What was the Romulans Prime Directive?

[Taverner]

OK...Not a Trekkie here - always watched from the sidelines (I've seen some episodes from all its different variations)

We all know the Federeation's PD, what was the Romulans'? The Klingons'?

[Kutjara]

1. I don't think there was an equivalent directive, but...

...the Klingons live for battle and honor at all costs. The Romulans believe in Empire and expansion at all costs. The Klingons hate the Romulans because of the latter's perceived duplicity, decadence and lack of honor. The Romulans think the Klingon's obsession with battle makes them little more than savages.

[InvisibleTouch]

2. Well, the Federation's Prime Directive...

...was not to interfere with the development of other societies, so they could evolve naturally on their own. Constantly violated in the Classic series, btw. :) The Romulans and Klingons were conquerors and had no such directive, though they certainly had a "survival of the fittest" outlook.

What's really interesting is that both species have been shown to live by their own strict brand of honor - more emphasized among the Romulans in the original series, and more emphasized among the Klingons in Next Gen. Presumably their natures hadn't really changed - just the perspective of the story and the viewpoint of the beholder had changed. Good lesson there.

[petronius]

3. Hey now! Those weren't violations of the PD

Those alien tramps came on to Kirk, not the other way around!

[Downtown Hound]

4. They didn't really have one

I've always thought of the Romulans as the interstellar equivalent of the Roman Empire, devoted to expansion through conquest and the belief in their own superiorty, but also fundamentally rooted in laws and ideals. The Kilngons are something a little more like the Vikings or ancient barbarian tribes. They believe in victory in battle. The leaders are chosen by whomever is the strongest in battle. It is possible to take over the entire empire by simply challenging the leader to single combat and killing him. The Romulans, while not a representative democracy, seemed to have more of an organized government in place with Senators and politicians.

[hickman]

5. Weren't the Romulans a closed society,

kind of like the USSR? The Klingons were a warlike society. Any prime directive by either would have been based on conquest. Slag first, reap benefits, move on. The Republican Prime Directive.

[ElboRuum]

6. Not exactly canon...

Klingons: Death before dishonor

Romulans: We are soooooo much more fun than the Vulcans, but we really just want to take your shit.