It is an accepted fact of life aboard Starfleet vessels that the ultimate sacrifice may have to be made to insure that neither the intact starship nor the technology contained therein will fall into the possession of Threat forces. The total destruction of the docked spacecraft or either of its two separated components can be executed by special command authorization procedures, and may be accomplished with two related systems.

Destruct Scenarios

            Most situations in which vehicle destruct would occur have been extensively modeled using computer simulations. As this is a tactic of extreme last resort, all other available options must first be exhausted. The bulk of the modeling has centered around potential loss of the ship during combat operations with known and computer-created Threat forces, although sophisticated hijacking schemes cannot be ruled out.

            In the worst-case examples, all propulsion and defensive systems are irreversibly disabled or destroyed, and there is no possibility of assistance by other Starfleet or allied vessels. A high probability that the ship can be boarded or tractored then exists, and the activation of the auto-destruct sequence within the computer is to be the final event To a lesser degree, certain scenarios judge a disabled starship to be a catastrophic danger to a greater number of living beings; e.g., the population of a planet, requiring the abandonment of the ship and it s subsequent destruction to prevent the disaster.

Command Authorization

            The command to activate auto-destruct can be issued only by a limited number of crew members according to specific flight rules. Conditional tests programmed into the main computers are distributed to key autonomous subprocessor nodes throughout the ship to allow the auto-destruct sequence to be carried out, even if the main computers are disabled. These tests check for the proper sequence activation inputs by command personnel, beginning with the captain and first officer. The programmed conditions check for the succession of command personnel; if either the captain or first officer is determined by the computer to be unavailable, the system will accept inputs from officers only down to the position of Operations Manager.

            In the case of authorization issued by the captain and executive officer, the captain activates the destruct sequence program, and both officers provide verbal input, which permits the computer to recognize the identity and authority of both officers. The computer then requests verbal confirmation of the executive officer’s concurrence with the destruct order. Following such confirmation, the computer will request the desired interval until destruct. At this point, the auto-destruct sequence will commence, counting down until scheduled destruct. Computer voice announcements and data graphic displays throughout the spacecraft provide time-remaining information.

            The auto-destruct sequence can be aborted by voice command at any time prior to the actual activation of the ordnance packages at T – 0 seconds. Authority for cancellation of the auto-destruct sequence is vested with the captain and executive officer.

Hardware Configuration and Operation

            In the preferred configuration, the starship undergoes rapid vaporization from thermal and mechanical shock caused by a deliberate release of warp engine reactants. Remote computer system decryption algorithms generate one final set of cascade failure commands, and all engine safety interlocks are compromised. Matter from the primary deuterium tankage and the total supply of antimatter from the storage pods on Deck 42 are expelled simultaneously, producing an energy release on the order of 10¹⁵ megajoules, roughly equivalent to 1,000 photon torpedoes.

            If the command links to the engine systems are severed, the secondary destruct system is automatically selected. Ordnance packages are located at key locations around the vehicle, including the antimatter storage pods. These are detonated in concert with intentional overloads of all fusion reaction chambers. The release yield of the secondary system is calculated to be 10⁹ megajoules, roughly equivalent to 500 photon torpedoes. The secondary destruct system becomes the primary system for the Saucer Module in Separated Flight Mode.