History Main / ObstructiveCodeOfConduct

** Also, "don't alter a fixed point in time." This means that some events have to happen (usually bad events), and if the Doctor alters them, he risks the complete destruction of reality. That hasn't stopped both him and River Song from breaking this rule, but the consequences are never pleasant. This rule exists ''for a reason'', and even the [[AbsoluteXenophobe Daleks]] will not EXTERMINATE someone if it threatens a fixed point. Basically, it exists purely to shut up fans who ask "why can't they just go back five minutes and..." (It was first mentioned in The Fires of Pompeii, but we're given a more "real" reason why the destruction of Pompeii must happen: activating the volcano was the only way to stop an otherwise world-ending enemy. The next time is The Waters of Mars. Basically, the whole "Time Lord Victorious" thing is coming, which means we need a good reason for ''saving people'' being a horrible act of hubris that makes the Doctor a near-villain or wanting to do it.

** The Nox are perhaps even ''more'' into this idea. Both they and the Nox get incredibly annoying about it ("You are very young," anyone?) The Asgard initially take this path as well, [[spoiler:until they're just about to go extinct, at which point they dump the sum total of their knowledge on us, superweapons and all]].

* Da Rules from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' restricted the unlimited magic of fairies, disallowing them from making people fall in or out of love, or die, or to maim, crush, cut, etc. (directly, anyhow; it was theorized on the show one could turn someone into an ice sculpture then "poof" them into the sun), or break the law, such as asking for money (as they can't make more, which is counterfeiting, or get some from others, which would be stealing). Some of these rules seem like simple incapabilities on the fairies' part; others are breakable but have huge consequences, such as revealing the fairy godparents to anyone who isn't already aware of them. They are frequently broken [[RuleOfFunny as comedy requires]].

* The Caretaker Gods of ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'' have an active version of this. They prevent terragen lifeforms (anything with an ancestry going back to Earth) from contacting various planets, moon, and solar systems that they have declared to be protected. This includes [[EarthThatWas Old Earth]] [[AIIsACrapshoot itself]].

* Spoofed in ''Sev Trek: Pus in Boots'' when Commander Piker (Will Riker) is [[RiseOfZitboy infected by an enormous zit]] that turns out to be an [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong evolving sentient lifeform]].
-->'''Captain Pinchhard:''' Number One, I can't order you to host the pimple; I can only remind you of the [[PoliticalOvercorrectness PC Directive]], and your responsibilities as a Sevfleet officer!
-->'''Piker:''' Captain, I have my own directive -- [[IncrediblyLamePun Always look out for Number One]]. The zit goes!
-->'''Pinchhard:''' Belay that popping!
-->'''Piker:''' I see -- it's my choice only if I choose what ''you'' want!

* In ''Literature/GenkaiLevelOneKaraNoNariagari'', as much as it's in Tetsuya's best interests to absorb every single corpse he comes across, his elf mentor strictly forbids him from absorbing the corpse of anything that hasn't been killed by him or his immediate party as she sees looting corpses that weren't their own personal kills as grave-robbing and "necromancy," which she hates. She turns a blind eye to the fact that Tetsuya's only alive to help them because he absorbed the skeletal remains of an ancient earth dragon that he accidentally stumbled upon.

* The ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Wheel of Time]]''[==]'s Aes Sedai are magically bound by three prohibitions: they can't lie, they can't make weapons, and they can't use magic as a weapon except against Shadowspawn or as a last resort in self-defense. They are so well known for [[ExactWords circumventing the prohibition against lying]] that they're invariably met with suspicion. The last prohibition, however, causes the Aes Sedai no end of trouble as they encounter groups bent on their annihilation that are not, technically, allied with the Shadow. They generally circumvent the problem by deliberately placing themselves in mortal danger until they feel that they have no alternatives to letting loose.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is the most famous for this (and the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] being an archetypal example).
-->"As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, [[InvisibleAliens no Star Fleet personnel may interfere with the healthy development of alien life and culture]]. Such interference includes the introduction of superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is [[YouAreNotReady incapable of handling such advantages wisely]]. Star Fleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations, and carries with it the highest moral obligation."
** One of Creator/GeneRoddenberry's favorite [[AnAesop aesops]] involved the distinctions between the ''spirit'' of the law and the ''letter'' of the law. In particular, the "healthy development" phrase proved, on several occasions, to be a loophole big enough to fly the ''Enterprise'' through, while on other occasions, serious debate has been put up on the question of whether getting annihilated by the disaster-of-the-week is part of said "healthy development".
** Currently, there are only two directives that are known to supersede the Prime Directive: the Omega Directive (which aims at [[spoiler:protecting the galaxy from a phenomenon that, if left unchecked, would render interstellar society impossible]]) and the Temporal Prime Directive (don't mess with the timeline).

--->'''River''': This is different. He's interfering in his own past. He can't do that.
--->'''Amy''': He's done it before.
--->'''Rory''': And, in fairness, the universe ''did'' explode.

* In ''Series/JupitersLegacy'', many Union members find their Code's ThouShaltNotKill rule difficult to abide by, particularly if it's a choice of killing or letting someone else die - something that comes back to bite them in the ass so often that the code as such appears to be not just obstructive anymore, but immensely impractical. But Utopian constantly argues that the current state of the world is all the more reason to abide by it.

* The aliens of ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' also had a Prime Directive-like policy about interfering with the Earth. Explained thus:
-->'''Dick:''' We can make little differences, we just can't make global differences.\\
'''Harry:''' Can we blow up the Earth?\\
'''Dick:''' You see, that's a global difference.\\
'''Harry:''' It's so hard to keep track of all this.
* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime'':