What would Picard do?

So BBC America was running a selection of popular ST:TOS episodes, and I was watching “Friday’s Child.” That’s the one where a pregnant Julie Newmar is Eleen, the wife of a tribal chieftain who gets overthrown and slain, and by their law they are about to kill her as well. And she is willing to die, accepting of their law.

And Kirk decks the executioners.

Now this is beyond question a violation of the Prime Directive. Starfleet officers cannot interfere with the social development of a planet, period. In this case the social development called for Eleen to be executed. Kirk not only interferes, but he jeopardizes their mission because they are in competition with a Klingon who is standing right there and was perfectly willing to led Eleen be killed. The Klingon obeys their laws while Kirk does whatever the hell he wants.

The point is, Picard was much more faithful to the Prime Directive. He quoted it constantly and it impacted on all his decisions. So if Picard had been standing there and they were about to execute Eleen, would he have allowed it to happen?

PAD