Plot hole: The entire premise of the episode is contradictory; the franchise makes abundantly clear through the so called Prime Directive that the Federation abides to a code (often creating moral dilemmas that may require to stretch the rules) that says that their staff is not supposed to interfere in world that haven't reached warp capabilities, nor involve themselves in their internal matters. In the first half of the episode, Riker and the others just go 'mingle' with the frisky natives without a care in the world, and yet in the second half the Prime Directive itself is referenced explicitly and it is part of the plot.
Suggested correction: They are just enjoying the hospitality of the planet's inhabitants. They are not interfering in their internal affairs or the development of their species. It's only when Wesley gets into trouble that the Prime Directive comes into play. The entire mission of The Enterprise is to make contact with other planets.
Even though they are supposed to make contact with other planets, it's pretty clear in the rest of the series after the first few episodes of Season 1 that they do not (intentionally) contact people that have no warp capability.
