Starfleet General Orders and Regulations

Starfleet General Orders and Regulations (or Basic Orders) are a series of guidelines used to instruct members of Starfleet on the proper etiquette and policy in a situation that requires consultation for a resolution.

These guidelines are especially useful in situations where flag officers cannot be consulted to resolve a situation. (VOY episode: "Equinox")

Several of the first one hundred-plus Starfleet Orders used by the Federation Starfleet, were in place during the 22nd century, evidently implemented by Earth Starfleet. (ENT episode: "Hatchery")

Starfleet Charter Articles

• Article 14, Section 31: The exact language has never been cited, but certain lines in this section permit the use of "extraordinary measures" in times of dire emergency. (NF novel: Blind Man's Bluff)

Federation Regulations

• Book 19, Section 433, Paragraph 12: Regulation concerning the ability of ranking Federation officials to give direct orders to Starfleet officers. Referred to but not cited by High Commissioner Mitchell Ferris in 2267 during the search for the missing shuttlecraft Galileo.

Galactic Emergency Procedures

• Title 15 of these procedures allows ranking Federation officials to assume direct command of Starfleet vessels under certain conditions. (TOS episode: "The Galileo Seven")

General Orders

• General Order 1: "No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society."

General Order 1 is also better known as the Prime Directive. It supersedes all other laws and directives, with the exception of the Omega Directive.

• Suborder 25, paragraph 9: Starfleet officers are prohibited from directly intervening in the natural outcome of any internally motivated political or military conflict, even if non-intervention would result in the extinction of an entire species or the end of all life on a planet or star system. (TOS comic: "Mission's End, Issue 4")

• General Order 2: Killing intelligent life is prohibited. (TAS - Log One novelization: One of Our Planets is Missing)
• General Order 3: The sovereignty of each Federation member being respected in all things, Starfleet personnel shall observe any and all statutes, laws, ordinances, and rules of governance currently in effect within the jurisdiction of a member planet. Violators of such ordinances will be subject to such punishments or corrections as shall be determined by local governmental bodies. (FASA: The Federation)

This corresponds to what is said by Plasus in "The Cloud Minders".

• General Order 4: Said to be the only death penalty left on the books.

This contradicts General Order 7 below, which is also said to be the only death penalty left. If relations with the Talosians have not changed, it could be this new General Order might have been made to include other planets that might be a threat to the Federation like Talos IV. It is also possible that in "Turnabout Intruder," Chekov misspoke.

According to the CD-ROM game Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, the USS Enterprise computer states General Order 4 is sometimes confused with General Order 7.

In "Justice", Picard reveals that the Federation no longer carries out capital punishment, implying that the punishment for General Order #4/#7 has been changed.

• General Order 5: In cases of extreme emergency, Federation special representatives are empowered to deal with a condition or circumstance that is deemed hazardous to the welfare of Federation citizenry. Within the scope of these emergency powers, duly authorized civilian personnel may assume temporary command of Starfleet vessels and/or personnel to deal with the emergency. Starfleet personnel must submit to their authority for the duration of the crisis. (FASA: The Federation)

This corresponds to what is seen in "A Taste of Armageddon" and possibly "Metamorphosis".

• General Order 6: If all life aboard a Federation starship has perished, the ship will self-destruct within twenty-four hours to protect other ships from potential hazards within.

According to Federation: The First 150 Years, the order states:
"In the manufacturing and maintenance of Starfleet ships and facilities, it is forbidden for Starfleet personnel to use resources supplied by a third party whose mining, manufacturing and processing standards have not been judged to meet the minimum standards of safety and quality assurance set by Starfleet Command.

• General Order 7: No vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit Talos IV.

This is also said to be the only death penalty left in the United Federation of Planets.

This order must have been rescinded for General Order 4 which is also the only death penalty left on the books. As noted above, Chekov may have also misspoken in "Turnabout Intruder."

According to the CD-ROM game Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, the USS Enterprise computer states General Order 7, and the death penalty associated with it, more generally refers to high treason.

• General Order 12: On the approach of any vessel, when communications have not been established...

Saavik was interrupted before completing the quotation of the order, but it is implied that the ship is supposed to take a defensive posture when faced with a non-communicative ship.

• General Order 13: Given by the commanding officer of a Federation starship, a directive for the crew to abandon the vessel. (TOS movie & novelization: Star Trek)
• General Order 15: No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort.

Kirk stated there was no such regulation, although this was likely intended simply to discourage Saavik.

• General Order 16: was a long-standing order initiated by Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth Starfleet in 2151, directing any ship detecting a specific energy pattern emitted from devices known as the "Malkus Artifacts" to investigate, and to confiscate said devices. (ENT - The Brave and the Bold, Book One short story: "Prelude: Discovery") General Order 16 was activated four times: in 2266, 2370, 2371, and 2376. (ST - The Brave and the Bold, Book One novellas: The First Artifact, The Second Artifact; ST - The Brave and the Bold, Book Two novellas: The Third Artifact, The Final Artifact)
• General Order 21: Access to the Gateway system is restricted. (STO video game: Star Trek Online)
• General Order 24: An order to destroy all life on an entire planet, given only if a commanding officer deems that a society poses a clear and present danger to the Federation.

This order was created after an incident in 2257 when Captain Pike destroyed the surface of Eridios to prevent space-time from disintegrating according to "All Our Yesterdays". This order has been given by Captain Kirk (in "A Taste of Armageddon") and Captain Garth; on neither occasion was the order actually fulfilled. The only recorded instances of this order actually being carried out was the first issue of the non-canon Gold Key Comics Star Trek series: "PLANET OF NO RETURN" and the Vanguard novel Reap the Whirlwind. Evidence suggests this order may also be rescinded; the Eminiar Amendment to the Federation Charter specifically prohibits the destruction of any planet, even in wartime. (TNG novel: A Time to Kill) The use of General Order 24 is implied in "Operation -- Annihilate!" but avoided.

• General Order 30: Deals with states of alert where hostilities are considered likely. (TOS novel: Timetrap)
• Self Defense General Order (number unspecified, non-canon) - Starfleet vessels will respond to force with equal force and no more. (DC Comics, "Ashes of Eden", 1995)

Proposed General Orders

• Following the Borg incursion of 2380, a new General Order was proposed by Starfleet Command. The proposed order stated that in the event that a Borg incursion into Federation space was detected, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was empowered to take what ever steps he saw as necessary to protect the Federation, and that his actions could not be countermanded nor could he be censured afterward. (TNG novel: Before Dishonor)

Starfleet Directives

• Directive 010: "Before engaging alien species in battle, any and all attempts to make first contact and achieve nonmilitary resolution must be made." (VOY episode: "In the Flesh", TNG novel: The Buried Age)
• Directive 012: "When engaged in contact with an unknown alien species, all attempts must be made to resolve said combat using minimum necessary force." In the manual, there is a discussion section stressing the importance of achieving communication with the hostiles so that conflict can be understood and resolved through diplomatic means. Such a battle is often the result of a misunderstanding or an unintentional intrusion into the territory of the attacking ship. (TNG novel: The Buried Age)
• Directive 072: This directive prohibits the release of enemy prisoners during wartime without authorization from Starfleet Command. (TOS - Star Trek: The Manga - Uchu comic: "Art of War")
• Directive 101: "Any individual accused of murder does not have to answer any questions."
• Directive 731.9: The removal of Vic Fontaine's holographic system from Deep Space 9 to Jupiter Station. (DS9 short story: "So a Horse Walks into a Bar...")
• Tactical Directive 36A: "The captain will not engage a hostile force without the protection of a security officer." (VOY episode: "Unimatrix Zero)
• Prime Directive
• Omega Directive
• Temporal Prime Directive
• Unnamed Directive: "When an alien force, organism or people of demonstrated unfriendly intentions and unknown capabilities attempts to take control of a major Federation starship, prevention of such takeover assumes precedence over all else – including the well-being of any Federation citizen or group thereof". (TAS - Log Three novelization: Once Upon a Planet)

Starfleet Orders

• Starfleet Order 1-202-B: A rarely used Starfleet regulation which permitted senior officers to commandeer private, commercial, and military spacecraft in emergency situations. (TOS - Star Trek II Short Stories short story: "The Blaze of Glory")
• Starfleet Order 2: Starfleet regulation against the taking of intelligent life.
• Starfleet Order 104: Paragraph B - In the absence of a starship's assigned captain, a flag officer has the authority to assume command of the starship should he deem it necessary.
• Starfleet Order 104: Section C - Should it be proven with admissible evidence that the flag officer who has assumed command is medically or psychologically unfit for command, the starship's ranking officer may relieve him on that basis.
• Starfleet Order 2005: Orders the destruction of a starship by allowing matter and antimatter to mix in an uncontrolled manner. This is a last resort for a captain that allows him/her to prevent their ship or crew from falling into enemy hands. (TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture) (see also: Self destruct)
• Special Order 66715: Federation order that states: "[Starfleet has] the authority to neutralize security threats to Deep Space 9 by any means necessary". In a Section 31 holoprogram Luther Sloan initiated the order. Starfleet initiated this order following the fall of Betazed. (DS9 episode: "Inquisition", DS9 novel: Hollow Men)

Starfleet Regulations

• Regulation 3, Paragraph 12: In the event of imminent destruction, a Starfleet Captain is authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means.

Captain Ransom attempted to use this regulation to convince Captain Janeway that the actions he took against the Ankarian nucleogenic creatures were justified, but Captain Janeway doubted that the regulation covered mass murder.

• Regulation 6.57: At least two staff officers to be present during any treaty or contract negotiations.

This was actually a fictional regulation made up by Jean-Luc Picard to allow Beverly Crusher to beam down to Aldea with him.

• Regulation 7, Paragraph 4: an officer is to be placed under arrest if accused of violating the Prime Directive, unless that officer can give satisfactory answer to such charge in the presence of the most senior fellow officers available. (TOS episode: "The Omega Glory", TOS novel: Prime Directive)
• Regulation 12, Chapter 4: Relates to the Captain undertaking command of an away mission.

During the Best Man Speech Picard states the Data will never let him undertake an away mission, Data is told to shut up by Picard before he can complete reciting the regulation.

• Regulation 19, Section C: A regulation allowing an officer to take command of a starship. It is active only under at least one of three conditions:
  • When an imminent threat is detected
  • When the lives of Federation citizens are in danger
  • When no other officers of equal or higher rank are present to mitigate this threat.(DSC episode: "Brother")
• Regulation 21, Section 6, Paragraph 4: "Federation security supersedes the rights and privileges of Federation citizens." (New Worlds, New Civilizations short story: "An Enigma Wrapped in a Puzzle")
• Regulation 42/15: "Pressure Variances in IRC Tank Storage" Part of the basic operational specifications for impulse engines, cited by Geordi La Forge. Written by Montgomery Scott, who told him to ignore it, saying: "A good engineer is always a wee bit conservative... at least on paper."
• Regulation 46A: If transmissions are being monitored during battle, no uncoded messages on an open channel.
• Regulation 73-C, Subsection A: Required all Starfleet personnel to undergo a routine psychological scan at least once a year, or whenever deemed necessary by a physician. (TOS novel: Strangers from the Sky)
• Regulation 106, Paragraph 1: Bars the chief engineer from resigning while their ship is undergoing a class-two refit. (TOS novel: Prime Directive)
• Regulation 157, Section 3, Paragraph 18: Starfleet officers shall take all necessary precautions to minimize any participation in historical events.
• Regulation 191, Article 14: In a combat situation involving more than one ship, command falls to the vessel with tactical superiority.
• Regulation 256.15: "Officers shall show professional behavior at all times." (TOS novel: Vulcan's Forge)
• Regulation 476.9: All away teams must report to the bridge at least once every 24 hours.
• Regulation 619: Officers must remove themselves from duty if a mission renders them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions. (TOS movie, novelization & comic adaptation: Star Trek)
• Regulation 927.9: Officers are prohibited from willfully endangering a prisoner's life. (TOS novel: Sanctuary)
• Regulation 2477.3: Officers are prohibited....

Spock was relaying this regulation to Captain Kirk, when Kirk interrupted him. (TOS novel: Sanctuary)

• Regulation 2884.3: Substances unstable in an oxygen atmosphere must be handled with care.
• Regulation 3287.0: Due to its high volatile nature, antimatter must be stored in magnetic confinement pods.
• Regulation 5782, paragraph A: "A starship commander is empowered to act in the name of the Federation to adjudicate felony matters when so requested by local authority over Federation citizenry." (FASA RPG module: Witness for the Defense)
• Regulation Zed Alpha-Nine: "In a potential combat zone the ranking security officer is advised to remain on duty whenever possible." (TNG novel: The Captains' Honor)
• Procedure Q: If a state of deep hostility exists, a landing party is to beam down fully armed and ready for any kind of trouble.

Starfleet Away Team Guidelines

• Medical Emergency on Alien Terrain: "It is recommended to keep an open com-channel at all times." (VOY episode: "Macrocosm")
• "Specifically forbid the transport of unknown infectious agents onto a starship without establishing containment and eradication protocols." (VOY episode: "Macrocosm")
• Captain leading Away Teams: Starfleet Code Section 12, Paragraph 4 (TNG movie: Star Trek Nemesis)
• Starfleet Regulation #476.9: "All Away Teams must report to the Bridge at least once every 24 hours."(VOY episode: "Once Upon a Time")

Starfleet Security Protocols

• Protocol 28 (Subsection D): "In the event of hostile alien takeover the EMH is to deactivate and wait for rescue." (VOY episode: "Message in a Bottle")

Starfleet Medical Protocols

• Protocol 121 (Section A): The Chief Medical Officer has the power to relieve an officer or crewman, including a superior one, of their duties if in the officer's professional judgment, he or she is medically unfit. (TNG episode: "Lonely Among Us"; VOY episode: "Year of Hell, Part II"; SCE eBook: Oaths)

Starfleet/Federation Codes

• Code 1: signals either a total or imminent disaster, a possible invasion, or indicates that the Federation is either currently or about to be engaged in open warfare with a hostile power. The code requires all Starfleet personnel within the affected area to immediately assume a 'war' footing or posture. It is also colloquially known as "Defense Alert", or a "Priority One Alert". (TOS episodes: "Errand of Mercy", "The Trouble with Tribbles", "The Alternative Factor")

• Code 7-10: a "quarantine code". No Starfleet or Federation-registered starship is to approach a system or vessel which is broadcasting Code 7-10. (TOS episode: "A Taste of Armageddon")

• Code 47: an ultra-secure communications protocol. So secure that all traces of a Code 47 transmission or communication are automatically wiped from all computer records. (TNG episode: "Conspiracy")

Federation Code of Conduct

• The Federation Code of Conduct expressly forbids revealing information to forces that are harmful to the Federation. (TNG novel: The Forgotten War)

Non-specific regulations

Health-Related

• "All research personnel on alien planets are required to have their health certified by a starship surgeon at one-year intervals." (TOS episode: "The Man Trap")

• "The ship's surgeon will require a full examination of any crew member that he has doubts about, including the Captain." (TOS episode: "Turnabout Intruder")

• "Nothing shall be beamed aboard until danger of contamination has been eliminated. Beaming down to the surface (of a planet) is permitted, if the Captain decides the mission is vital, and reasonably free of danger". (TOS movie: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; VOY episode: "Macrocosm")

• "The Chief Medical Officer outranks the captain in health matters." (VOY episode: "Persistence of Vision")
  • A captain cannot order a doctor to violate Doctor-Patient Confidentiality, except in situations of ship security. (VOY episode: "Fury")

• "All Starfleet personnel must obtain authorization from their CO as well as clearance from their medical officer before initiating an intimate relationship with an alien species." (VOY episode: "The Disease")

Miscellaneous

• "Ground combat personnel are to rotate off the front lines every ninety days." (DS9 episode: "The Siege of AR-558")
• "No killing of intelligent lifeforms." (TAS episode: "One of Our Planets Is Missing")
• "Striking a fellow officer is a court-martial offense." (TOS episode: "This Side of Paradise"; VOY episode: "Parallax"; ENT episode: "Bound")
• "Encroaching on the territory of an alien species is prohibited." (VOY episode: "The Swarm")
• "All ships must drop out of warp at the edge of a system before proceeding on to the inner planets" (TNG video game: Bridge Commander)
• Biannual maintenance duty: In the 2270s, starships were required to report to a drydock or repair facility every six months for a thorough maintenance procedure. (TOS comic: "Husian Gambit")

Apocrypha

• UFP Regulation 342-188564.3 (Paragraph 3): A class-3 biohazard alert. All personnel not part of a Biohazard Response Team is to stay away from any site broadcasting such an alert. (Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, Episode 3: "Love's Labor Jeopardized")
• An edition of Starfleet General Orders

External links

• Starfleet General Orders and Regulations article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.