpart to the established Prime Directive and the Temporal Prime Directive, this new rule dictates that Lily and her crew must remain hidden from alternate reality inhabitants unless those residents possess the means for interdimensional travel themselves.

The Importance of the Quantum Directive Over the Existing Directives

Lily Sloan’s Directive Protects All Star Trek Realities

While the Prime Directive and the Temporal Prime Directive serve crucial functions, they seem less impactful compared to the Quantum Prime Directive. The risks associated with interacting with pre-warp societies or altering historical timelines affect only one reality at a time. For instance, Captain Picard’s interference in Earth’s history in Star Trek: First Contact primarily impacts the future of the Prime Universe. In contrast, the Quantum Prime Directive has the potential to protect the integrity of all realities.

Although Lily’s original counterpart has long been deceased in the 24th century of the Prime Universe, her alternate self’s appearance in “Fissure Quest”proves the divergence between timelines. Notably, Lily’s vessel is a contributing factor to tearing the fabric of the multiverse. However, the sincere intentions behind the crew’s journeys are simply those of observers. They strive to witness the events of other universes without interfering, akin to how a 24th-century crew would perceive a pre-warp society.

The Quantum Prime Directive as a Significant New Addition to Star Trek Canon

Interdimensional Vessels Watching Star Trek Characters

The expanse of Star Trek’s multiverse is practically limitless, presenting infinite possibilities regarding who might traverse between realities—whether deliberately or inadvertently. The latest season of Star Trek: Lower Decks emphasizes the notion that not every parallel universe adheres to the timeline of the Prime Universe, suggesting that travelers can experience both temporal and spatial transitions.

Given this framework, it stands to reason that Lily’s universe isn’t the only one capable of achieving interdimensional travel. The existence of worlds nearly identical to the Prime Universe may have allowed for centuries of visits from interdimensional ships. The enforcement of the Quantum Prime Directive would make revelations of such ships nearly impossible—perhaps even from other dimensions themselves—effectively soft retconning the entire Star Trek lore. The conclusion of Star Trek: Lower Decks teases the intriguing possibility that unseen observers may have been monitoring events within the Prime Universe all along.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 Release Schedule on Paramount+
Episode	Title	Release Date (2024)
1	“Two Little Hills”	October 22
2	“Shades of Green”	October 22
3	“The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”	October 31
4	“A Farewell to Farms”	November 7
5	“Star Base 80?”	November 14
6	“Of Gods and Angels”	November 21
7	“Fully Dilated”	November 28
8	“Upper Decks”	December 5
9	“Fissure Quest”	December 12
10	“The New Next Generation”	December 19