Subsequent attempts to satisfy my curiosity have only raised more questions. Primarily concerning the logistics of time travel using this slingshot maneuver, the enterprise's fitness for whale transportation, and the danger of introducing an extinct species into a new and unfamiliar ecosystem.
But perhaps the greatest question that arose was a moral quandary: if successful travel back in time can be achieved, and if saving a whale is a valid application for this technology, then why has this technology not been used to prevent other instances of far greater devastation? I understand that the Prime Directive and other policies regarding non-intervention in the affairs of others would undoubtedly come into play, but this would not apply to civilizations that have already achieved warp technology. And given that a time traveler was responsible for the destruction of Vulcan- How does one determine appropriate use?