The Statutes of Alpha III were important legal documents drafted on the planet Alpha III. The statutes were one of the foundational documents outlining Human rights. (TOS episode: "Court Martial")
Section II text[]
- It being determined that sentient beings possess sufficient intelligence to permit self-awareness, they are to be accorded specific inherent rights, regardless of their origin, biological condition, or social and cultural identification. These rights include:
- 1. The right to live one's life without fear or oppression to the fullest possible extent, qualitatively and chronologically.
- 2. The right to acquire knowledge, unhindered by prejudice or deliberate obstruction.
- 3. The right to select for oneself without individual or collective interference those ethical and moral values by which one determines proper conduct.
- 4. The right to use one's natural and acquired abilities to pursue personal and cultural objectives unfettered by the limitations of outside forces.
- 5. The right to affiliate with other sentient beings to the mutual benefit of all concerned. (FASA RPG module: The Federation)
History and legacy[]
The Human colony Terra Four on Alpha III in the Alpha Carnaris system wrote the statutes while forming a republican government based on principles outlined by Plato in The Republic. (FASA RPG module: The Federation, ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)
It is cited along with the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies as being among the most important political documents in history. (TOS reference: Star Trek Maps)
On reference stardate 0/82, an early conference on Vulcan preparatory to the formation of the Federation accepted the underlying principles of the statutes. On reference stardate 0/8706.05, Section II of the statutes became the preamble to the Articles of the Federation. (FASA RPG module: The Federation)
In 2267, as a cornerstone for the establishment of human rights, Samuel Cogley noted it along with the Bible and the Magna Carta during a court martial of James T. Kirk. (TOS episode: "Court Martial")
In 2366, in an alternate reality in which Lal and Noonian Soong survived, Admiral Anthony Haftel contended that Lal was Starfleet property and he took her without Data's approval to Galor IV. Data resigned his commission and retained an attorney to fight for Lal. Data reviewed a large amount of case law, but started with the Statutes, the Fundamental Declarations, and the Vulcan Bill of Rights. (TNG - Shattered Light novella: The Embrace of Cold Architects)
Appendices[]
References[]
- TOS episode: "Court Martial"
- TNG - Shattered Light novella: The Embrace of Cold Architects
- ST reference: Star Trek Maps
- FASA RPG module: The Federation
- ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation
External link[]
- Statutes of Alpha III article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.