Prime Directive ( novel ) " It is Starfleet ' s highest law . And James T . Kirk has broken it . . . " Prime Directive is a Pocket TOS novel written by Judith and Garfield Reeves - Stevens . Published by Pocket Books , it was first released in hardback in . Summary . During the last year of the first five - year mission , the USS " Enterprise " is called to the pre - contact world of Talin IV . The mission is unusual from its inception , as the " Enterprise " is not allowed to travel at warp speed , nor use subspace communications for several days – an unusual precaution , as they are approaching a world that should have no means of detecting their approach . An observation post has been built on the Talin moon by the Federation ' s First Contact Office ( FCO ) , to observe the indigenous culture in preparation for a possible first contact . The Talin , a reptilian race with a culture comparable to Earth in the late 20th century , are divided into two principle factions – the " Browns " and the " Greens " , engaged in their own " Cold War " . The First Contact Office and the crew of the " Enterprise " are both anxious to see the Talin survive this highly volatile point in their history , but are prohibited from intervening by the Prime Directive . The possibility of a first contact is complicated by the fact that the Browns and the Greens are perilously close to instigating a nuclear war . At the same time , scientists on Talin are on the verge of discovering the existence of subspace communication s through experiments with dilithium . Both these facts mean that the FCO and the " Enterprise " must be particularly careful to avoid detection . Further complicating matters , the elderly and curmudgeonly Dr . Alonzo Richter , creator of the Richter scale ( a complex grading of cultural development by which a planet is determined to be ready for first contact ) has also traveled to Talin IV , advocating ignoring his own scale and that the Talin be contacted immediately . While observing the planet and the tensions between its two superpowers , Kirk learns that the FCO has been caught and photographed by military observation posts while spying on the planet , possibly exacerbating the tense political situation and perhaps even violating the Prime Directive . He leads an away mission to secretly retrieve data from the Talin military to determine how badly the FCO mission has been compromised . As he returns , a nuclear missile explodes in its silo , leading to limited nuclear exchange between the Browns and the Greens . Determining that the explosion was accidental and was in fact likely to impair the planet ' s natural cultural evolution , Kirk and the " Enterprise " act quickly and covertly to disable or destroy the missiles before they can cause further harm . The near destruction of the world , and ( to the Talin ) miraculous chain of events that saved them , pull the Talin back from the brink of destruction and instigate a new period of peace and cooperation . Kirk convenes a board of inquiry on his own actions , and is determined to have saved the Talin without contravening the Prime Directive . Almost immediately after , however , the entire nuclear arsenals of both the Browns and the Greens are launched without warning or reason . When Kirk attempts to once again prevent the Talin from destroying themselves , a nuclear missile impossibly targets and strikes the " Enterprise " , seemingly indicating that Kirk ' s actions have revealed the presence of the " Enterprise " . The ship is nearly destroyed , and Talin IV is swept by firestorms . Scotty , the only member of the senior staff not on the bridge , reluctantly charges Kirk with violating the Prime Directive , and destroying a world . Kirk , Spock , Chekov , Sulu , and Uhura become infamous for their actions , known as the " Enterprise Five " . When Starfleet threatens to court martial all five , Kirk resigns in a vain attempt to protect his crew . Starfleet refuses to investigate the bizarre chain of events that led to the destruction of Talin IV . McCoy attempts to force the issue by punching an admiral , but later resigns himself when he realizes the Starfleet would rather see the issue swept under the rug than face the negative publicity of a high profile trial . Chekov and Sulu soon follow . Spock is demoted to ensign , and also resigns , Uhura is the only member formally tried , and is given a dishonorable discharge . Despite being separated and disgraced , all of Kirk ' s crew work to return to Talin ( now branded " Kirk ' s World " ) and determine what actually happened . Kirk finds himself working under an assumed name on a terraforming project and as a cargo handler on a freighter . Spock joins forces with a group of radical college students who advocate the repeal of the Prime Directive on humanitarian grounds . Sulu and Chekov join the crew of an Orion smuggler and slave trader in hopes of stealing his ship . McCoy and Uhura purchase a ship and work to create a false identity for McCoy , the dreaded space pirate " Black Ire " . While the rest of crew work to reach Talin , Scotty finds himself frustrated in his own efforts investigate the disaster , while he supervises the repairs to the " Enterprise " under the direct command of the arrogant Lieutenant Styles . Spock manipulates the student group and the Vulcan embassy to secure credentials for himself and Dr . Richter to speak to the Federation Council . Spock deliberately steers the conversation so that the assembly is forced to concede that Talin IV , by merit of the worlds held in trust for them by the Federation for future development once they achieve space travel , could already be considered a " de facto " member of the Federation . Based on this premise , all the Talin must do to receive Federation aid is request it . Spock then stuns the Council by introducing two Talin astronauts , one from each of the warring nation states . With the assistance of Richter and the FCO crew , the joint mission escaped just before the disaster . The crew reunite at the now - closed FCO outpost on the Talin moon . Spock ' s investigations reveal that the natural development of the Talin was in fact harmed by extraterrestrial influence . . . but not Kirk , the " Enterprise " , or the crew of the FCO . These aliens , who call themselves the Many , resemble large insects , and operate as a hive mind , exist on solar energy , and communicate by means of organically - occurring radio . Kirk discerns that the Many created the conditions and instigated the nuclear war on Talin IV to prepare the planet for consumption by another entity , a creature called the One . The Many tell Kirk where to find the One . Scotty , having fitted a new pair of warp engines to the " Enterprise " , is tasked with locating the One , and brings along the Enterprise Five as observers for the Talin . Once beyond the jurisdiction of the Federation , Scotty orders Kirk and the rest of the crew to assume their usual posts . The One is revealed to be a massive , planet - sized creature moving slowly through space towards Talin IV . Spock posits that the One is immensely old , possibly older than this universe . In sixty years , the One will reach Talin IV and consume it . While McCoy advocates destruction of the One , comparing it to a dangerous shark or other predator . Kirk points out that a shark can ' t help being a shark ; moreover , it is extremely unlikely that the " Enterprise " ( or all of Starfleet , for that matter ) could have the firepower necessary to destroy the impossibly old planet - sized creature . The Federation and the Talin arrange for the One to be redirected to a gas giant in the Talin system , saving both the Talin and the One . Thanks to Spock ' s presentation to the Federation Council and the truth about what happened at Talin revealed , emergency relief is rushed to aid the stricken world . Just as the rescue mission commences , Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise Five are reinstated to full rank and resume their mission , with an apology from the Federation . Spock discovers that through a natural ability to weave a protective cocoon , over two billion Talin have survived the disaster , and are waiting in hibernation . Kirk leads the first away team to the planet ' s surface , and makes the long - awaited first contact with a Talin child , with the words , " " Let me help . " " Memorable quotes . " " You have broken our most sacred commandment , James T . Kirk – and in doing so , destroyed a world . " " " " As of this day , you are relieved of your command , stripped of your rank and all accompanying privileges , and discharged from Starfleet . " " " " May whatever gods there are have mercy on your soul . " "