Alert Modes


Cruise Mode
Approximately 95 percent of any voyage is spent in Cruise Mode, and crew members think of this as the standard operating procedure. The crew works in three shifts, but only a minimal number of the crew have to be at operating stations at any one time. On a Glaxay-class ship, only a Commanding Officer, Flight Control Officer, Operations Manager and one other officer have to man the bridge during this time, and other crew members generally carry out research projects, training or recreation. Smaller ships might have even fewer crew members on the bridge while operating in Cruise Mode.

A number of procedures are automatic in cruise mode. The navigational shields remain up at all times. Fourty percent of the phaser banks and one photon torpedo launcher (if a ship has these weapons) stay at cold standby status, ready for power up in two minutes. One shuttle can lauch within five minutes. A Level 4 automatic diagnostic series must be run on all primary and tactocal systems at the start of each shift. One major power system must be at operatinoal status while another is at standby. If the ship is flying at warp, then long-range navigational sensors need to operate.


Operational Mode
A Starbase's equivalent of Cruise Mode(see above).


Yellow Alert Mode
Commanding Officers can implement a Yellow Alert when they suspect that their ship will soon encounter a crisis situation such as combat, ship malfunction or dangerous navigational hazards.

Starfleet strongly recommends that ships go to Yellow Alert before hitting Red Alert (see below), but understands that this is not always possible. During a Yellow Alert, the Operations Manager checks all ship activies and operations, curtailing any that might hinder the ship's ability to deal with the situation, and all active bridge stations go to Full Enable.

Warp power and main impulse systems become fully operational. All phaser banks and photon torpedo launchers energize to partial standby and one photon torpedo arms, though Tactical or Operations can cancel this. Deflector shields go to standby. Sensors check all shipboard activity and notify security of anything out of the ordinary. The ship's computer runs Level 4 diagnostics on all primary and tactical systems and Level 5 diagnostics on survival systems and lifeboats. Long-range and tactical sensors become operational.


Red Alert Mode
Red Alert is the highest level of activity most ships can reach. It is only declared when the ship or its personnel are immediately threatened. Almost the entire crew takes its primary or secondary stations. Warp power and main impulse systems become fully operational if they have not been before. All phaser banks and photon torpedo launchers energize to partial standby and one photon torpedo arms, if they have not been before, though Tactical or Operations can cancel this. Deflector shields go up. Sensors check all shipboard activity and notify security of anything out of the ordinary. The ship's computer runs Level 4 diagnostics on all primary and tactical systems every five minutes. Long-range and tactical sensors become operational, if they have not been before, and all other uses of the sensors are canceled (barring override from Ops). All shuttlebays get ready to launch their vessels. Barriers and force fields go up between compartments to isolate any damage or danger that may occur.


External Support Mode
Starships are at their most vulnerable during External Support Mode, so it is only allowed when they have docked at a support facility. Much of the ship shuts down while it undergoes repairs, maintenance and upgrades. It takes most shpis some time (days in some cases) to re-achieve Cruise Mode after this. The Enterprise-D's visit to the Remmler array for a baryon sweep is an example.

Most ships have additional modes based on their needs and abilities. For instance, Galaxy-class and Prometheus-class ships also have Seperated Flight Mode for when the saucer section separates, and a Reduced Power Mode for crisis situations.