Discuss

This is what I never understood. The principle of respecting the autonomy of other cultures is good imo, but what "cultural contamination" could be worse than the total extinction of the civilization you're trying to protect?

Applying the Prime Directive in such extreme circumstances turns it from an anti-imperialist ideal to a Social Darwinist one.

I mostly chalk that kind of thing up to writers not having any idea what the Prime Directive actually is.
And yet if your teenage ensign is given a death sentence, definitely violate the Prime Directive. The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many and all that...
- The Prime Directive shouldn't have even applied with that. They can't stop a foreign government from executing their own citizens for stupid things, but trying to execute another nation's citizens is an international incident and falls under standard international politics. The Federation seems to give Starfleet ship captains ambassadorial powers, so Picard should have started threatening sanctions and making comments about how executing Wes could be considered an act of war.
- Going down to the planet, introducing yourself to the pre-warp civilization, making no effort to hide the fact that you are aliens from another world, planning your shore leave and preparing to fuck as many of them as you can? Not a prime directive violation.
  Rescuing one of your kids who accidently breaks one of their rules and is immediately condemned to death, and asserting that as a member of your crew he is subject to your punishments and not theirs? Prime directive violation.
  Taking one of the locals up to space to see the thing they consider to be a god, and openly defying the very foundations of their civilization's system of law and order? Not a prime directive violation.
- Also they had already made contact, does the prime directive apply?
the whole point of having captains out in the black, is for them to make a judgement call on when the rules should be ignored.
Picard had a conversation with Data about this very thing, when Data went with his 'gut' to disobey a order.

And lo did he raise his leg unto the heavens. And thus he did swingeth it over the back of the chair as we must swing our souls over the depths of hell to find a seat at the right hand of Riker. Engage.

.... hits their knee on the chair and is condemned to eternal hell
- Or at least for a couple minutes

You never, ever, ever violate the prime directive, unless you really want to.

"Never violate the prime directive unless it's the temporal prime directive." - Cathrine Janeway
- "And all those times I violated the regular old prime directive for selfish reasons." - Also Janeway.
Or if you’re Janeway.
- But only if obeying it would actually get your crew home

If Tuvix is on the planet, we know which one Janeway would choose

Yae verily his beard did deflect Qs snappage, and Q did hang his head in shame

there's plenty more planets out there anyways

The trolley problem is bullshit because in the real world when you're presented with a lose-lose situation, the correct response is to look for a third option.

aka The Motherfucking Kirk Maneuver.

The Prime Directive is some Lib Shit