Required Reading Courses (General Orders and Regulations)
Jul 8, 2019 10:21:19 GMT
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Post by magicmuggle01 on Jul 8, 2019 10:21:19 GMT
Starfleet General Orders and Regulations.
"In a part of space where there are few rules, it's more important than ever that we hold fast to our own. In a region where shifting allegiances are commonplace, we have to have something stable to rely on. And we do. The principles and ideals of the Federation. As far as I'm concerned, those are the best allies we could have."
– Kathryn Janeway, 2372 ("Alliances")
Starfleet General Orders and Regulations were a series of guidelines used to instruct members of Starfleet on the proper etiquette and policy in a situation that required consultation for a resolution. These protocols were the foundation of Starfleet and the responsibility of its officers to uphold and protect, ranging from all manners of duty, such as interstellar diplomacy to punctuation of reports. Violations of protocol could have led to being placed on report, a court martial, demotion of rank, or other reprimands.
These guidelines' fundamental principles were integral for Starfleet officers to help avoid conflicts of interest, (TNG: "Redemption") including one's duty to the truth. (TNG: "The First Duty") Guidelines were useful in many situations, including when flag officers could not be consulted to resolve a situation. (VOY: "Equinox")
Several of the first one-hundred-plus Starfleet Orders were used by the United Earth Starfleet prior to the founding of the Federation. (ENT: "Hatchery")
No Starfleet regulations permitted one's execution without a trial, something Spock reminded James T. Kirk of in 2259 of the alternate reality. The first officer was expressing his concerns about Kirk hunting down and assassinating "John Harrison". He also added that a preemptive strike on Qonos was not permissible either. Kirk reminded him that their orders from Admiral Alexander Marcus was not a matter of Starfleet regulation. Spock then reminded him that apart from regulations, the act would be immoral. Kirk then countered that by saying that regulations aside, rescuing Spock from the volcano on Nibiru was moral, yet nobody congratulated him for doing so. (Star Trek Into Darkness)
As of 2366, there were no regulations prohibiting the unauthorized recreation of Starfleet personnel on the holodeck. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits")
Starfleet Charter Articles
Article 14, Section 31: The exact language has never been cited, but certain lines in this section permitted the use of "extraordinary measures" in times of dire emergency. (ENT: "Divergence")
Federation Regulations
Book 19, Section 433, Paragraph 12: Regulation concerning the ability of ranking Federation officials to give direct orders to Starfleet officers. This regulation was referred to but not cited by High Commissioner Ferris in 2267, during a search for the then-missing shuttlecraft Galileo. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")
Galactic Emergency Procedures
Title 15 of these procedures allowed ranking Federation officials to assume direct command of Starfleet vessels under certain conditions. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")
General Orders
General Order 1: "No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society." (TAS: "The Magicks of Megas-Tu") General Order 1, over time, came to be better known as the Prime Directive. (TNG: "The Drumhead") It superseded all other laws and directives, with the exception of the Omega Directive. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
General Order 4: Though stated in 2269 (stardate 5928.5) that "Starfleet expressly forbids the death penalty", this general order was stated to be the "only one exception", and as such, mutiny was not considered to be in violation of this order. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder")
It was not explained what exactly this order entailed, though mutiny was not considered to be in violation of this particular order
See below for more information on general orders and the death penalty.
General Order 6: If all life aboard a Federation starship had perished at the end of twenty-four hours, the ship would self-destruct to protect other beings from the disease on board. (TAS: "Albatross")
This order is contradicted by the episodes TOS: "The Omega Glory", "The Tholian Web", TNG: "Unnatural Selection", and VOY: "Caretaker" although in regards to the latter, it may have been repealed by 2365.
General Order 7: No vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit Talos IV. This was also said to have been "the only death penalty left on our books". (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I") When broken by Spock in 2267, Starfleet issued the following statement: "In view of historic importance of Captain Pike in space exploration, General Order 7 prohibiting contact Talos IV is suspended this occasion. No action contemplated against Spock. Proceed as you think best." (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part II")
Again, please see below for more information.
General Order 12: "On the approach of any vessel, when communications have not been established..." This order began to be cited by Saavik in 2285, but she was interrupted before completing the quotation of the order. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Despite the interruption, it was implied that the order instructed that the ship was supposed to go to red alert when faced with a non-communicative ship.
General Order 13: Evacuation order for Starfleet vessels. (Star Trek)
General Order 15: "No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort." When Saavik cited this order in 2285, Kirk replied, "There's no such regulation." (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Saavik responding to Kirk's retort with understated amusement suggests either that her description of this general order was not accurate and was intended only to help persuade Kirk to allow her on the landing party, or that the regulation existed and Kirk was knowingly trying to circumvent it.
General Order 24: An order to destroy all life on an entire planet. This order has been given by Captain Garth on Antos IV and Captain Kirk on Eminiar VII. On neither occasion was the order actually fulfilled. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy", "A Taste of Armageddon")
Garth may have explained the spirit of the order when he suggested he gave the order because "I could say they were actively hostile towards the Federation."
The only recorded instances of General Order 24 actually being carried out are the first issue of the Gold Key Star Trek comic series: "The Planet of No Return", and the novel Reap the Whirlwind in the Star Trek: Vanguard series.
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: "In the Flesh")
Directive 101: Any individual accused of a crime does not have to answer any questions (VOY: "Meld")
Omega Directive
The Omega Directive (denoted by Ω) was a highly classified Starfleet general order requiring the captain of a starship to notify Starfleet Command immediately upon detection of an Omega molecule.
Omega lockout screen.
The directive also authorized the use of any and all means to destroy an Omega molecule, superseding all other regulations - even the Prime Directive is considered null and void. The Omega Directive was deemed necessary because of the extreme power and consequently catastrophic threat to interstellar civilizations posed by even a single molecule. Knowledge of the Omega molecule and the Omega Directive was restricted to starship captains and flag officers. Captains received training on how to deal with the issue.
History
In the mid-23rd century, a team of 127 top-Federation scientists, led by the Starfleet physicist Ketteract, was working on a top secret experiment at a classified research center in the Lantaru sector. Research showed a single molecule of Omega contained the same power as a warp core, so theoretically a small chain could sustain a civilization indefinitely. Ketteract's goal was, according to Kathryn Janeway, an inexhaustible power source, though Seven of Nine pointed out its potential use as a weapon. Federation cosmologists theorized that the Omega molecule once existed in nature for an infinitesimal period of time at the exact moment of the big bang; some even claimed Omega was the primal source of energy for the Big Bang.
Research station destroyed by
Omega molecules
The scientists were able to synthesize a single Omega molecule, which only remained stable for a fraction of a second. Upon its nearly instant destabilization, the research center was destroyed, killing all 127 scientists. An unexpected secondary effect [discovered by rescue teams en route] was the rupture of subspace within a radius of several light years, causing warp travel to become a permanent impossibility within this area. Starfleet Command realized the terrible implications: a chain reaction involving a handful of Omega molecules could devastate subspace throughout an entire quadrant, effectively ending interstellar travel for spacefaring civilizations in the quadrant.
Therefore Starfleet Command suppressed all knowledge of the experiment and fabricated the story of a natural phenomenon occurring in the Lantaru sector which made warp travel impossible within the seven-light year radius of subspace devastated by the Omega explosion.
Protocol
Omega molecules being destroyed
Starfleet enacted the Omega Directive in response to the Lantaru incident, naming it after the last letter in the Greek alphabet, chosen to signify the molecule as the ultimate threat not only to the Federation, but to every spacefaring civilization in the entire galaxy. If a starship were to detect an Omega molecule, the following procedure would occur:
The ship's computer would disengage the engines immediately and lock out all computer access, displaying the Greek letter "Omega" on every bridge console. Only the captain would be able to disable the lockout.
In the privacy of his or her ready room or other secured area, with the doors locked, the captain would give the computer the proper high-level security authorization code to access the sensor data.
The computer would then brief the captain regarding the detection of Omega molecules, followed by instructions to implement the Omega Directive at once – disregarding all other priorities, including the Prime Directive.
The captain, absolutely forbidden from discussing anything about what was happening with any member of the crew, would contact Starfleet Command via an encrypted channel to inform them of the situation. Starfleet Command would then dispatch a specialized team authorized to use whatever means necessary to destroy the molecules. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
The only known execution of the Omega Directive occurred in the Delta Quadrant on stardate 51781.2 in 2374 by Captain Janeway, commanding officer of the USS Voyager. On that stardate, Voyager's sensors encountered the shock wave from a nearby Omega explosion, revealing the presence of one or more Omega molecules in the vicinity. However, Voyager was completely out of contact with Starfleet when the detection occurred, with no contact possible in the foreseeable future. Complicating the matter was the fact that Seven of Nine was aware of both the molecule's existence (due to the Borg's own Omega experiments) and the Omega Directive (the Borg having assimilated Starfleet captains, thus their knowledge). Unable to call for an Omega team to deal with the problem, and after reluctantly considering First Officer Chakotay's counsel, Janeway therefore modified the protocols to their unique situation by briefing her senior staff [including Seven] on the directive, effectively enlisting the crew to destroy the molecules. The Voyager crew successfully destroyed the Omega molecules. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
The first known opportunity for the Borg to have learned of the Omega Directive was in 2362, when they presumably assimilated Captain Blackwood along with the rest of the crew of the USS Tombaugh. (VOY: "Infinite Regress") If Blackwood was dead before a drone could get to him, the next and most definite opportunity was when they assimilated Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D into Locutus of Borg in 2367. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")
Apocrypha
The Omega Directive is mentioned by Captain James T. Kirk in the 2006 video game Star Trek: Legacy after a devastating attack spreads thousands of Omega particles into a star system. Kirk asked Starfleet to develop the directive.
The game Star Trek: Armada depicts events of an Omega molecule. It was found by the Ferengi, who were preparing to sell it to the Cardassians, as they did not realize its power. The Romulans led by Sela captured it and hid it at a Romulan starbase where the Borg assimilated it. It was moved to Unimatrix 01 where an invasion force led by the Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance destroyed it and the surrounding Borg sectors.
The Section 31 novel Cloak details the events that lead to the creation of the Omega Directive. In it, the USS Enterprise forces the USS Sphinx out of warp, having been sabotaged by Section 31 in order to prevent them from revealing the research station in the Lantaru sector. This leads to an investigation that reveals Ketteract's experiment to James T. Kirk and the crew of the original Enterprise. Although Kirk tries to appeal to Ketteract to stop the experiment, he is unsuccessful and the events described in "The Omega Directive" come to fruition.
In the game Star Trek Online mission "Sphere of Influence", the player character and major characters from the Federation and Klingon sides are taken by surprise when the character Commander Winters tells everyone that "all the monitors on the bridge are showing an Omega, we're locked out of the computers and the engine's off-line" after the Enterprise-F scanned what was on the other side of the Iconian gateway near Jouret IV, thus setting the stage for the Season 8 expansion.
Temporal Prime Directive
The Temporal Prime Directive was a fundamental Starfleet principle.
All Starfleet personnel were strictly forbidden from directly interfering with historical events and were required to maintain the timeline and prevent history from being altered. It also restricted people from telling too much about the future, so as not to cause paradoxes or alter the timeline.
Lieutenant Ducane told Kathryn Janeway, "Remember the Temporal Prime Directive: discuss your experiences with no one," implying she used wording consistent with the Temporal Prime Directive in the 29th century (at least in that timeline).
The Temporal Prime Directive was directly related to the Prime Directive.
History
Dr. Leonard McCoy was transported from 2267 to 1930 by the Guardian of Forever. During his time there, he prevented Edith Keeler from being killed in a traffic accident, causing a change in the timeline that resulted in the Federation and Starfleet ceasing to exist (or, at least, as known by history). Upon learning of this from the Guardian, Captain James T. Kirk and Spock followed McCoy to 1930, where Kirk acted to preserve the timeline by allowing Keeler to die, even though he had become romantically involved with her. His actions restored the timeline, which culminated in the birth of the Federation and Starfleet. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
The Temporal Prime Directive was mentioned by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2368. Picard postulated that the existence of such a directive might be what was preventing a traveler from the future from aiding him to avert the destruction of Penthara IV. Picard was unaware of any formal Starfleet equivalent to a Temporal Prime Directive at this date. (TNG: "A Matter of Time") Captain Kathryn Janeway was aware of the directive's existence in 2371 (VOY: "Shattered"). This was long before the temporal incursion by Captain Braxton in the timeship Aeon in 2373, indicating that the Temporal Prime Directive was not exclusively a 29th century regulation. (VOY: "Shattered", "Future's End") Julian Bashir once referred to the "temporal displacement policy," a principle taught at Starfleet Academy, in the year 2024, when he traveled back in time to that year from 2371. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I") Starfleet Regulation 157, Section 3, Paragraph 18 also related directly to time travel. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
The events of the Temporal Cold War indicate that the regulation had been rescinded, at least temporarily, by the 31st century. However, the Federation faction in the Temporal Cold War is dedicated primarily to keeping the timeline intact and preventing the other factions from interfering with it, which would be completely in keeping with the Temporal Prime Directive's intent. On a few occasions a temporal agent, Crewman Daniels, had to tell the crew of Enterprise NX-01 some things about the future. (ENT: "Cold Front", et al.)
Violations
This Directive was violated at least twice by USS Voyager crew members from alternate futures. First, Commander Chakotay and Ensign Harry Kim from 2390 altered the past by preventing Voyager from crashing on a Class L planet and killing all aboard. (VOY: "Timeless") Later, an Admiral Kathryn Janeway from the year 2404 went back in time and successfully assisted Voyager in returning some sixteen years earlier than it had in her timeline.
Additionally, the Janeway of the 24th century violated the Directive by accepting the aid of her future self. Her future self took the following attitude regarding the Directive – "It's less of a headache if you just ignore it." Her present self tried to avoid getting knowledge of the future, but after learning that it wasn't so good for several of her close crewmembers, she allowed her future self to tell her about it. Thanks to Admiral Janeway's efforts, Voyager returned home a full sixteen years early (and dealt a crippling blow to the Borg Collective in the process), but the Admiral's efforts were a serious breach of the Directive. (VOY: "Endgame")
It appears that Starfleet had several overlapping rules relating to time travel.
While the Directive was not officially identified in 2370, the senior staff of the USS Enterprise-D did ponder whether Captain Jean-Luc Picard had changed history after his jumps back and forth through time by telling them about the future that he had witnessed, but it was reasoned that his actions would not affect history as he had already changed the future by eliminating the anti-time eruption that had featured in the timelines he witnessed. (TNG: "All Good Things...")
Starfleet Orders
Starfleet Order 2: Starfleet regulation against the taking of intelligent life. (TAS: "One of Our Planets Is Missing")
Starfleet Order 104: Section B, Paragraph 1-A – In the absence of a starship's assigned captain, a flag officer had the authority to assume command of the starship should they have deemed it necessary. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine"; VOY: "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy")
Starfleet Order 104: Section C – Should it be proven with admissible evidence that the flag officer who had assumed command was medically or psychologically unfit for command, the starship's ranking officer could relieve them on that basis. However, such an action was required to be supported by an appropriate certification of unfitness by the ship's chief medical officer (requiring the CMO to also produce test results to that effect) or other clear evidence, such as an act of attempted suicide. (ENT: "Hatchery"; TOS: "The Doomsday Machine"; VOY: "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy")
Starfleet Order 2005: Orders the destruction of a starship by allowing matter and antimatter to mix in an uncontrolled manner. This was a last resort for a captain that allowed them to prevent their ship or crew from falling into enemy hands. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) Admiral James T. Kirk executes this order (without directly citing it) when he orders his officers to initiate the Enterprise's self-destruct sequence in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Starfleet Order 28455: Federation order that dictated the formal relief of a commanding officer by their successor. In the alternate reality, Admiral Richard Barnett told Captain James T. Kirk that, per this order, he had to report to Admiral Christopher Pike to relieve him of command of the Enterprise. (Star Trek)
Special Order 66715: Federation order that stated, "Starfleet has the authority to neutralize security threats to Deep Space 9 by any means necessary." (DS9: "Inquisition").
This might not actually be a real order, as it appeared only in a simulation created by Luther Sloan. Nevertheless, considering the importance of keeping the station under Federation control during the Dominion War, it may also very well have been a real order.
Starfleet Regulations
Regulation 3 (Paragraph 12): In the event of imminent destruction, a Starfleet captain was authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means. Captain Ransom attempted to use this regulation to convince Captain Janeway that actions he took against a species of nucleogenic lifeforms were justified, but Janeway doubted that the regulation covered mass murder. (VOY: "Equinox")
Regulation 7 (Paragraph 4): An officer must consider themselves under arrest, unless in the presence of the most senior fellow officers presently available, the officers must give satisfactory answer to those charges... (TOS: "The Omega Glory").
Section 12, Paragraph 4: Related to the captain undertaking command of an away mission. During his best man speech at the wedding of William T. Riker and Deanna Troi in 2379, Jean-Luc Picard stated that Commander Data would never let him undertake an away mission; Data reacted to that by reciting this regulation but was told to "shut up" by Picard before he could complete his sentence. (Star Trek Nemesis)
Regulation 17.43: In the alternate reality, this regulation related to Starfleet's ethical code of conduct, and was part of the Starfleet Code. Starfleet Academy cadets found cheating were accused to be in violation of the regulation. (Star Trek).
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. (DIS: "Brother")
Regulation 42/15: "Pressure Variances in IRC Tank Storage". Part of the basic operational specifications for impulse engines, written by Montgomery Scott. The tanks could actually handle more pressure than the regulations allowed – in 2369, Geordi La Forge cited it as part of the impulse specifications while he and Scott worked to make the USS Jenolan operational, at which point Scotty, realizing that he was thinking of this regulation, assured him that, as its author, he knew the tanks could be more efficient, but that La Forge should "Forget it. I wrote it; a good engineer is always a wee bit conservative... at least on paper." (TNG: "Relics")
Regulation 46A: If transmissions were being monitored during battle, no uncoded messages were to be transmitted on an open channel. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Regulation 157, Section 3 (Paragraph 18): Starfleet officers were required to take all necessary precautions to minimize any participation in historical events. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"; DIS: "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2")
Regulation 191 (Article 14): In a combat situation involving more than one ship, command fell to the vessel with tactical superiority, should there not be a higher ranking officer present. (VOY: "Equinox")
In the novelization of "Equinox", Janeway admits to herself that she made this regulation up.
Regulation 476.9: All away teams must report to the bridge at least once every twenty-four hours. (VOY: "Once Upon a Time")
Regulation 619: The commanding officer must relieve themselves of command if their current mission leaves them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions. In 2258 of Nero's alternate reality, when, after the destruction of Vulcan, Spock met a young James T. Kirk, marooned by this timeline's Spock, before returning him to the USS Enterprise, he told Kirk to use this regulation in order to take command of the ship. The elder Spock's advice was motivated by knowing that the conservative course his younger self would take would doom Earth to the same fate as Vulcan, while the unorthodox strategy Kirk would follow just might save it. Kirk succeeded in provoking Spock and he resigned command, but acted as Kirk's first officer afterwards, during the Battle of Earth. (Star Trek)
In the novelization of the film, Spock, seeing that Kirk was clearly unfamiliar with the regulation, shrugs and admits that he had almost forgotten what little use the Kirk he knew had for such things.
Regulation 2884.3: Substances unstable in an oxygen atmosphere must be handled with care. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
Regulation 3287.0: Due to its high volatile nature, antimatter must be stored in magnetic confinement pods. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
Regulation 13982: Allows a Starfleet captain to conscript almost any person into service during a time of war. (DIS: "Choose Your Pain")
Reserve activation clause: A "little known" and "seldom used" clause in Starfleet regulations which allowed for the recall of a retired or discharged officer in the event of an emergency. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Starfleet Rules of Conduct had some power to influence the operation of civilian establishments on Starfleet-administered installations, such as Quark's bar on DS9. (DS9: "Emissary")
The Starfleet uniform code governed the proper wearing of the uniform by Starfleet officers.
Unnumbered regulation: Regulation that stated that the captain and first officer could not be on an away mission at the same time. In the alternate reality, Spock told acting captain James Kirk that he would cite this regulation when Kirk volunteered to beam to the Narada with him but did not do so because he knew Kirk would ignore it. (Star Trek) This regulation was also ignored when both Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay were infected with an unknown virus which inhibited their return to Voyager after an away mission. This resulted in both crew members being isolated on a planet in the Delta Quadrant and Lieutenant Tuvok being left in command of Voyager. (VOY: "Resolutions")
Starfleet Away Team Guidelines
"Starfleet protocol demands that away teams remain armed and ready to defend themselves until contact is made." (VOY: "Tattoo")
Medical Emergency on Alien Terrain: "It is recommended to keep an open com-channel at all times." (VOY: "Macrocosm")
"Specifically forbid the transport of unknown infectious agents onto a starship without establishing containment and eradication protocols." (VOY: "Macrocosm")
Unnumbered protocol: Away teams must be composed of more than one crew member. Both Kathryn Janeway and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok cited this protocol to Seven of Nine when conducting an away mission. (VOY: "Hunters")
Starfleet Intelligence Procedures.
Luther Sloan, posing as Deputy Director of Starfleet Intelligence's Department of Internal Affairs, cited standard containment procedures to isolate the senior staff, which included being relieved of duty and confined to quarters. (DS9: "Inquisition")
Since this occurred during a holoprogram, it might not have been a real procedure, although there might have been some basis or truth to it given both the severity of the situation and the lack of (initial) resistance from Julian Bashir, the only other real person during the simulation.
Starfleet Medical Protocols
Regulation 121 (Section A): The chief medical officer has the power to relieve an officer or crewman of his or her duties (including one of superior rank) if, in the CMO's professional judgment, the individual is medically unfit, compromised by an alien intelligence, (TNG: "Lonely Among Us") or otherwise exhibits behavior that indicates seriously impaired judgment. A Starfleet officer can face court martial for failing to submit to such a relief. In an alternate timeline generated by the Krenim, Captain Kathryn Janeway was relieved of her duties under this regulation by Voyager's EMH, who had been observing reckless behavior on her part for weeks and attributed it to Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Janeway refused to surrender her duties, as she felt her efforts to bring her crew home were of more importance. Since security personnel had abandoned the ship, the EMH had no means of enforcing the regulation anyway. Janeway's actions later resulted in the erasure of this timeline, so the issue was non-existent. (VOY: "Year of Hell, Part II") In 2375, aboard the Silver Blood Voyager, Neelix became, unofficially, chief medical officer after the loss of The Doctor. He threatened, in a lighthearted manner, to use his "authority" to relieve Janeway of her duties when she insisted on remaining in command although fatigued. (VOY: "Course: Oblivion")
Unnumbered protocol: A physician must be present when administering arithrazine. A captain, when acting in accordance with the Omega Directive, could override this protocol. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
Starfleet Privacy Protocols
Ensign Harry Kim referred to privacy protocols being violated by Lieutenant Commander Tuvok while the latter was investigating an attack on Ensign Tabor and read a letter that Harry's cousin, Dennis, had sent from Earth. Tuvok stated that, as chief of security, he had authority to suspend the protocols under special circumstances. (VOY: "Repression")
Starfleet Safety Protocols
Safety Directive 3984/A. This regulation prohibited the use of Ultritium 283 in Class K planetary environments or in cryogenic substrates. This directive was updated on stardate 43094.3. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 2884.3. This regulation listed safety regulations for the use of Balter compound 298 and tri-nickolas powder in a Class N (2) planetary environment. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3287.0. This regulation stipulated that antimatter, and its derivative antideuterium, should be stored in magnetic containment pods. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3848. This regulation established precautions for the use of industrial infusion charge applications in hypergravity and microgravity environments. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3907A. This regulation was applicable for all uses of Walkerite 342. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3983. This regulation prohibited the use of Ultritium 283 in Class K planetary environments or in cryogenic substrates. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 4832.4. This regulation, which required compliance, described the proper handling and use of antideuterium. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 5443. This regulation, which required compliance, legislated the use of the Lichfield suspension. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 8334A. This regulation was applicable for all uses of Sternbachium. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 9323.4. This regulation prohibited the use of Bio-Genovesium in biosynthetic food processing. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 43940. This regulation was applicable for all uses of Sternbachium. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 84349. This regulation was applicable to all space vehicles, including the use of propellant for the ullage thruster devices and vernier thruster devices. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 83329.6. This regulation recommended that Grant thermite 893 should be protected from ionizing radiation. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
Unnumbered protocol. Tuvok once claimed that use of the transporters while at warp was a direct violation of Starfleet safety protocols. He did not cite the protocol by number, though the reason for caution was cited as having to do with the speed differential between two vessels. (VOY: "Maneuvers")
Harry Kim's reaction suggests that the safety protocol may more precisely be a ban against using transporters while the beaming vessel is at warp and the target vessel is at impulse, or stationary.
Starfleet Security Protocols
Protocol 28 (Subsection D): "In the event of hostile alien takeover, the EMH is to deactivate and wait for rescue." (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")
Protocol 49.09: Pertained to the treatment of prisoners on board a starship. In the alternate reality, Spock marooned James T. Kirk on Delta Vega. Kirk believed this act to be a violation of this protocol. (Star Trek)
Unnumbered protocol: Luther Sloan, posing as Deputy Director of the Department of Internal Affairs, mentioned there was security protocol that prevented others to talk to prisoners under his authority without his clearance. (DS9: "Inquisition")
Starfleet Transfer Regulations.
SFR-02-0933-3440: Transfer of an Officer to Another Starship
SFR-02-0933-3462F: Transfer Authority of a Starbase-Commanding Admiral
SFR-02-0933-3459C: Elegibility of Starfleet Exploratory Corps Personnel to Serve in Other Starfleet Divisions
SFR-02-9384-8896: Transfer of Attached Scientific Personnel to Starship Duty
SFR-02-8431-4933: Authority for Assignment of Deep Space Exploratory Corps Personnel
SFR-03-3823-3893: Assignment of Starfleet Operational Support Officers
SFR-03-8532-3892: Emergency Assignment of Scientific and Research Specialists
SFR-03-4832-3843: Notification Requirements for Reassignment Within Deep Space Corps
SFR-03-5931-0943: Transfer of Starfleet Diplomatic Corps Personnel to Deep Space Duty
SFR-04-4833-9834: Eligibility for Exploratory Corps Personnel to Starbase Assignment
SFR-04-4930-0027: Transfer Policies for Daystrom Institute Faculty Researchers
SFR-05-3832-9322: Special Environmental Support Provisions for Class-K Native Personnel
SFR-05-3023-3893: Equal Treatment for Zero-Gravity Native Personnel
SFR-06-3893-3892: Transfer of Starfleet Tactical Specialists to Starbase Service
SFR-06-0039-2174: Authority for Assignment of Operational Support Personnel
SFR-06-8342-9322: Special Authority for Federation Diplomatic Corps
The regulations detailed in this section appeared in the extended edition of "The Measure Of A Man". In the audio commentary included on the TNG Season 2 Blu-ray set, Mike Okuda describes this set of regulations as "a list of Navy regulations with the word 'Starfleet' substituted for 'Navy'."
Starfleet transfer regulations
Code 1: Signaled either a total or imminent disaster, a possible invasion, or indicated that the Federation was either currently or about to be engaged in open warfare with a hostile power. The code required all Starfleet personnel within the affected area to immediately assume tactical alert. It was also colloquially known as "Defense Alert", or a "Priority One Alert". (TOS: "Errand of Mercy", "The Trouble with Tribbles", "The Alternative Factor")
Code 1-Alpha-Zero: Indicated a starship in distress. (TNG: "Relics")
Code 710: A "quarantine code". No Starfleet- or Federation-registered starship was to approach a system or vessel which was broadcasting Code 710. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon")
Code 47: An ultra-secure communications protocol, for captain's eyes only. This code was so secure that all traces of a Code 47 transmission or communication were automatically wiped from all computer records. (TNG: "Conspiracy")
Regulations not specified by name or number
Health-related
"All research personnel on alien planets are required to have their health certified by a starship surgeon at one-year intervals." (TOS: "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: "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." (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; VOY: "Macrocosm")
"The chief medical officer outranks the captain in health matters." (VOY: "Persistence of Vision")
A captain cannot order a doctor to violate doctor-patient confidentiality, except in situations of ship security. (VOY: "Fury")
An officer taking medical leave could select their rehabilitation facility. (DS9: "It's Only a Paper Moon")
"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: "The Disease")
"The transport of a patient is to be performed at the discretion of the attending physician." In 2258 of the alternate reality, Leonard McCoy, citing this, was allowed to bring Cadet James T. Kirk, suspended from duty, along to his posting aboard the Enterprise, as Kirk was quite visibly suffering from the symptoms of a Melvaran mud flea bite. In truth, McCoy himself was responsible for this, having infected Kirk precisely because he would then have the authority to bring his grounded friend aboard the ship. (Star Trek)
Miscellaneous
Individuals were not allowed to have sexual relations with colleagues, according to Starfleet regulations. (ENT: "Bounty")
This may have been true in the 22nd century, but by the 23rd century it was no longer true. Leonard McCoy told Kirk that "there aren't any regulations against romance" (TOS: "Space Seed") and in the 24th century Picard mentioned to Deanna Troi that "there are no Starfleet regulations about a captain becoming involved with a fellow officer." (TNG: "Lessons") William T. Riker and Troi continued to serve aboard the Enterprise and later the USS Titan, even after being married. (Star Trek Nemesis)
A captain was not allowed to leave the ship unaccompanied. (ENT: "First Flight")
Again, this regulation may have been repealed/amended as there are many recorded instances of captains doing this.
Removing an individual from a planet against their will violated several regulations, including the Prime Directive. Data reminded William T. Riker of this, who was considering rescuing a group of dissidents of Angel I from execution. They insisted on staying, even if this meant being executed. (TNG: "Angel One")
"Striking a fellow officer is a court-martial offense." (TOS: "This Side of Paradise"; VOY: "Parallax"; ENT: "Bound")
23rd century Starfleet captains had a high degree of authority on board the ship they were assigned to command. In extremes, a captain could invoke their "personal authority as captain" to order their subordinates to override the orders of a senior officer, even if the captain was not actually on board ship at the time. Such an order would almost certainly result in at least an inquiry after the crisis had passed. Captain Kirk used his "personal authority" to overrule the orders of Commodore Matthew Decker and to have Spock resume command of the Enterprise during a battle with the planet killer. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine")
"No killing of intelligent lifeforms." (TAS: "One of Our Planets Is Missing")
Starfleet regulations called for declaring yellow alert when a starship was targeted by laser weapons. According to Jean-Luc Picard, such regulations were "very old." (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona")
Protocol on first contact was available to Starfleet personnel, which was once revised by Captain McCoullough. (DS9: "Move Along Home")
According to Starfleet protocol, "sir" was the proper address when responding to one's commanding officer (or possibly any superior officer), (VOY: "Caretaker") but naval tradition dictated the use of "captain", regardless of the CO's rank. (DS9: "Behind the Lines")
Starfleet rules forbade dealing with outlaws and getting involved in the politics of other cultures. (VOY: "Alliances")
Starfleet's policy was to deal with new species on a basis of openness and trust until proven otherwise. (VOY: "Alliances")
Starfleet protocols included guidelines on proper punctuation of reports, such as conn reports. (VOY: "Dreadnought")
"Encroaching on the territory of an alien species is prohibited." (VOY: "The Swarm")
"Ground combat personnel are to rotate off the front lines every ninety days." (DS9: "The Siege of AR-558")
"Interference in alien conflicts is strictly prohibited." (VOY: "Nightingale")
Procedures pertaining to official requests for asylum to a Starfleet captain included a hearing. (VOY: "Death Wish")
Accidents aboard Starfleet vessels were to be followed by an investigation into the cause of the accident. (VOY: "Day of Honor")
An official/formal letter, written to a senior officer, must be replied to by a senior officer. (VOY: "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy")
There are no specifics relating to this particular protocol, but the implication from Captain Janeway is that an official letter cannot be ignored.
Fictional
Jean-Luc Picard quoting
Starfleet Regulation 6.57 to
Radue
Regulation 6.57: At least two staff officers were to be present during any treaty or contract negotiations. In 2364, Jean-Luc Picard quoted this regulation to Radue of the Aldeans, who had recently kidnapped a group of specially gifted children from the Enterprise, offering scientific knowledge as compensation. Moments later, when Data admitted not to be familiar with the regulation, Picard revealed that it was, in fact, non-existent; it was merely something he had made up on the spot in order to deceive the Aldeans to allow him to bring Beverly Crusher with him to their planet's surface. (TNG: "When The Bough Breaks")
Tactical Directive 36A: "The captain will not engage a hostile force without the protection of a security officer." B'Elanna Torres made up Tactical Directive 36A in 2377, claiming that there should be an engineer with the captain and tactical officer. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero")
Directive 927: "Always help those in need." This directive was quoted by Dala as being part of the "Starfleet General Order" when she was posing as Kathryn Janeway, in 2376. (VOY: "Live Fast and Prosper")
"In a part of space where there are few rules, it's more important than ever that we hold fast to our own. In a region where shifting allegiances are commonplace, we have to have something stable to rely on. And we do. The principles and ideals of the Federation. As far as I'm concerned, those are the best allies we could have."
– Kathryn Janeway, 2372 ("Alliances")
Starfleet General Orders and Regulations were a series of guidelines used to instruct members of Starfleet on the proper etiquette and policy in a situation that required consultation for a resolution. These protocols were the foundation of Starfleet and the responsibility of its officers to uphold and protect, ranging from all manners of duty, such as interstellar diplomacy to punctuation of reports. Violations of protocol could have led to being placed on report, a court martial, demotion of rank, or other reprimands.
These guidelines' fundamental principles were integral for Starfleet officers to help avoid conflicts of interest, (TNG: "Redemption") including one's duty to the truth. (TNG: "The First Duty") Guidelines were useful in many situations, including when flag officers could not be consulted to resolve a situation. (VOY: "Equinox")
Several of the first one-hundred-plus Starfleet Orders were used by the United Earth Starfleet prior to the founding of the Federation. (ENT: "Hatchery")
No Starfleet regulations permitted one's execution without a trial, something Spock reminded James T. Kirk of in 2259 of the alternate reality. The first officer was expressing his concerns about Kirk hunting down and assassinating "John Harrison". He also added that a preemptive strike on Qonos was not permissible either. Kirk reminded him that their orders from Admiral Alexander Marcus was not a matter of Starfleet regulation. Spock then reminded him that apart from regulations, the act would be immoral. Kirk then countered that by saying that regulations aside, rescuing Spock from the volcano on Nibiru was moral, yet nobody congratulated him for doing so. (Star Trek Into Darkness)
As of 2366, there were no regulations prohibiting the unauthorized recreation of Starfleet personnel on the holodeck. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits")
Starfleet Charter Articles
Article 14, Section 31: The exact language has never been cited, but certain lines in this section permitted the use of "extraordinary measures" in times of dire emergency. (ENT: "Divergence")
Federation Regulations
Book 19, Section 433, Paragraph 12: Regulation concerning the ability of ranking Federation officials to give direct orders to Starfleet officers. This regulation was referred to but not cited by High Commissioner Ferris in 2267, during a search for the then-missing shuttlecraft Galileo. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")
Galactic Emergency Procedures
Title 15 of these procedures allowed ranking Federation officials to assume direct command of Starfleet vessels under certain conditions. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")
General Orders
General Order 1: "No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society." (TAS: "The Magicks of Megas-Tu") General Order 1, over time, came to be better known as the Prime Directive. (TNG: "The Drumhead") It superseded all other laws and directives, with the exception of the Omega Directive. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
General Order 4: Though stated in 2269 (stardate 5928.5) that "Starfleet expressly forbids the death penalty", this general order was stated to be the "only one exception", and as such, mutiny was not considered to be in violation of this order. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder")
It was not explained what exactly this order entailed, though mutiny was not considered to be in violation of this particular order
See below for more information on general orders and the death penalty.
General Order 6: If all life aboard a Federation starship had perished at the end of twenty-four hours, the ship would self-destruct to protect other beings from the disease on board. (TAS: "Albatross")
This order is contradicted by the episodes TOS: "The Omega Glory", "The Tholian Web", TNG: "Unnatural Selection", and VOY: "Caretaker" although in regards to the latter, it may have been repealed by 2365.
General Order 7: No vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit Talos IV. This was also said to have been "the only death penalty left on our books". (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I") When broken by Spock in 2267, Starfleet issued the following statement: "In view of historic importance of Captain Pike in space exploration, General Order 7 prohibiting contact Talos IV is suspended this occasion. No action contemplated against Spock. Proceed as you think best." (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part II")
Again, please see below for more information.
General Order 12: "On the approach of any vessel, when communications have not been established..." This order began to be cited by Saavik in 2285, but she was interrupted before completing the quotation of the order. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Despite the interruption, it was implied that the order instructed that the ship was supposed to go to red alert when faced with a non-communicative ship.
General Order 13: Evacuation order for Starfleet vessels. (Star Trek)
General Order 15: "No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort." When Saavik cited this order in 2285, Kirk replied, "There's no such regulation." (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Saavik responding to Kirk's retort with understated amusement suggests either that her description of this general order was not accurate and was intended only to help persuade Kirk to allow her on the landing party, or that the regulation existed and Kirk was knowingly trying to circumvent it.
General Order 24: An order to destroy all life on an entire planet. This order has been given by Captain Garth on Antos IV and Captain Kirk on Eminiar VII. On neither occasion was the order actually fulfilled. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy", "A Taste of Armageddon")
Garth may have explained the spirit of the order when he suggested he gave the order because "I could say they were actively hostile towards the Federation."
The only recorded instances of General Order 24 actually being carried out are the first issue of the Gold Key Star Trek comic series: "The Planet of No Return", and the novel Reap the Whirlwind in the Star Trek: Vanguard series.
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: "In the Flesh")
Directive 101: Any individual accused of a crime does not have to answer any questions (VOY: "Meld")
Omega Directive
The Omega Directive (denoted by Ω) was a highly classified Starfleet general order requiring the captain of a starship to notify Starfleet Command immediately upon detection of an Omega molecule.
Omega lockout screen.
The directive also authorized the use of any and all means to destroy an Omega molecule, superseding all other regulations - even the Prime Directive is considered null and void. The Omega Directive was deemed necessary because of the extreme power and consequently catastrophic threat to interstellar civilizations posed by even a single molecule. Knowledge of the Omega molecule and the Omega Directive was restricted to starship captains and flag officers. Captains received training on how to deal with the issue.
History
In the mid-23rd century, a team of 127 top-Federation scientists, led by the Starfleet physicist Ketteract, was working on a top secret experiment at a classified research center in the Lantaru sector. Research showed a single molecule of Omega contained the same power as a warp core, so theoretically a small chain could sustain a civilization indefinitely. Ketteract's goal was, according to Kathryn Janeway, an inexhaustible power source, though Seven of Nine pointed out its potential use as a weapon. Federation cosmologists theorized that the Omega molecule once existed in nature for an infinitesimal period of time at the exact moment of the big bang; some even claimed Omega was the primal source of energy for the Big Bang.
Research station destroyed by
Omega molecules
The scientists were able to synthesize a single Omega molecule, which only remained stable for a fraction of a second. Upon its nearly instant destabilization, the research center was destroyed, killing all 127 scientists. An unexpected secondary effect [discovered by rescue teams en route] was the rupture of subspace within a radius of several light years, causing warp travel to become a permanent impossibility within this area. Starfleet Command realized the terrible implications: a chain reaction involving a handful of Omega molecules could devastate subspace throughout an entire quadrant, effectively ending interstellar travel for spacefaring civilizations in the quadrant.
Therefore Starfleet Command suppressed all knowledge of the experiment and fabricated the story of a natural phenomenon occurring in the Lantaru sector which made warp travel impossible within the seven-light year radius of subspace devastated by the Omega explosion.
Protocol
Omega molecules being destroyed
Starfleet enacted the Omega Directive in response to the Lantaru incident, naming it after the last letter in the Greek alphabet, chosen to signify the molecule as the ultimate threat not only to the Federation, but to every spacefaring civilization in the entire galaxy. If a starship were to detect an Omega molecule, the following procedure would occur:
The ship's computer would disengage the engines immediately and lock out all computer access, displaying the Greek letter "Omega" on every bridge console. Only the captain would be able to disable the lockout.
In the privacy of his or her ready room or other secured area, with the doors locked, the captain would give the computer the proper high-level security authorization code to access the sensor data.
The computer would then brief the captain regarding the detection of Omega molecules, followed by instructions to implement the Omega Directive at once – disregarding all other priorities, including the Prime Directive.
The captain, absolutely forbidden from discussing anything about what was happening with any member of the crew, would contact Starfleet Command via an encrypted channel to inform them of the situation. Starfleet Command would then dispatch a specialized team authorized to use whatever means necessary to destroy the molecules. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
The only known execution of the Omega Directive occurred in the Delta Quadrant on stardate 51781.2 in 2374 by Captain Janeway, commanding officer of the USS Voyager. On that stardate, Voyager's sensors encountered the shock wave from a nearby Omega explosion, revealing the presence of one or more Omega molecules in the vicinity. However, Voyager was completely out of contact with Starfleet when the detection occurred, with no contact possible in the foreseeable future. Complicating the matter was the fact that Seven of Nine was aware of both the molecule's existence (due to the Borg's own Omega experiments) and the Omega Directive (the Borg having assimilated Starfleet captains, thus their knowledge). Unable to call for an Omega team to deal with the problem, and after reluctantly considering First Officer Chakotay's counsel, Janeway therefore modified the protocols to their unique situation by briefing her senior staff [including Seven] on the directive, effectively enlisting the crew to destroy the molecules. The Voyager crew successfully destroyed the Omega molecules. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
The first known opportunity for the Borg to have learned of the Omega Directive was in 2362, when they presumably assimilated Captain Blackwood along with the rest of the crew of the USS Tombaugh. (VOY: "Infinite Regress") If Blackwood was dead before a drone could get to him, the next and most definite opportunity was when they assimilated Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D into Locutus of Borg in 2367. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")
Apocrypha
The Omega Directive is mentioned by Captain James T. Kirk in the 2006 video game Star Trek: Legacy after a devastating attack spreads thousands of Omega particles into a star system. Kirk asked Starfleet to develop the directive.
The game Star Trek: Armada depicts events of an Omega molecule. It was found by the Ferengi, who were preparing to sell it to the Cardassians, as they did not realize its power. The Romulans led by Sela captured it and hid it at a Romulan starbase where the Borg assimilated it. It was moved to Unimatrix 01 where an invasion force led by the Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance destroyed it and the surrounding Borg sectors.
The Section 31 novel Cloak details the events that lead to the creation of the Omega Directive. In it, the USS Enterprise forces the USS Sphinx out of warp, having been sabotaged by Section 31 in order to prevent them from revealing the research station in the Lantaru sector. This leads to an investigation that reveals Ketteract's experiment to James T. Kirk and the crew of the original Enterprise. Although Kirk tries to appeal to Ketteract to stop the experiment, he is unsuccessful and the events described in "The Omega Directive" come to fruition.
In the game Star Trek Online mission "Sphere of Influence", the player character and major characters from the Federation and Klingon sides are taken by surprise when the character Commander Winters tells everyone that "all the monitors on the bridge are showing an Omega, we're locked out of the computers and the engine's off-line" after the Enterprise-F scanned what was on the other side of the Iconian gateway near Jouret IV, thus setting the stage for the Season 8 expansion.
Temporal Prime Directive
The Temporal Prime Directive was a fundamental Starfleet principle.
All Starfleet personnel were strictly forbidden from directly interfering with historical events and were required to maintain the timeline and prevent history from being altered. It also restricted people from telling too much about the future, so as not to cause paradoxes or alter the timeline.
Lieutenant Ducane told Kathryn Janeway, "Remember the Temporal Prime Directive: discuss your experiences with no one," implying she used wording consistent with the Temporal Prime Directive in the 29th century (at least in that timeline).
The Temporal Prime Directive was directly related to the Prime Directive.
History
Dr. Leonard McCoy was transported from 2267 to 1930 by the Guardian of Forever. During his time there, he prevented Edith Keeler from being killed in a traffic accident, causing a change in the timeline that resulted in the Federation and Starfleet ceasing to exist (or, at least, as known by history). Upon learning of this from the Guardian, Captain James T. Kirk and Spock followed McCoy to 1930, where Kirk acted to preserve the timeline by allowing Keeler to die, even though he had become romantically involved with her. His actions restored the timeline, which culminated in the birth of the Federation and Starfleet. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
The Temporal Prime Directive was mentioned by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2368. Picard postulated that the existence of such a directive might be what was preventing a traveler from the future from aiding him to avert the destruction of Penthara IV. Picard was unaware of any formal Starfleet equivalent to a Temporal Prime Directive at this date. (TNG: "A Matter of Time") Captain Kathryn Janeway was aware of the directive's existence in 2371 (VOY: "Shattered"). This was long before the temporal incursion by Captain Braxton in the timeship Aeon in 2373, indicating that the Temporal Prime Directive was not exclusively a 29th century regulation. (VOY: "Shattered", "Future's End") Julian Bashir once referred to the "temporal displacement policy," a principle taught at Starfleet Academy, in the year 2024, when he traveled back in time to that year from 2371. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I") Starfleet Regulation 157, Section 3, Paragraph 18 also related directly to time travel. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
The events of the Temporal Cold War indicate that the regulation had been rescinded, at least temporarily, by the 31st century. However, the Federation faction in the Temporal Cold War is dedicated primarily to keeping the timeline intact and preventing the other factions from interfering with it, which would be completely in keeping with the Temporal Prime Directive's intent. On a few occasions a temporal agent, Crewman Daniels, had to tell the crew of Enterprise NX-01 some things about the future. (ENT: "Cold Front", et al.)
Violations
This Directive was violated at least twice by USS Voyager crew members from alternate futures. First, Commander Chakotay and Ensign Harry Kim from 2390 altered the past by preventing Voyager from crashing on a Class L planet and killing all aboard. (VOY: "Timeless") Later, an Admiral Kathryn Janeway from the year 2404 went back in time and successfully assisted Voyager in returning some sixteen years earlier than it had in her timeline.
Additionally, the Janeway of the 24th century violated the Directive by accepting the aid of her future self. Her future self took the following attitude regarding the Directive – "It's less of a headache if you just ignore it." Her present self tried to avoid getting knowledge of the future, but after learning that it wasn't so good for several of her close crewmembers, she allowed her future self to tell her about it. Thanks to Admiral Janeway's efforts, Voyager returned home a full sixteen years early (and dealt a crippling blow to the Borg Collective in the process), but the Admiral's efforts were a serious breach of the Directive. (VOY: "Endgame")
It appears that Starfleet had several overlapping rules relating to time travel.
While the Directive was not officially identified in 2370, the senior staff of the USS Enterprise-D did ponder whether Captain Jean-Luc Picard had changed history after his jumps back and forth through time by telling them about the future that he had witnessed, but it was reasoned that his actions would not affect history as he had already changed the future by eliminating the anti-time eruption that had featured in the timelines he witnessed. (TNG: "All Good Things...")
Starfleet Orders
Starfleet Order 2: Starfleet regulation against the taking of intelligent life. (TAS: "One of Our Planets Is Missing")
Starfleet Order 104: Section B, Paragraph 1-A – In the absence of a starship's assigned captain, a flag officer had the authority to assume command of the starship should they have deemed it necessary. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine"; VOY: "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy")
Starfleet Order 104: Section C – Should it be proven with admissible evidence that the flag officer who had assumed command was medically or psychologically unfit for command, the starship's ranking officer could relieve them on that basis. However, such an action was required to be supported by an appropriate certification of unfitness by the ship's chief medical officer (requiring the CMO to also produce test results to that effect) or other clear evidence, such as an act of attempted suicide. (ENT: "Hatchery"; TOS: "The Doomsday Machine"; VOY: "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy")
Starfleet Order 2005: Orders the destruction of a starship by allowing matter and antimatter to mix in an uncontrolled manner. This was a last resort for a captain that allowed them to prevent their ship or crew from falling into enemy hands. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) Admiral James T. Kirk executes this order (without directly citing it) when he orders his officers to initiate the Enterprise's self-destruct sequence in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Starfleet Order 28455: Federation order that dictated the formal relief of a commanding officer by their successor. In the alternate reality, Admiral Richard Barnett told Captain James T. Kirk that, per this order, he had to report to Admiral Christopher Pike to relieve him of command of the Enterprise. (Star Trek)
Special Order 66715: Federation order that stated, "Starfleet has the authority to neutralize security threats to Deep Space 9 by any means necessary." (DS9: "Inquisition").
This might not actually be a real order, as it appeared only in a simulation created by Luther Sloan. Nevertheless, considering the importance of keeping the station under Federation control during the Dominion War, it may also very well have been a real order.
Starfleet Regulations
Regulation 3 (Paragraph 12): In the event of imminent destruction, a Starfleet captain was authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means. Captain Ransom attempted to use this regulation to convince Captain Janeway that actions he took against a species of nucleogenic lifeforms were justified, but Janeway doubted that the regulation covered mass murder. (VOY: "Equinox")
Regulation 7 (Paragraph 4): An officer must consider themselves under arrest, unless in the presence of the most senior fellow officers presently available, the officers must give satisfactory answer to those charges... (TOS: "The Omega Glory").
Section 12, Paragraph 4: Related to the captain undertaking command of an away mission. During his best man speech at the wedding of William T. Riker and Deanna Troi in 2379, Jean-Luc Picard stated that Commander Data would never let him undertake an away mission; Data reacted to that by reciting this regulation but was told to "shut up" by Picard before he could complete his sentence. (Star Trek Nemesis)
Regulation 17.43: In the alternate reality, this regulation related to Starfleet's ethical code of conduct, and was part of the Starfleet Code. Starfleet Academy cadets found cheating were accused to be in violation of the regulation. (Star Trek).
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. (DIS: "Brother")
Regulation 42/15: "Pressure Variances in IRC Tank Storage". Part of the basic operational specifications for impulse engines, written by Montgomery Scott. The tanks could actually handle more pressure than the regulations allowed – in 2369, Geordi La Forge cited it as part of the impulse specifications while he and Scott worked to make the USS Jenolan operational, at which point Scotty, realizing that he was thinking of this regulation, assured him that, as its author, he knew the tanks could be more efficient, but that La Forge should "Forget it. I wrote it; a good engineer is always a wee bit conservative... at least on paper." (TNG: "Relics")
Regulation 46A: If transmissions were being monitored during battle, no uncoded messages were to be transmitted on an open channel. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Regulation 157, Section 3 (Paragraph 18): Starfleet officers were required to take all necessary precautions to minimize any participation in historical events. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"; DIS: "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2")
Regulation 191 (Article 14): In a combat situation involving more than one ship, command fell to the vessel with tactical superiority, should there not be a higher ranking officer present. (VOY: "Equinox")
In the novelization of "Equinox", Janeway admits to herself that she made this regulation up.
Regulation 476.9: All away teams must report to the bridge at least once every twenty-four hours. (VOY: "Once Upon a Time")
Regulation 619: The commanding officer must relieve themselves of command if their current mission leaves them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions. In 2258 of Nero's alternate reality, when, after the destruction of Vulcan, Spock met a young James T. Kirk, marooned by this timeline's Spock, before returning him to the USS Enterprise, he told Kirk to use this regulation in order to take command of the ship. The elder Spock's advice was motivated by knowing that the conservative course his younger self would take would doom Earth to the same fate as Vulcan, while the unorthodox strategy Kirk would follow just might save it. Kirk succeeded in provoking Spock and he resigned command, but acted as Kirk's first officer afterwards, during the Battle of Earth. (Star Trek)
In the novelization of the film, Spock, seeing that Kirk was clearly unfamiliar with the regulation, shrugs and admits that he had almost forgotten what little use the Kirk he knew had for such things.
Regulation 2884.3: Substances unstable in an oxygen atmosphere must be handled with care. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
Regulation 3287.0: Due to its high volatile nature, antimatter must be stored in magnetic confinement pods. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
Regulation 13982: Allows a Starfleet captain to conscript almost any person into service during a time of war. (DIS: "Choose Your Pain")
Reserve activation clause: A "little known" and "seldom used" clause in Starfleet regulations which allowed for the recall of a retired or discharged officer in the event of an emergency. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Starfleet Rules of Conduct had some power to influence the operation of civilian establishments on Starfleet-administered installations, such as Quark's bar on DS9. (DS9: "Emissary")
The Starfleet uniform code governed the proper wearing of the uniform by Starfleet officers.
Unnumbered regulation: Regulation that stated that the captain and first officer could not be on an away mission at the same time. In the alternate reality, Spock told acting captain James Kirk that he would cite this regulation when Kirk volunteered to beam to the Narada with him but did not do so because he knew Kirk would ignore it. (Star Trek) This regulation was also ignored when both Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay were infected with an unknown virus which inhibited their return to Voyager after an away mission. This resulted in both crew members being isolated on a planet in the Delta Quadrant and Lieutenant Tuvok being left in command of Voyager. (VOY: "Resolutions")
Starfleet Away Team Guidelines
"Starfleet protocol demands that away teams remain armed and ready to defend themselves until contact is made." (VOY: "Tattoo")
Medical Emergency on Alien Terrain: "It is recommended to keep an open com-channel at all times." (VOY: "Macrocosm")
"Specifically forbid the transport of unknown infectious agents onto a starship without establishing containment and eradication protocols." (VOY: "Macrocosm")
Unnumbered protocol: Away teams must be composed of more than one crew member. Both Kathryn Janeway and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok cited this protocol to Seven of Nine when conducting an away mission. (VOY: "Hunters")
Starfleet Intelligence Procedures.
Luther Sloan, posing as Deputy Director of Starfleet Intelligence's Department of Internal Affairs, cited standard containment procedures to isolate the senior staff, which included being relieved of duty and confined to quarters. (DS9: "Inquisition")
Since this occurred during a holoprogram, it might not have been a real procedure, although there might have been some basis or truth to it given both the severity of the situation and the lack of (initial) resistance from Julian Bashir, the only other real person during the simulation.
Starfleet Medical Protocols
Regulation 121 (Section A): The chief medical officer has the power to relieve an officer or crewman of his or her duties (including one of superior rank) if, in the CMO's professional judgment, the individual is medically unfit, compromised by an alien intelligence, (TNG: "Lonely Among Us") or otherwise exhibits behavior that indicates seriously impaired judgment. A Starfleet officer can face court martial for failing to submit to such a relief. In an alternate timeline generated by the Krenim, Captain Kathryn Janeway was relieved of her duties under this regulation by Voyager's EMH, who had been observing reckless behavior on her part for weeks and attributed it to Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Janeway refused to surrender her duties, as she felt her efforts to bring her crew home were of more importance. Since security personnel had abandoned the ship, the EMH had no means of enforcing the regulation anyway. Janeway's actions later resulted in the erasure of this timeline, so the issue was non-existent. (VOY: "Year of Hell, Part II") In 2375, aboard the Silver Blood Voyager, Neelix became, unofficially, chief medical officer after the loss of The Doctor. He threatened, in a lighthearted manner, to use his "authority" to relieve Janeway of her duties when she insisted on remaining in command although fatigued. (VOY: "Course: Oblivion")
Unnumbered protocol: A physician must be present when administering arithrazine. A captain, when acting in accordance with the Omega Directive, could override this protocol. (VOY: "The Omega Directive")
Starfleet Privacy Protocols
Ensign Harry Kim referred to privacy protocols being violated by Lieutenant Commander Tuvok while the latter was investigating an attack on Ensign Tabor and read a letter that Harry's cousin, Dennis, had sent from Earth. Tuvok stated that, as chief of security, he had authority to suspend the protocols under special circumstances. (VOY: "Repression")
Starfleet Safety Protocols
Safety Directive 3984/A. This regulation prohibited the use of Ultritium 283 in Class K planetary environments or in cryogenic substrates. This directive was updated on stardate 43094.3. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 2884.3. This regulation listed safety regulations for the use of Balter compound 298 and tri-nickolas powder in a Class N (2) planetary environment. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3287.0. This regulation stipulated that antimatter, and its derivative antideuterium, should be stored in magnetic containment pods. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3848. This regulation established precautions for the use of industrial infusion charge applications in hypergravity and microgravity environments. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3907A. This regulation was applicable for all uses of Walkerite 342. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 3983. This regulation prohibited the use of Ultritium 283 in Class K planetary environments or in cryogenic substrates. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 4832.4. This regulation, which required compliance, described the proper handling and use of antideuterium. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 5443. This regulation, which required compliance, legislated the use of the Lichfield suspension. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 8334A. This regulation was applicable for all uses of Sternbachium. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 9323.4. This regulation prohibited the use of Bio-Genovesium in biosynthetic food processing. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 43940. This regulation was applicable for all uses of Sternbachium. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 84349. This regulation was applicable to all space vehicles, including the use of propellant for the ullage thruster devices and vernier thruster devices. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
SFRA 83329.6. This regulation recommended that Grant thermite 893 should be protected from ionizing radiation. (TNG: "Night Terrors")
Unnumbered protocol. Tuvok once claimed that use of the transporters while at warp was a direct violation of Starfleet safety protocols. He did not cite the protocol by number, though the reason for caution was cited as having to do with the speed differential between two vessels. (VOY: "Maneuvers")
Harry Kim's reaction suggests that the safety protocol may more precisely be a ban against using transporters while the beaming vessel is at warp and the target vessel is at impulse, or stationary.
Starfleet Security Protocols
Protocol 28 (Subsection D): "In the event of hostile alien takeover, the EMH is to deactivate and wait for rescue." (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")
Protocol 49.09: Pertained to the treatment of prisoners on board a starship. In the alternate reality, Spock marooned James T. Kirk on Delta Vega. Kirk believed this act to be a violation of this protocol. (Star Trek)
Unnumbered protocol: Luther Sloan, posing as Deputy Director of the Department of Internal Affairs, mentioned there was security protocol that prevented others to talk to prisoners under his authority without his clearance. (DS9: "Inquisition")
Starfleet Transfer Regulations.
SFR-02-0933-3440: Transfer of an Officer to Another Starship
SFR-02-0933-3462F: Transfer Authority of a Starbase-Commanding Admiral
SFR-02-0933-3459C: Elegibility of Starfleet Exploratory Corps Personnel to Serve in Other Starfleet Divisions
SFR-02-9384-8896: Transfer of Attached Scientific Personnel to Starship Duty
SFR-02-8431-4933: Authority for Assignment of Deep Space Exploratory Corps Personnel
SFR-03-3823-3893: Assignment of Starfleet Operational Support Officers
SFR-03-8532-3892: Emergency Assignment of Scientific and Research Specialists
SFR-03-4832-3843: Notification Requirements for Reassignment Within Deep Space Corps
SFR-03-5931-0943: Transfer of Starfleet Diplomatic Corps Personnel to Deep Space Duty
SFR-04-4833-9834: Eligibility for Exploratory Corps Personnel to Starbase Assignment
SFR-04-4930-0027: Transfer Policies for Daystrom Institute Faculty Researchers
SFR-05-3832-9322: Special Environmental Support Provisions for Class-K Native Personnel
SFR-05-3023-3893: Equal Treatment for Zero-Gravity Native Personnel
SFR-06-3893-3892: Transfer of Starfleet Tactical Specialists to Starbase Service
SFR-06-0039-2174: Authority for Assignment of Operational Support Personnel
SFR-06-8342-9322: Special Authority for Federation Diplomatic Corps
The regulations detailed in this section appeared in the extended edition of "The Measure Of A Man". In the audio commentary included on the TNG Season 2 Blu-ray set, Mike Okuda describes this set of regulations as "a list of Navy regulations with the word 'Starfleet' substituted for 'Navy'."
Starfleet transfer regulations
Code 1: Signaled either a total or imminent disaster, a possible invasion, or indicated that the Federation was either currently or about to be engaged in open warfare with a hostile power. The code required all Starfleet personnel within the affected area to immediately assume tactical alert. It was also colloquially known as "Defense Alert", or a "Priority One Alert". (TOS: "Errand of Mercy", "The Trouble with Tribbles", "The Alternative Factor")
Code 1-Alpha-Zero: Indicated a starship in distress. (TNG: "Relics")
Code 710: A "quarantine code". No Starfleet- or Federation-registered starship was to approach a system or vessel which was broadcasting Code 710. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon")
Code 47: An ultra-secure communications protocol, for captain's eyes only. This code was so secure that all traces of a Code 47 transmission or communication were automatically wiped from all computer records. (TNG: "Conspiracy")
Regulations not specified by name or number
Health-related
"All research personnel on alien planets are required to have their health certified by a starship surgeon at one-year intervals." (TOS: "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: "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." (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; VOY: "Macrocosm")
"The chief medical officer outranks the captain in health matters." (VOY: "Persistence of Vision")
A captain cannot order a doctor to violate doctor-patient confidentiality, except in situations of ship security. (VOY: "Fury")
An officer taking medical leave could select their rehabilitation facility. (DS9: "It's Only a Paper Moon")
"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: "The Disease")
"The transport of a patient is to be performed at the discretion of the attending physician." In 2258 of the alternate reality, Leonard McCoy, citing this, was allowed to bring Cadet James T. Kirk, suspended from duty, along to his posting aboard the Enterprise, as Kirk was quite visibly suffering from the symptoms of a Melvaran mud flea bite. In truth, McCoy himself was responsible for this, having infected Kirk precisely because he would then have the authority to bring his grounded friend aboard the ship. (Star Trek)
Miscellaneous
Individuals were not allowed to have sexual relations with colleagues, according to Starfleet regulations. (ENT: "Bounty")
This may have been true in the 22nd century, but by the 23rd century it was no longer true. Leonard McCoy told Kirk that "there aren't any regulations against romance" (TOS: "Space Seed") and in the 24th century Picard mentioned to Deanna Troi that "there are no Starfleet regulations about a captain becoming involved with a fellow officer." (TNG: "Lessons") William T. Riker and Troi continued to serve aboard the Enterprise and later the USS Titan, even after being married. (Star Trek Nemesis)
A captain was not allowed to leave the ship unaccompanied. (ENT: "First Flight")
Again, this regulation may have been repealed/amended as there are many recorded instances of captains doing this.
Removing an individual from a planet against their will violated several regulations, including the Prime Directive. Data reminded William T. Riker of this, who was considering rescuing a group of dissidents of Angel I from execution. They insisted on staying, even if this meant being executed. (TNG: "Angel One")
"Striking a fellow officer is a court-martial offense." (TOS: "This Side of Paradise"; VOY: "Parallax"; ENT: "Bound")
23rd century Starfleet captains had a high degree of authority on board the ship they were assigned to command. In extremes, a captain could invoke their "personal authority as captain" to order their subordinates to override the orders of a senior officer, even if the captain was not actually on board ship at the time. Such an order would almost certainly result in at least an inquiry after the crisis had passed. Captain Kirk used his "personal authority" to overrule the orders of Commodore Matthew Decker and to have Spock resume command of the Enterprise during a battle with the planet killer. (TOS: "The Doomsday Machine")
"No killing of intelligent lifeforms." (TAS: "One of Our Planets Is Missing")
Starfleet regulations called for declaring yellow alert when a starship was targeted by laser weapons. According to Jean-Luc Picard, such regulations were "very old." (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona")
Protocol on first contact was available to Starfleet personnel, which was once revised by Captain McCoullough. (DS9: "Move Along Home")
According to Starfleet protocol, "sir" was the proper address when responding to one's commanding officer (or possibly any superior officer), (VOY: "Caretaker") but naval tradition dictated the use of "captain", regardless of the CO's rank. (DS9: "Behind the Lines")
Starfleet rules forbade dealing with outlaws and getting involved in the politics of other cultures. (VOY: "Alliances")
Starfleet's policy was to deal with new species on a basis of openness and trust until proven otherwise. (VOY: "Alliances")
Starfleet protocols included guidelines on proper punctuation of reports, such as conn reports. (VOY: "Dreadnought")
"Encroaching on the territory of an alien species is prohibited." (VOY: "The Swarm")
"Ground combat personnel are to rotate off the front lines every ninety days." (DS9: "The Siege of AR-558")
"Interference in alien conflicts is strictly prohibited." (VOY: "Nightingale")
Procedures pertaining to official requests for asylum to a Starfleet captain included a hearing. (VOY: "Death Wish")
Accidents aboard Starfleet vessels were to be followed by an investigation into the cause of the accident. (VOY: "Day of Honor")
An official/formal letter, written to a senior officer, must be replied to by a senior officer. (VOY: "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy")
There are no specifics relating to this particular protocol, but the implication from Captain Janeway is that an official letter cannot be ignored.
Fictional
Jean-Luc Picard quoting
Starfleet Regulation 6.57 to
Radue
Regulation 6.57: At least two staff officers were to be present during any treaty or contract negotiations. In 2364, Jean-Luc Picard quoted this regulation to Radue of the Aldeans, who had recently kidnapped a group of specially gifted children from the Enterprise, offering scientific knowledge as compensation. Moments later, when Data admitted not to be familiar with the regulation, Picard revealed that it was, in fact, non-existent; it was merely something he had made up on the spot in order to deceive the Aldeans to allow him to bring Beverly Crusher with him to their planet's surface. (TNG: "When The Bough Breaks")
Tactical Directive 36A: "The captain will not engage a hostile force without the protection of a security officer." B'Elanna Torres made up Tactical Directive 36A in 2377, claiming that there should be an engineer with the captain and tactical officer. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero")
Directive 927: "Always help those in need." This directive was quoted by Dala as being part of the "Starfleet General Order" when she was posing as Kathryn Janeway, in 2376. (VOY: "Live Fast and Prosper")
