GMing the Organian Peace Treaty. . .

[Cdre Bob Wesley]

I don't get the Organian peace treaty.

The Memory Alpha write up is very sparse. It looks like the stipulation is "demonstrate its ability to develop that planet most efficiently."

But demonstrate to who?

Per Neutral Zone listing @ MemoryAlpha:The name Klingon Neutral Zone was never mentioned on-screen. The nature of the "neutral zone" mentioned in contexts involving Klingons is unclear. A separate Klingon Neutral Zone, from the Romulan Neutral Zone, may have been created by the Treaty of Organia, and eliminated by the Khitomer Accords. Kirk's statement would suggest there was in fact a separate zone, as the Romulan Neutral Zone remained effective even after the Accords.

So how do you more experienced TOS guys work around it?

[Owen E Oulton]

To the Organians. That's why it's called the "Organian" Peace Treaty. Rewatch your TOS, specifically Errand of Mercy.

[PGoodman13]

There are also some references to it in "The Trouble With Tribbles."

[redwood973]

Something that always confused me was the apparent lack of the OPT during ST III: TSFS.

The movie ignored the treaty so it’s an option that we too ignore it.

On the other hand, I guess an argument could be made that the treaty was only in force in certain sectors; say along the Klingon/Federation frontier. Meet up anywhere outside that area and the treaty was not in force and bashing the hell out of each other was perfectly fine.

[Nuclear Fridge]

The John Ford novel "How Much For Just The Planet?" describes what happens when either side tries to lock weapons onto the other within the 'treaty zone'.
Anything to do with weaponry gets too hot to touch -- which included the waste-extraction chamber on the Klingon battlecruiser once. This left the ensign using the chamber with some burns in an embarrassing place.

The Klingon commander reflected that the 'lightbulbs' have some funny ideas on what counts as a weapon!

[jkp1187]

I stole a page from FASA: the Organians simply up and disappeared a few years later, and no more external enforcement of the treaty took place.

They only got involved in the first place because Kirk and the Klingons forced their hand. They said themselves that they find beings on our level of existence annoying to deal with. Sure, they stopped the war because they could, but having turned the firehoses on the angry dogs about to fight, I easily saw them going back to their own level of existence and not paying any more attention unless the dogs actually got in their faces again.

"Canon" is just an excuse for uncreative GMs, I say.

[K.G. Carlson]

DC Comics back in the day eliminated the Organian enforcement of the Treaty as the Excalbians tried to play their game at a much higher level, leaving the Federation and the Klingons left holding the bag if the treaty collapsed. This is how they explained Star Trek III.

I love it; using canon to explain faults in canon.

[Nuclear Fridge]

"I'll see your obscure throwaway reference, and raise you mine!"