A pre-warp civilization was any society or culture that had not yet become a warp-capable civilization; that is, one that has not discovered and utilized faster-than-light spaceflight like the warp drive. Pre-warp cultures could range in technology level from extremely primitive, such as a pre-industrial society; to that of Earth in the mid-21st century, where spacecraft utilized sublight technology. (Star Trek Into Darkness; Star Trek: First Contact; TOS: "The Omega Glory"; TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers") Usually pre-warp civilizations were confined to their homeworld; however, their technical abilities could be sophisticated enough to expand throughout their star system or even beyond. (ENT: "Dear Doctor"; TOS: "Patterns of Force"; Star Trek: Insurrection)
The United Federation of Planets sometimes used an industrial scale and a technological rating to assess pre-warp civilizations. For example, the natives of Sigma Draconis III had, as of 2268, an industrial scale rating of B – equivalent to Earth in 1485 – and a technological rating of 3. (TOS: "Spock's Brain") Another scale was Richter's scale of cultures, which might assign a rating of class D- to an agrarian culture. (TOS: "Errand of Mercy")
The Federation's Prime Directive interdicted any disturbance of such civilizations, including any form of contact, until a culture had independently proven its warp-capability. Otherwise, any involvement in the development of pre-warp societies could result in the contamination of their culture, thereby altering their natural evolution. The Federation did allow limited covert research to be conducted on pre-warp civilizations, usually by means of a duck blind. (TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers"; Star Trek: Insurrection) Observation teams could also be placed among a civilization as a prelude to first contact. (TNG: "First Contact")
In the 32nd century, the Emerald Chain crime syndicate was notorious for contacting pre-warp civilizations in distress, such as the Kwejian, and offering "assistance" in the form of predatory deals. Such civilizations usually collapsed as a result. (DIS: "The Sanctuary", "There Is A Tide...")
Pre-warp civilizations[]
| Species/Culture | Homeworld | Technology level | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 892-IV natives | 892-IV | 2267: Post-industrial, equivalent to Earth's mid-20th century | TOS: "Bread and Circuses" | |
| Akaali | Akaali homeworld | 2151: Pre-industrial | ENT: "Civilization" | |
| Allos' species | Allos' homeworld | 2374: Interplanetary, capable of synthesizing Omega molecules in enormous quantities | This civilization was experiencing crucial resource shortages as of 2374. | VOY: "The Omega Directive" |
| Alpha Carinae II natives | Alpha Carinae II | TOS: "The Ultimate Computer" | ||
| Amerind inhabitants | Amerind | 2268: Pre-industrial, agrarian | Amerind's inhabitants were Humans; specifically American Indians transplanted from Earth by the Preservers. | TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome" |
| Angel I natives | Angel I | 2364: Post-industrial | In contact with aliens despite being pre-warp. | TNG: "Angel One" |
| Ba'ku | Ba'ku | 2375: Pre-industrial | The Ba'ku were warp-capable as of 2375, and were, in fact, refugees from their original homeworld, but their culture rejected technology and willingly confined themselves to their planet. | Star Trek: Insurrection |
| Barkonians | Barkon IV | 2370: Pre-industrial | TNG: "Thine Own Self" | |
| Betans | Beta III | 2267: Industrial | The Betans were originally more technologically advanced prior to Landru's rise to power. Though freed from Landru's control in 2267, they had begun serving the entity again before or during 2380. | TOS: "The Return of the Archons"; LD: "No Small Parts" |
| Boraalans | Boraal II (original) Vacca VI (adopted) |
2370: Pre-industrial | The Boraalan homeworld was sterilized by an atmospheric dissipation in 2370; the USS Enterprise-D transplanted the survivors to a new planet without their knowledge. | TNG: "Homeward" |
| Brekkians | Brekka | 2364: Interplanetary | In contact with aliens despite being pre-warp. Their homeworld was invaded by the Breen in 2381. | TNG: "Symbiosis" |
| Capellans | Capella IV | 2267: Pre-industrial | In contact with aliens despite being pre-warp. | TOS: "Friday's Child" |
| Deleb | Persephone III | 2259: Pre-industrial | SNW: "Children of the Comet" | |
| Delta Theta III aborigines | Delta Theta III | 2270: Pre-industrial | TAS: "Bem" | |
| Dremans | Benev Selec (Drema IV) | 2365: Post-industrial | TNG: "Pen Pals" | |
| Edo | Rubicun III | 2364: Post-industrial | In contact with aliens despite being pre-warp. | TNG: "Justice" |
| Ekosians | Ekos | 2268: Interplanetary | TOS: "Patterns of Force" | |
| Enderprizians | Planet 0042692 | 2384: Industrial | Due to cultural contamination by Ensign Garrovick in the late-2260s, Enderprizian culture as of 2384 imitated that of 23rd-century Starfleet. | PRO: "All the World's a Stage" |
| Eminians | Eminiar VII | 2267: Post-industrial, possibly interplanetary | TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon" | |
| Fabrini | Fabrini homeworld | 2268: Pre-industrial | The Fabrini homeworld was destroyed by the Fabrina supernova millennia ago; their surviving civilization was confined to Yonada as of 2268. | TOS: "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" |
| Fantome's species | The Void | N/A | As of 2378, the species subsisted off of resources stolen from starships, and had no known organized civilization. | VOY: "The Void" |
| Gem's species | Gem's planet | TOS: "The Empath" | ||
| Genome colony | Moab IV | 2368: Post-industrial | Genome was an isolated Human colony. | TNG: "The Masterpiece Society" |
| Gosis' species | Gosis' species homeworld | 2152: Post-industrial, equivalent to Earth's mid-20th century | ENT: "The Communicator" | |
| Halem'nites | Halem'no | 3191: Pre-industrial | DIS: "Whistlespeak" | |
| Hanonians | Hanon IV | 2373: Pre-industrial, stone age | VOY: "Basics, Part II" | |
| Iotians | Sigma Iotia II | 2268: Post-industrial machine age, equivalent to Earth's early 20th century | TOS: "A Piece of the Action" | |
| Kalar | Rigel VII | 2259: Pre-industrial, Bronze Age | SNW: "Among the Lotus Eaters" | |
| Kataan natives | Kataan | 14th century: Post-industrial, atomic age | Their sun went nova in the 14th century, causing the species to become extinct. | TNG: "The Inner Light" |
| Kelemane's species | Kelemane's planet | 2376: N/A | Due to the rapid passage of time on the planet (caused by its tachyon core), this civilization advanced from pre-industrial to interplanetary in mere weeks (from an outside perspective) in 2376. | VOY: "Blink of an Eye" |
| Kelis' species | Kelis' homeworld | 2376: Industrial, bronze age | VOY: "Muse" | |
| Kelpiens | Kaminar | 2257: Pre-industrial | The Kelpiens shared their planet with the warp-capable Ba'ul. They became warp-capable in 2258. | ST: "The Brightest Star"; DIS: "The Sound of Thunder" |
| Kiley | Kiley 279 | 2259: Post-industrial, equivalent to Earth's early-21st century | The Kiley witnessed the Battle near Xahea in 2258 and reverse-engineered warp technology for use in weaponry; the USS Archer and USS Enterprise made contact with them in 2259 and pursuaded them to pursue space exploration instead. | SNW: "Strange New Worlds" |
| Kolarans | Kolarus III | 2379: Industrial, equivalent to Earth's mid-20th century | Star Trek Nemesis | |
| Kwejian | Kwejian | 3189: Industrial | The Kwejian were "uplifted" by the Emerald Chain following the Burn, with the Chain providing access to spaceflight while helping them deal with sea locusts. | DIS: "The Sanctuary" |
| Ligonians | Ligon II | 2374: Post-industrial | In contact with aliens despite being pre-warp. | TNG: "Code of Honor" |
| Loque'eque | Loque'eque homeworld | Post-industrial, capable of engineering Mutagenic viruses | The Loque'eque went extinct centuries prior to 2153. | ENT: "Extinction" |
| Makull's species | Makull's homeworld | 2371: Post-industrial, atomic age | VOY: "Time and Again" | |
| Malcorians | Malcor III | 2367: Post-industrial, possibly interplanetary | While technically warp-capable as of 2367, Chairman Avel Durken chose to suppress the technology in order to better prepare his people for first contact. | TNG: "First Contact" |
| Menk | Valakis | 2151: Pre-industrial | The Menk shared their homeworld with the technologically-superior Valakians. | ENT: "Dear Doctor" |
| Mintakans | Mintaka III | 2365: Pre-industrial, bronze age | TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers" | |
| Miri natives | Miri | 2266: Pre-industrial | Miri was identical to Earth, but with a divergent history. A life prolongation project in the mid-20th century produced a virus that killed all adults ("Grups"), leaving long-lived children ("Onlies") as the only survivors. | TOS: "Miri" |
| Na'rel natives | Na'rel | 2248: Industrial | SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera" | |
| Neural natives | Neural | 2268: Pre-industrial | Neural was "uplifted" by the Klingon Empire, who gave them flintlock firearms in 2267. | TOS: "A Private Little War" |
| Nibirans | Nibiru | 2259: Pre-industrial | Star Trek Into Darkness | |
| Ocampa | Ocampa | 2371: Post-industrial | The Ocampa were dependent on the Caretaker for resources as of 2371. | VOY: "Caretaker" |
| Ohawk | Man-us II | SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera" | ||
| Omega IV natives | Omega IV | 2268: Industrial, iron age | Technological civilization was wiped out by biological warfare, regressing them to the iron age. | TOS: "The Omega Glory" |
| Otrin's species | Otrin's homeworld | 2378: Pre-industrial | The species' post-industrial civilization was decimated by an antimatter disaster prior to 2378. | VOY: "Friendship One" |
| Ornarans | Ornara | 2364: Interplanetary | In contact with aliens despite being pre-warp. | TNG: "Symbiosis" |
| Perrican | Perrican | SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera" | ||
| Sarpeidon natives | Sarpeidon | 2269: Post-industrial | Their homeworld was destroyed by the Beta Niobe supernova in 2269; the species fled into the planet's past via time portals. | TOS: "All Our Yesterdays" |
| Sigma Draconis III natives | Sigma Draconis III | 2268: Pre-industrial, medieval ages, equivalent to Earth in 1485 | TOS: "Spock's Brain" | |
| Sigma Draconis IV natives | Sigma Draconis IV | 2268: Post-industrial, equivalent to Earth in 2030 | ||
| Takarians | Takarian homeworld | 2373: Pre-industrial, bronze age | VOY: "False Profits" | |
| Taurus II anthropoids | Taurus II | 2267: Pre-industrial, stone age | TOS: "The Galileo Seven" | |
| Terralysium inhabitants | Terralysium | 2257: Pre-industrial | Humans transplanted from Richmond, Indiana in 2053. | DIS: "New Eden" |
| Vaalians | Gamma Trianguli VI | 2267: Pre-industrial, stone age | TOS: "The Apple" | |
| Valakians | Valakis | 2151: Interplanetary | The Valakians shared their homeworld with the technologically-inferior Menk. Though pre-warp, they were familiar with aliens and capable of limited interstellar travel. | ENT: "Dear Doctor" |
| Vendikans | Vendikar | 2267: Post-industrial, possibly interplanetary | Vendikar was formerly an Eminian colony. | TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon" |
| Ventu | Ledos | 2378: Pre-industrial, stone age | An isolated society of Ledosians. | VOY: "Natural Law" |
| Veridian IV natives | Veridian IV | 2371: Pre-industrial | Star Trek Generations | |
| Vori | Vori homeworld | 2374: Post-industrial, equivalent to Earth's 20th century | VOY: "Nemesis" | |
| Zeons | Zeon | 2268: Interplanetary | TOS: "Patterns of Force" |
Species 262 and 263 were described as "primitive" and may have been pre-warp as well.