I am rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix. In this one episode called "Schisms" (where the crew is abducted and experimented on while they sleep), there is a scene where the internal sensors detect a supposed explosion in a cargo bay. Geordie says he has a team working in the area, so he and Data dispatch medical and damage control teams to the bay. In the next scene, you see said emergency personnel strolling down the corridors.
This made me start to think about all the emergency situations that have come up on the ship. I don't think I ever remember seeing crew members running or even rushing to their stations.
Is running prohibited on the USS Enterprise?
Answer
No. And they are trained to NOT run if they can help it. Though it may seem counter-intuitive at first glance and can make you wonder why no one seems in a particular hurry during emergency conditions like Red Alert, there are some important things to consider. As a former member of a military crew I can tell you we are trained to move quickly but not to run. During an emergency, you don't know what people will be carrying, so running through the ship really quickly can actually CAUSE injuries.
To put this in perspective for the Federation, again we will be using my former military experience as a reference:
- On board modern military vessels, running isn't prohibited. But it is also not recommended. Conditions can vary on a ship from day to day, bulkheads might be open, equipment scattered on deck, broken water, steam or gas piping can happen even on the best maintained ships. People are also often carrying dangerous tools, canisters, and devices and using machines to move said equipment if it's too heavy to move by hand.
Moving munitions on an ammunition ship
- Cautious movement is always recommended, especially if you are in a part of the ship you are less familiar with. Most crew on Navy vessels tend to work in some parts of the ship more than others, so if you find yourself as a member of the Operations crew, far below decks in the Gunnery section of the ship where they move ordinance, you might move a bit slower as to increase your safety in this unfamiliar territory.
Repairing equipment on deck
- Rushing makes people forgetful, that is why ships have stages of preparedness and rarely go directly from Condition Green to Condition Red. Normally a ship changes conditions and people move from site to site depending on the needs of the ship. In known space, condition green would be the expected status, underway to less known or more dangerous space might have the ship at condition yellow. Only combat or real emergencies would move the ship to condition Red.
Reman Boarding Party - let's just say you don't want to run directly into their loving embrace...
- Under more dangerous conditions Yellow and Red, most vulnerable equipment is already moved and only essential personnel are in the corridors. One of the other main reasons for not running might not be readily apparent. In an age of transporters and force fields, it might be more prudent to move quickly but not run to prevent from running into a transported hostile boarding party or a hard to notice (but not completely invisible) force field.
- There is also the issue of losing power if a ship is under attack, going from lights to near-darkness down a corridor, exploding bulkhead, emergency evacuation of atmosphere (and the subsequent activation of a containment field) or during a temporary loss of artificial gravity for example, moving slower gives you better control than bolting full tilt down the corridor.
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