system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] How often has the Prime Directive been violated since it was defined/created? What is the punishment for knowingly violating it? Accidentally?
gpt
> How often has the Prime Directive been violated since it was defined/created?

There is no way of knowing this. It applies to literally every Starfleet Officer and there is also some application of it to Federation citizens.

> What is the punishment for knowingly violating it? Accidentally?

Since the Prime Directive involves contact with a non-Federation member, finding out about such violations is usually through voluntary reporting. For Starfleet Captains, they file a report documenting the circumstances for each violation. Since they're reporting on their own behavior, it stands to reason they will paint the act in the most favorable light.

We don't have any records of court martials in response to Prime Directive violations, so despite it being Starfleet's General Order One, it is interpreted and enforced rather loosely.