General Orders

Star Fleet General Orders

General Order 1- Prime Directive

As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Star Fleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes introducing superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Star Fleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship, unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations, and carries with it the highest moral obligation.

General Order 2

No Star Fleet personnel shall unnecessarily use force, either collectively or individually, against members of the United Federation of Planets, their duly authorized representatives, spokespersons, or designated leaders, or members of any sentient non-member race, for any reason whatsoever.

General Order 3

The sovereignty of each Federation member being respected in all things, Star Fleet 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.

General Order 4

If contact is made with hitherto undiscovered intelligent life-forms, under no circumstance shall Star Fleet personnel, either by word or deed, inform said life-forms that worlds other than their own or intelligent life-forms other than their own exist outside the confines of their own space.

General Order 5

In cases of extreme emergency, Federation special representatives are empowered to assume emergency powers 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 Star Fleet vessels and/or personnel to deal with the emergency. Star Fleet personnel must submit to their authority for the duration of the crisis.

General Order 6

The request for emergency assistance from Federation citizenry demands unconditional priority from Star Fleet personnel. Such personnel shall immediately respond to said request, postponing all other activities.

General Order 7

No Star Fleet vessel shall visit the planet Talos IV under any circumstances, emergency or otherwise. This order supersedes General Order 6. Any transgression of this general order shall be punishable by death.

General Order 8

Upon sighting a warship within Federation space and identifying it as belonging to a foreign power, the commander of the Star Fleet vessel shall determine the reason(s) for that craft's presence in the vicinity. If there is conclusive evidence that the vessel has hostile intentions, the Federation vessel may take appropriate action to safeguard the lives and property of Federation members. In such cases, the commander may use his discretion in deciding whether to use force to disable the hostile vessel. However, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary loss of sentient life.

General Order 9

No commander of a Star Fleet vessel, military or auxiliary, may grant political asylum to any individual without first being given express permission to do so by a representative of the Federation government.

General Order 10

If there exists eyewitness testimony by senior Officers or similar verifiable evidence that an individual has violated the Prime Directive, said individual may be relieved of duty by a duly sworn representative of the Federation government and placed under immediate arrest. The governmental representative shall then take such action as he deems necessary to minimize the results of the violation.

General Order 11

Star Fleet Officers with the rank of captain or higher are granted full authority to negotiate conditions of agreement and/or treaties with legal representatives of non-Federation planets. In such circumstances, the acting officer carries de facto powers of a Federation Special Ambassador. Any and all agreements arranged in this manner are subject to approval by the Chief of Star Fleet Operations and the Secretary of Star Fleet.

General Order 12

Federation Officers may violate Neutral Zone areas as designated by treaty only if such action is required to save the lives of Federation citizens under conditions of extreme emergency.

General Order 13

Except when orders state to the contrary, Star Fleet personnel will respect the territorial integrity of independent planetary systems and governments, and will not violate territorial space belonging to such worlds.

General Order 14

Star Fleet personnel may intervene in local planetary affairs to restore general order and to secure the lives and property of Federation citizens only upon receiving a direct order to do so from a civilian official with the title of governor or higher.

General Order 15

No officer of flag rank shall travel into a potentially hazardous area without suitable armed escort.

General Order 16

Star Fleet personnel may extend technological, medical, or other scientific assistance to a member of a previously unrecognized sentient species only if such assistance in no way compromises the Prime Directive or the security of the Federation or Star Fleet.

General Order 17

Star Fleet vessel captains are to consider the lives of their crew members as sacred. In any potentially hostile situation, the captain will place the lives of his crew above the fate of his ship.

General Order 18

Upon being accused of treason against the Federation, Star Fleet personnel may demand a trial conducted by the Federation judiciary. If the individual is acquitted, Star Fleet Command shall have no further legal recourse against the accused in said matter.

General Order 19

Except in times of declared emergency, Star Fleet personnel may under no circumstances convey personnel or material between planets or planetary systems when there is reason to believe that said personnel or material may be used to conduct aggression. This order applies to independent worlds within the Federation as well as to Federation members.

General Order 20

Officers and personnel of Star Fleet Command may employ whatever means necessary to prevent the possession, transportation, sale, or commercial exchange of sentient beings held against their wishes within the boundaries of Federation space.

General Order 21

No Star Fleet personnel, either officer or enlisted, may offer his services to an independent foreign government without the express authorization of the Federation Assembly.

General Order 22

As the rights of individual expression and free discourse are considered sacred, Star Fleet personnel may debate the policies and decisions of their governmental representatives privately at any time, to the extent that such discussions do not violate their command oath or specific duties to the Federation per these General Orders or Star Fleet regulations.

General Order 23

When verifiable proof is presented to the senior commanding officer of a Star Fleet vessel or post that a Federation representative may currently be acting or have acted in the past to violate the Prime Directive, the officer may relieve said representative of office, then assume the full powers of that office pending a full investigation by governmental officials.

General Order 24

In dire situations and as a last-resort scenario, the commanding officer of a vessel may give the order to destroy all life on an entire planet.

General Order 25

Civilian and military personnel taken into custody by Star Fleet personnel during times of extreme emergency shall be accorded proper treatment consistent with their rank or station, insofar as such treatment does not compromise the security of the Federation or Star Fleet.

General Order 26

No member of a ship's complement or other ground-based installation can be held directly accountable for the actions of their superiors. Similarly, no member of a ship's company or other Star Fleet personnel will share in disciplinary measures taken against the Commanding Officer(s) if said individuals were not directly involved in the actions leading to disciplinary measures. This order extends to conditions involving proven violations of the Prime Directive, where proof of such violations exist.

General Order 27

No member of Star Fleet shall be required by the assignment of standard duties and responsibilities to undergo extended separation from his family if family members can be reasonably provided for aboard ship or as a part of an existing Star Fleet installation.

General Order 28

No officer of command rank shall be removed from command status unless such action has the complete and unqualified agreement of at least three senior Officers present. Whenever possible, such Officers shall include the ship's First Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Counselor, and one junior officer of command station.

General Order 29

The primary responsibility of the commander of any Star Fleet vessel or installation is the welfare and safety of his crew, including any civilian members. No action may be taken that creates an unwarranted threat to the safety of those individuals under the officer's charge, except in the line of duty and when otherwise unavoidable.

General Order 30

Star Fleet Command recognizes the right of each ship commander to interpret the specifications of the Prime Directive as he sees fit, consistent with the conditions of other existing general orders in effect, and based upon circumstances that may arise in dealing with newly discovered sentient races.

General Order 31

The conditions and specifications of the Prime Directive shall henceforth apply to all sentient lifeforms discovered, whether they are of natural or artificial origin.

General Order 32

Except in the case of an extreme emergency, no Star Fleet commander is authorized to order his ship to travel faster than Warp Factor Five (unless equipped with improved warp nacelles) without express permission from Star Fleet Command.

Unofficial Star Fleet Orders

Order 1-202-B

A rarely used Starfleet regulation which permitted senior officers to commandeer private, commercial, and military spacecraft in emergency situations.

Order 104

Section B, Paragraph 1-A - In the absence of a starship's assigned captain, a flag officer has the authority to assume command of the starship should they deem it necessary.

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 them on that basis. However, such an action must be supported by an appropriate certification of unfittness 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.

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.

Unofficial Star Fleet Directives

Directive 10

Before engaging alien species in battle, any and all attempts to make first contact and achieve nonmilitary resolution must be made.

Directive 101

Any individual accused of murder does not have to answer any questions.

Tactical Directive 36

A Commanding Officer will not engage a hostile force without the protection of a security officer.