Starfleet General Orders

[Note that these General Orders have been established through the Executive body of the United Federation of Planets. The terms “he”, “him” or “his” are used to simplify the language used, and apply to all sentient members of the Federation regardless of gender specification.]

General Order 1 (The “Prime Directive”)

As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Starfleet personnel, Federation citizen and/or representative 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. Starfleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship/installation, 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. Put succinctly, when contacting a planet making normal progress towards a technological civilization, an officer of Starfleet shall make no identification of self or mission; no interference with social development of said planet; no references to space, to other worlds or more advanced civilizations, in pursuant with the aforementioned conditions.

General Order 1A (The “Omega Directive”)

TOP SECRET – CAPTAIN’S RANK AND ABOVE ONLY

Due to its destructive nature upon subspace and its inherent dangers towards all starfaring civilizations, the omega particle has been determined to be the greatest natural threat to the Federation and the entire galaxy. For that reason, any and all omega particles found to be in existence are to be destroyed at any cost. During the duration of said mission, the Prime Directive is suspended. Notification of the crew of a vessel or installation as to the true nature of this directive is an offence punishable by general court-martial, dishonorable discharge from Starfleet, and a possible prison term no less than 30 years and no greater than the offender’s natural life.

General Order 2

No Starfleet 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, unless such action is warranted by General Order 1.

General Order 3

The sovereignty of each Federation member being respected in all things, Starfleet personnel shall observe any and all statutes, laws, ordinances, and rules of governance currently in effect within the jurisdiction of a member planet. Violators of such ordinances will be subject to such punishments or corrections as shall be determined by local governmental bodies.

General Order 4

If contact is made with hitherto undiscovered intelligent lifeforms, under no circumstances shall Starfleet personnel, either by word or deed, inform said lifeforms that worlds other than their own, or intelligent lifeforms other than their own, exist outside the confines of their own space, or answer questions by said lifeforms pertaining to the existence of other species outside said 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 Starfleet vessels, installations and/or personnel to deal with the emergency. Starfleet personnel must submit to their authority for the duration of the crisis.

General Order 6

The request for emergency assistance from Federation citizenry or non-aligned persons, demands unconditional priority from Starfleet personnel. Such personnel shall immediately respond to said request, postponing all other activities. This responsibility extends to current governments at odds, actively or passively, with the Federation.

General Order 7

No Starfleet vessel shall visit the planet Talos 4 under any circumstances, emergency or otherwise. This order supersedes General Order 6. Any transgression of this order shall be met with a very high form of punishment initiated through the executive body of the Federation, and which will comprise a general court-martial and possible imprisonment.

General Order 8

Upon sighting a warship within Federation space and identifying it as belonging to a foreign power, the Commanding Officer of the Starfleet vessel or installation 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 Starfleet vessel or installation may take appropriate action to safeguard the lives and property of Federation members or other non-aligned persons under current Federation protection. In such cases, the Commanding Officer may use their 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

The Commanding Officer of a Starfleet vessel/installation, 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 Council. However, said decision may and can be overturned by a superior officer or representative of the Federation Council pending a review of circumstances.

General Order 10

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

General Order 11

Starfleet officers with command-level rank 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 Starfleet Operations, the Starfleet Commander-in-Chief, and the Federation Council.

General Order 12

When approaching a vessel with which communication has not been established, all Starfleet vessels are to maintain maximum safety precautions, regardless of the origin of said vessel, be it a foreign power, a hitherto unknown ship, or another Starfleet vessel.

General Order 13

Except when orders state to the contrary or in accordance with General Order 6, Starfleet personnel will respect the territorial integrity of independent planetary systems and governments within and without the confines of the Federation’s borders, and will not violate territorial space belonging to such worlds.

General Order 14

Starfleet 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 effective title or equivalent of Governor or higher.

General Order 15

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

General Order 16

Starfleet personnel may extend technological, medical, or other scientific assistance to members of foreign powers or previously unrecognized sentient species only if such assistance in no way compromises the Prime Directive or the security of the Federation and Starfleet, or their personnel.

General Order 17

The commanding officers of Starfleet vessels/installations are to consider the lives of their crewmembers and/or civilian population 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, Starfleet personnel may demand a trial conducted by the Federation Judiciary or representative Judge Advocate General for that sector. If the individual is acquitted, Starfleet Command shall have no further legal recourse against the accused in said matter.

General Order 19

Except in times of declared emergency, Starfleet personnel may under no circumstances convey personnel or materiel between planets or planetary systems when there is reason to believe that said personnel or materiel may be used to conduct aggression, whether against Federation members or other non-aligned worlds. This order applies to independent worlds within the Federation as well as to Federation members.

General Order 20

Officers and personnel of Starfleet 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. This includes temporary violations of General Order 13, but not of the Prime Directive.

General Order 21

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

General Order 22

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

General Order 23

When verifiable proof is presented to the senior commanding officer of a Starfleet vessel/installation 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

If a Commanding Officer deems that a planet has been culturally contaminated to a point where correction is no longer viable, and said culture now poses a direct threat to Starfleet personnel and/or Federation civilians, he may order the destruction of a planet’s surface to occur within a time limit set upon invocation.

General Order 25

Civilian and military personnel, whether a citizen of the Federation, a non-aligned world, or a foreign power, taken into custody by Starfleet 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 and/or Starfleet.

General Order 26

No member of a ship’s complement or other Federation installation can be held directly accountable for the actions of their superiors. Similarly, no member of a ship’s company or other Starfleet 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. However, failure to attempt to halt the actions of said superiors is a violation of this order, and as such is punishable by a general court-martial.

General Order 27

No member of Starfleet 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 part of an existing Starfleet 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 per Starfleet regulation 104 sections B and C. Whenever possible, such officers shall include the ship’s Executive Officer, Second Officer, Chief Medical Officer and one junior officer of command station. Removing a Captain’s rank can only be authorized following an official Starfleet hearing, and the unanimous decision of a board of at least three officers of Admiral rank.

General Order 29

The primary responsibility of the Commanding Officer of any Starfleet vessel/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. This order is concurrent with General Order 17.

General Order 30

Starfleet Command recognizes the right of each ship/installation Commanding Officer 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. However, said decision may and can be overturned by a superior officer or representative of the Federation Council pending a review of the circumstances.

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.

[Note – events in 2385 which led to a synth ban and the removal of this order were lifted in 2399, and General Order 31 was re-instated, and therefore applies once more.]

General Order 32

Starfleet 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 as required by General Order 6.

General Order 33

If a Commanding Officer deems that an individual or group of individuals pose a direct threat to the safety of Starfleet personnel, Federation citizens, or those under current Federation protection, they may take any actions necessary to safeguard the lives of those threatened. In such cases, the Commanding Officer may use his discretion in deciding whether to use force. However, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary loss of sentient life.

General Order 34

All Starfleet personnel and/or Federation civilians and civilian contractors shall follow a superior’s order to the best of his ability, unless said orders should conflict with the regulations laid out in these Orders. Special dispensations are granted in emergency situations as per specific orders, with the exceptions of General Orders 1, 2, 3 or 7.

General Order 35

Should the entire personnel of a Starfleet vessel/installation become severely incapacitated or deceased due to an environmental or medical contaminant, said vessel/installation is to be destroyed within a 24-hour period from initial discovery of cause to prevent spread of the epidemic agent.

General Order 36

No federation vessel, whether civilian or Starfleet, is allowed to visit a planet or star system placed under quarantine by Starfleet or the Federation Council unless the visitation falls under the jurisdictional actions accredited by General Orders 1, 5 and 6.

General Order 37

Starfleet personnel shall respect binding contracts, agreements and bondings made by the Federation Council and/or Starfleet itself, and shall operate within the boundaries and governances of said treaties, especially in matters dealing with the co-signatories of said treaties.

General Order 38

In the event of the death, absence, or incapacitation of the Commanding Officer, command of a ship/installation falls to the next highest ranking crew member, regardless of position in the command structure, and even if that person is not of the ship’s current personnel. When two officers in the line of succession are of comparable rank, command first falls upon the officer with the most command experience. Barring that requirement, command will fall upon the next officer with seniority.

General Order 39

An officer or crewmember may be removed from active duty status if they are judged to be incapable of fulfilling their obligations as a member of Starfleet, whether for medical or psychological reasons, by either the ship/installation Chief Medical Officer or by the ranking command grade officer.

General Order 40 (The “Temporal Prime Directive”)

No Federation vessels, installations or personnel should willingly jeopardize past history or future events. When contacting a civilization/planet and/or timeline in the past, under no circumstances should any identification of self, mission, or time of origin be made, and no interference with the civilization’s/planet’s timeline/events must be allowed to occur. Any interaction with individuals/events in the past must be kept to an absolute minimum, carefully documented, and later reviewed by the Federation Bureau of Temporal Investigations.