Wow, your PCs have managed to create the poster child case for violating the Prime Directive and are all on their way to a penal colony.
1) Assuming they scanned the planet before beam down, they would have know the tech level of the locals. By beaming down in front of them in full uniform, that alone violates the Prime Directive. If they didn't scan the planet first, then why not?
2) The PCs revealed the presence of a superior technology in front of the locals, doesn't matter that they thought they were doing the right thing. They interfered with the natural development of THIS Earth.
Originally Posted by
Cdre Bob Wesley
- The crew gave self-revelation and self-identification of members of Starfleet, extraterrestrial members of Starfleet, mission, and technological capabilities to a pre-warp civilization of an alternate Earth, through a Vulcan mind-meld, which included references to space, other worlds, and/or advanced civilizations.
3) This is what is going to send them all away for life. Regardless of using a mind meld to impart the information, they have directly assisted in advancing the technology of a primitive people. This is about the grossest most flagrant violation of the Prime Directive I have ever heard. As GM you have no choice, everyone involved has to be cashiered and go to jail for life, no other result is possible. That puts you in a bad spot as GM as you will lose all of your PCs, but you have no choice. If you don't hit them with the full resources of Federation law, the Prime Directive and all other regulations are just white noise that the PCs can ignore at will.
"For to win 100 victories in 100 battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill." Sun Tzu - The Art of War