"Computer, initiate the self-destruct sequence...."

[Lance]

On TOS, you needed the authorization of three command level officers to set the self destruct. We saw Kirk, Spock and Scotty do it on TV, and Kirk, Scotty and Chekov do it at the movies.

On TNG, this number was lowered to two, Picard and Riker.

It was said to be the only order where the computer needed both the captain and first officer to concur.

Presumably this 'multiple authorization' was a safeguard to stop captains who had been driven looney by giant starship-eatin' space cones from deciding to blow up their ship on a whim. Or just because it's Tuesday.

And yet, in Voyager, only Captain Kathy's authorization was required.

The computer didn't stop to ask Chakotay if he minded his captain blowing all the crew's brains out

Or, given good ol' Chuckles wasn't technically in the Starfleet command structure anyway, requiring the next highest starfleet officer in rank to concur. Say, Tuvok. Or Tom. Or even wee Harry.

After all, they couldn't dredge up what was left of Lieutenant Commander Cavit and ask him what he thought about it.

This seems like an outrageous oversight, given Kathy was prone to setting the thing from time to time. Possibly just to keep her crew on their toes.

But what do you think??

 

[MulgrewFanatic]

Just to note, I believe there was ONE time where they actually did use three people to activate it on VOY.. Other than that, good point.

 

[Lynx]

Well, it shows that Janeway had more authority on her ship than Kirk and Picard had on their ships and Sisko had on his space station. Janeway rocks!

 

[at Quark's]

Perhaps the producers didn't want to risk lines like "Yes! Absolutely! I do indeed concur wholeheartedly!"

 

[MacLeod]

Well it would make sense for something like blowing up the ship to require at least authorisation from at least the two most senior crrew left. After all leaving it to the most senior crew member isn't a good idea if as you say they cme down with a wee bout of space madness.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Because plot!

 

[Paradise City]

All you need to do is park a phaser rifle before the warp core. Have it pointing at it at point blank range, set a timer to whatever time you want it and viola. Starfleet planners realised this and just said 'what the hell, we'll just give it to the captain to do it'.

It's also possible that the first officer and some of the other bridge staff can do this too. Afterall, the captain is killed and there's a need to scuttle the boat, the survivors are going to be in a right fix of they can't blow up the ship.

 

[at Quark's]

^

I always supposed that it's not that hard to make the ship go kaboom (e.g. by shooting at the warp core, as you suggest), but far more difficult to make the destruction so complete that nothing can be salvaged by the enemy (e.g. computer banks with important information, or wreckage of ship components that could be retro-engineered and such), and that that was the reason for having a destruction sequence in place. To ensure that destruction was complete without having to rely on explosive overkill that would leave refugees in survivor pods without survival chance.

 

[MacLeod]

All you need to do is park a phaser rifle before the warp core. Have it pointing at it at point blank range, set a timer to whatever time you want it and viola. Starfleet planners realised this and just said 'what the hell, we'll just give it to the captain to do it'.

It's also possible that the first officer and some of the other bridge staff can do this too. Afterall, the captain is killed and there's a need to scuttle the boat, the survivors are going to be in a right fix of they can't blow up the ship.

Well we see that in TSFS when Chekov helps initiate the self destruct, the last time we saw it done in TOS it required the CO, 1st and 2nd Officer to initiate

 

[Sophie74656]

Well the Enterprise was the Flagship and Voyager was just a little scout ship. So it's possible they didn't need more than one authorization code

 

[MacLeod]

Didn't the even smaller Defiant require two authorisation codes?

 

[Lance]

^

I always supposed that it's not that hard to make the ship go kaboom (e.g. by shooting at the warp core, as you suggest), but far more difficult to make the destruction so complete that nothing can be salvaged by the enemy (e.g. computer banks with important information, or wreckage of ship components that could be retro-engineered and such), and that that was the reason for having a destruction sequence in place. To ensure that destruction was complete without having to rely on explosive overkill that would leave refugees in survivor pods without survival chance.

I'd never thought about it that way. I like that. It also handily explains why the Enterprise in TSFS almost seems to 'melt away' instead of just going kaboom, because the explosive charges (or whatever) involved in a self-destruct scenario are designed to leave nothing behind for an enemy to salvage.

 

[Triskelion]

Well, who were you risking?

Tuvok wasn't aboard. That left the expendible senior staff, a snotty EMH, and Harry "How High?" Kim.

If Janes went postal and decided to blow herself up, who was Starfleet Command to put a crimp in her whims?

 

[F. King Daniel]

Janeway reprogrammed the computer because she didn't trust anyone else. Even Tuvok.

Especially Tuvok.

 

[Ghislaine H. B. BRAEME]

Well, it is clear to me that right the beginning, Janeway was THE "master on board", her crew, especially Starfleet, led by Tuvok (who is ready to die for and with his Capitain, while he is married and father of 4 children), is completely devoted to her person, even beyond endurance, sometimes. Have you ever noticed that during their journey of 7 years, they NEVER ever doubted of her decisions?! So, they would accept the use the sequence of self destruct without flinching, knowing that she would have done her best to save her crew before acting (like in Year of Hell).

Only the members of the Maquis headed by Chakotay could have oppose Janeway's orders (including the self-destruct of Voyager), at leat in principle but in facts, 1) their appproval- like their opinion - was expendable. Plus, while Chakotay is Janeway's First Officer, his position remains unofficial (in "promoting" the leader of rebels of Val Jean, she only "bought" some peace and quiet on behalf of them), so without actual power -> the only times she agreed with his advices were when she saw their advantages, from HER point of view (ex Torres as Chief Engineer); 2) only a mutiny would have allowed Chakotay and his friends to oppose Janeway but would have been worth it? Without B'Elena Torres (who would line Janeway's) at his sides, what would have been his chances of success?

 

[Timo]

I always supposed that it's not that hard to make the ship go kaboom (e.g. by shooting at the warp core, as you suggest), but far more difficult to make the destruction so complete that nothing can be salvaged by the enemy, and that that was the reason for having a destruction sequence in place. To ensure that destruction was complete without having to rely on explosive overkill that would leave refugees in survivor pods without survival chance.

It seems that our heroes in general are never suicidal. They only use self-destruct when it increases their odds of survival!

To that end, a computer-guided destruct is vastly preferable to all other sorts, as it allows the heroes to leave the ship before it goes boom. Hence Picard abandoning scuttling attempts in ST:NEM when it turns out automation is down, say.

In contrast, it seems there is no Starfeet rule about blowing up a ship. Picard doesn't attempt to do so when abandoning the Stargazer. Kirk often tries to blackmail superior adversaries with self-destruct, but when that doesn't work, he doesn't blow up the ship but instead allows the foes to take over.

When the role of the automated destruct is so clearly one of tactical gain, it makes sense to make the mechanism flexible enough to meet all the tactical goals imaginable. One person ought to be able to set it up, and one person ought to be able to countermand it, assuming she or he outranks the folks who set it up. Other settings should be available at will, too.

Janeway just happens to be the only hero skipper in Trek history to (attempt to) employ self-destruct for the purpose of denying the enemy the use of the hero starship. Foes back at Alpha wouldn't have accepted secondhand Starfleet ships even if the heroes tried to push those at their laps. Foes in Delta were desperate for anything with a shard of dilithium and a working food replicator, though. And Janeway was also in the unique position of having nowhere to go if forced to evacuate...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

I'd never thought about it that way. I like that. It also handily explains why the Enterprise in TSFS almost seems to 'melt away' instead of just going kaboom, because the explosive charges (or whatever) involved in a self-destruct scenario are designed to leave nothing behind for an enemy to salvage.

The ship only full disintegrates because there's a planet there. If the Enterprise had of been in open space there would've been alot of wreckage left behind and bits and pieces to salvage. We've been discussing Vreenak on the other thread where a data rod was salvageable. It's not inconceivable some nice bit of intelligence could've been acquired here. Although now that I'm typing this post, it's possible the self destruct capacity was damaged somewhat in the Mutara Battle previously or even the Genesis battle in this film.