I'm issuing new orders...

[chrinFinity]

Computer, since taking command I've been studying mission logs from other Federation starships, and I've decided to issue some new general orders.

Standing By.

If at any point in future it is detected that the safety protocols of any holodeck are offline, power is to be cut from all holodecks immediately.

Please specify parameters for override.

Override to require security clearance level six or higher. Senior officers.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

This next one applies during space-battles.

If it is detected that weapons fire is breaching our shields because the enemy has matched our shield frequency, you are to automatically adjust the shields to a different frequency. Furthermore, during space-battles all communication outside the ship is to be restricted to the main bridge, except as authorized by security clearance nine or above.

Clarify. Please define parameters for "enemy."

Anyone shooting at us.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

What else... Oh, link up with every bank of isolinear chips on the ship. I want you to install a safeguard program so that if any chips which relate to security lockouts or file encryption protocols are tampered with, the entire terminal shuts off.

Warning. Requested function would reduce local efficiency of the library computer retrieval system in the event of security protocol failure.

That's what I'm trying to do.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

And another thing. If at any time it is detected that a member of ship's complement has "left" the ship, by any means other than an authorized transport or shuttlecraft launch, you are to generate a security alert directly to the tactical station on the main bridge. This does not apply to the airlocks or docking ports while we are docked.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

In fact, why the hell didn't they already program you to do that?

Please re-phrase the question.

For what reason were the sensors not already programmed to immediately notify security when someone dissappears, or leaves the ship without authorization?

Specified procedure would consume additional power and computer processing allocation.

How much more?

0.0018%.

Y'know what, let's go ahead and do it anyway. And while we're on the subject...

If at any time the biosignature of a crew member's life-sign becomes physically separated from that crew member's corresponding combadge by a distance greater than or equal to two meters, you are to maintain a location lock on the biosignature of that crewperson. If asked for the location of that crewperson, you are to provide the location of the biosignature and not the discarded combadge, thank you.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

Is there a reason you weren't already programmed to do that?

Affirmative.

...Why?

Starfleet officers are required to wear the combadge at all times while on duty, except in cases of emergency, by requirement of the Starfleet uniform code section 12, paragraph 3.

Of course they are. Let's do the bio-signature thing anyway.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

One more thing. In the event that the ship's transporter systems ever go offline, you are to establish a remote link with the computer systems on all shuttlecraft stored onboard the ship. The shuttles' transporter functions are to be slaved to the Ops panel on the main bridge.

Warning. Capacity of shuttlecraft transporter system is limited to seven humanoids per five second recharge cycle.

That'd still probably get us out of a lot of sticky situations. Let's do it.

Acknowledged. General order has been implemented.

One more thing, this one pertains to replicators. Change my default preference for intoxicating beverages from "synthehol" to "alcohol," but only while I'm not on duty.

Acknowledged. Personal preference file updated.

Perfect. Three servings vodka, on the rocks.

 

[Timo]

Chief Medical Officer's log, supplemental:

Attempts to recover the skydivers who had their chutes, helmets, suits and the target area disappear in midair (even if only at the true height of 4.7 meters) at Holodeck 8 has been frustrated by the control computer panel locking up as the emergency response team tried to get around the privacy setting Ensigns Darring and Randy used to, well, ensure their privacy under the new regulations. Transporting of Ensign Darring out of the Holodeck was only, uh, partially successful due to the sub-par shuttlecraft transporters cutting in when shield rotation raised a temporary red flag for the main transporter system. While waiting for the possible arrival of my patients, I have plenty of time to formulate recommendations for new orders to be issued by my CO. When he sobers up.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[chrinFinity]

TO: Admiral William J. Ross, Starbase 375
FROM: Captain Christina Mallory, Commanding Officer U.S.S. Sensible
STARDATE: 63105.3
SUBJECT: Fitness for Duty, Erratic Behaviour of CMO, U.S.S. Sensible

I'm relieving my Chief Medical Officer of duty and ordering her transferred off the ship. She's lost a series of patients recently, and she's has taken it rather hard... Blaming her failures on modifications to the ship's computer necessary to maintain security.

In addition, she seems unable to recognize gender appropriately. Despite repeated reminders, she consistently refers to me in her logs as "he..." calling her fitness as a medical practitioner starkly into question.

I must also regretfully file posthumous reprimands in the files of Ensigns Joshua Darring and Derek Randy, who deliberately circumvented security protocols in order to lock others out of the holodeck while they used it to celebrate their honeymoon in a somewhat unconventional fashion.

I am, however, happy to report that this unauthorized modification to the ship's systems was readily detected thanks to the recent security upgrades I performed on the ship.

I am also pleased to report that since the new protocols were activated, we've captured two alien intruders, one Cardassian spy, and effected the rescue of a stranded away team despite shipwide powerloss.

 

[Pavonis]

If at any time the biosignature of a crew member's life-sign becomes physically separated from that crew member's corresponding combadge by a distance greater than or equal to two meters, you are to maintain a location lock on the biosignature of that crewperson. If asked for the location of that crewperson, you are to provide the location of the biosignature and not the discarded combadge, thank you.

Is that even possible?

Granted, the computer and its sensors can distinguish between Klingon, Vulcan, and Human lifesigns, but can individual Human lifesigns be distinguished from each other? Could the computer tell if Riker leaves his combadge in Ten-Forward, if Riker's combadge is still within two meters of a Human, any Human?

 

[chrinFinity]

Is that even possible?

Granted, the computer and its sensors can distinguish between Klingon, Vulcan, and Human lifesigns, but can individual Human lifesigns be distinguished from each other? Could the computer tell if Riker leaves his combadge in Ten-Forward, if Riker's combadge is still within two meters of a Human, any Human?

Your Question: Can the computer with its sensors distinguish one individual from another (assuming they are the same species).

Answer: Based on evidence, I say yes definitely on board, and maybe somewhat on the surface of an orbited planet.

Evidence:
-Remember Me: Crusher has the computer give a constant read-out of Picard's vitals.
-Bloodlines: Scanning the planet, they can identify the sex and age of each colonist. Presumably other biometric distinctions could also be detected.

Based on the above, it is reasonable to assume that the computer can see your biosignature moving away from your combadge, and even if it couldn't recognize you from biometrics or DNA, it still knows you're the person formerly associated with the combadge that had your name on it, so for security purposes it would work.

EDIT - CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE
They were able to locate Wesley Crusher with internal sensors in 'The Game' even though he wasn't wearing his combadge.

 

[Pavonis]

When Dr. Crusher orders the computer to monitor Picard's vitals, 1.) She's in a warp bubble-created universe of her own making, where the "rules" were whatever she wanted them to be, even if only subconsciously, 2.) faux-Picard was wearing his combadge anyway and 3.) Picard was the only other "person" on the ship at that point. She could have been effectively ordering the computer to monitor the lifesigns of whomever was wearing Picard's combadge.

In "Bloodlines", there were only a few humans on another otherwise alien-dominated colony, and they still guessed at which human was Jason Vigo.

In "The Game", Wesley was the only person trying to evade the ship's sensors and its crew, making it easy to identify the target as Wes by the process of elimination.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

The Comm Badge order would probably apply better for away missions, especially since Starfleet officers are rarely removed from their communicators in situations that DON'T involve hostile alien kidnappers and/or dampening fields to block communications.

But that one goes back all the way to Enterprise and they still haven't done it, so I imagine there would be a broader technical reason for requiring an active homing signal instead of just a biosign (like, the desire not to accidentally beam up both the person and the ground he's standing on).

 

[blueziggy]

Further more, Computer. Should any vessel, regardless of designation, enter our current sector without having made prior contact with us raise shields immediately. Reference Starfleet General Order 12 as basis.

edited to add:

Scan all returning crew members to the ship and compare with most recent biological scan. Should any annomolies be it altered brain waves or unidentified organisms be detected, inform CMO immediately and put a level 1 quarantine field around affected crew member.

 

[jayrath]

This thread is freaking brilliant!

 

[Captain Rob]

I would like to think that during TOS' time, and even ENT, that all interior spaces are continuously monitored by cameras and microphones. "Court Martial" demonstrates that there are microphones literally everywhere. And this system is monitored by the ship's computer system, not by humans. Using voiceprint and facial recognition tech of today. The computer would maintain a lock on every individual's location and identity 24/7 with or without a combadge. The computer would be able to learn and know the schedule and routine of everyone on board. Which would be usefull in allocating resources, especially the operation of the turbolift system. Ensuring that nobody has to wait for one. (See other thread on turbolifts)
I don't think that this is really touched on because it smacks of invasion of privacy of the crew. Plus it would wreck the plot of a large portion of episodes.
Lt Torres showed us that every viewscreen has a camera that's turned on. Even in the bathroom.

 

[chrinFinity]

In "The Game", Wesley was the only person trying to evade the ship's sensors and its crew, making it easy to identify the target as Wes by the process of elimination.

That's precisely my point. Even if they are only able to detect him by his "heat signature" and, for the sake or argument, no other identifying information is possible, under the new general orders, the computer would still have seen Wesley's humanoid-shaped body heat moving away from his discarded commbadge.

So when they ask the computer "where the fuck is the boy," and of course the computer already knows "the boy" means Wesley by inductive reasoning since when they're angry and referring to "the boy" it always means Wesley, is also able to know that the heat signature formerly assigned to the Wesley combadge is the present location it would be appropriate to report.

The only situations where Starfleet officers seem to take off their combadges are:
1. Trying to evade sensors due to naughty activities,
2. Trying to evade sensors because malevolent entities have posessed their bodies,
3. There is a high-ranking member of the Klingon High Council who needs murdering, or
4. They need to use it to generate a signal to beam something up or away.

In any case, it's a useful order and I refuse to accept that internal sensors wouldn't be capable of doing it.

 

[Pavonis]

The computer didn't identify Wes. Riker and Worf did. All the sensors said was that there was a heat signature in the Jeffries tube. I think you're assuming the computer and sensors are capable of making distinctions that it really can't make.

The computer has been shown to be rather literal and not necessarily rational in a human sense. I don't think your plan to have the computer track bio signs rather than combadges is feasible, because we don't really know what bio signs the computer can pick up.

On board a ship, there may very well be an extensive network of cameras and microphones that can be used to identify and track people. Yet the computer is easily fooled, too. Data mimicked Picard's voice in "Brothers", successfully hijacking the ship. A simple visual inspection of the speaker would've made that more difficult, if not impossible. So can we assume the computer is capable of monitoring and identifying people on its own? It doesn't appear to be able to do so.

Basically, you're assuming the computer doesn't need to use the combadges to track people, but could use bio signs just as easily. Events depicted in Trek demonstrate that that isn't the case. Apparently without the combadges the computer just isn't capable of recognizing people. Even with the combadges active, it can't always tell people apart.

The computers of the 24th century are idiot savants, powerful but naive, not omniscient as you seem to be assuming.

 

[chrinFinity]

The computer has been shown to be rather literal and not necessarily rational in a human sense. I don't think your plan to have the computer track bio signs rather than combadges is feasible, because we don't really know what bio signs the computer can pick up.

It can tell human from Vulcan, and see people's heat, and tell where each life sign is. That alone would be enough to watch for people ditching their badges, then tracking them with the assumption that they're the person the badge normally belongs to. It doesn't need to work for 1014 people at a time, only those few who decide to ditch their badges and go rogue, for a temporary period of time.

Basically, you're assuming the computer doesn't need to use the combadges to track people, but could use bio signs just as easily.

While I do believe this to be true, yes, I am pointing out that even if it's *not* true, the computer still demonstrates enough ability to clearly follow the command... "If a lifesign attached to a combadge ditches the badge and moves away from it, follow that life sign and assume it's the person in question." Why couldn't it?

Events depicted in Trek demonstrate that that isn't the case. Apparently without the combadges the computer just isn't capable of recognizing people. Even with the combadges active, it can't always tell people apart.

The computers of the 24th century are idiot savants, powerful but naive, not omniscient as you seem to be assuming.

I'm implying they're like all computers... Garbage in, garbage out. They just haven't been programmed intelligently. They behave as if they were programmed by 1980's television writers or something!

 

[Timo]

A couple of general points:

Automating shield functions sounds like a sensible thing to do in general. However, we have reason to think that key facts are being hidden from us in this respect, facts that dictate such counterintuitive procedures as keeping shields down till the very last moment even in situations of confirmed threat. Apparently, keeping shields up is a bad thing in general! For what reason, we don't know; perhaps they consume too much power, perhaps they reduce sensor efficiency by 97%, perhaps their glow makes long and medium range targeting significantly easier for the enemy. But clearly some sort of a regulation or bit of training, conventional wisdom, whatever, is in place to keep starship skippers from allowing their shields to pop up willy-nilly, and blindly contradicting that idea would be "anti-Trek".

Commbadges seem to play a somewhat mysterious role in transporting, too. We have this odd practice of the "Three to beam up!" commands in situations where the exact identities and positioning of said three is crucial and supposedly unknown to the faraway transporter operator. Are we to assume that the transporter operator has an accurate view of what is going on ("There's a canyon to the left" etc.), and the commands and communicators are essentially superfluous? This would seem to fly in the face of the plot element where removal of communicators categorically prevents beam-up. Rather, it would seem that the communicator is the key element that allows the transporter operator to accurately observe who or what is being beamed up, and "There's a canyon to the left" is the best he can do without the communicators. Any attempt to make do without the communicators would then be "anti-Trek".

Also, constant tracking of people in general appears to be so rarely done that there probably are laws against it, even within Starfleet. Either that, or then it's trivially easy for a villain or a privacy-minded person of even moderate skills to thwart tracking, so the heroes never assume they would have a means to track or even backtrack.

It doesn't need to work for 1014 people at a time, only those few who decide to ditch their badges and go rogue, for a temporary period of time.

But evidently all people take off their badges at least once a day. And they don't want to get tracked on such an occasion.

I'm implying they're like all computers... Garbage in, garbage out.

To the contrary, Trek computers tend to exhibit considerable initiative and intelligence - second-guessing their users often enough, answering unasked questions, refusing to answer asked questions, interrupting, interpreting...

That is,

They behave as if they were programmed by 1980's television writers or something!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Captain Rob]

In regards to Wesley. The process of the computer tracking a specific person throughout the ship could be circumvented by someone with appropriate security clearance; such as Commander Data; ordering the computer to not track Wesley. Likewise with Ben Finney. He not only had the ability and clearance to alter the video logs. He had the security access to keep the computer from tracking him. The computer doesn't need to detect life signs in order to visually track a person moving throughout the ship.
One known aspect of starship computer systems is the Intruder Detection System. Which has been mentioned as early as TOS. It seems the ability to detect unauthorized lifeforms through either visual or other means of shipwide surveilance is mandatory for the system to work. The system only doesn't work when the plot requires it too.

 

[Timo]

Intruder alert would benefit from not needing much precision. A lifeformish thing suddenly appears -> intruder alert, regardless of whether the exact or even coarse nature of the thing can be established. A door is forced -> intruder alert, regardless of whether a Klingon, an utterly invisible creature, or nobody enters. One doesn't even need a process of elimination, such as footsteps heard -> is anybody legit present, as per tracking records? -> yes -> no alert. False positives are not a big problem, and false negatives in cases such as the above are covered by other things such as the legit person indeed being there to witness.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Pavonis]

The only situations where Starfleet officers seem to take off their combadges are:
1. Trying to evade sensors due to naughty activities,
2. Trying to evade sensors because malevolent entities have posessed their bodies,
3. There is a high-ranking member of the Klingon High Council who needs murdering, or
4. They need to use it to generate a signal to beam something up or away.

The only situations? What about daily changing of clothes, bathing, sleeping? Do you expect the computer to track Picard while he's sleeping for 8 hours, with his combadge 2.01 meters away on his dresser?

Tracking the biosigns for landing parties or away teams is a good idea, but doing it nearly continuously while aboard ship is excessive.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Further more, Computer. Should any vessel, regardless of designation, enter our current sector without having made prior contact with us raise shields immediately. Reference Starfleet General Order 12 as basis.

Shields USED to do this all the time. That order's been rescinded, though, since it turns out that raising shields on the approach of an alien vessel is sometimes misinterpreted as a hostile act.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

The only situations where Starfleet officers seem to take off their combadges are:
1. Trying to evade sensors due to naughty activities,
2. Trying to evade sensors because malevolent entities have posessed their bodies,
3. There is a high-ranking member of the Klingon High Council who needs murdering, or
4. They need to use it to generate a signal to beam something up or away.

The only situations? What about daily changing of clothes, bathing, sleeping? Do you expect the computer to track Picard while he's sleeping for 8 hours, with his combadge 2.01 meters away on his dresser?

Why not? The computer core is the size of a freaking house, I don't think it's going to have much difficulty keeping track of the locations of its key officers. Hell, for safety sake it should probably monitor their vital signs at all times and sound an alarm in sickbay whenever any of them have a problem.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Intruder alert would benefit from not needing much precision. A lifeformish thing suddenly appears -> intruder alert, regardless of whether the exact or even coarse nature of the thing can be established. A door is forced -> intruder alert, regardless of whether a Klingon, an utterly invisible creature, or nobody enters. One doesn't even need a process of elimination, such as footsteps heard -> is anybody legit present, as per tracking records? -> yes -> no alert. False positives are not a big problem, and false negatives in cases such as the above are covered by other things such as the legit person indeed being there to witness.

Timo Saloniemi

Plus, it would explain why starships have security chiefs in the first place. Tracking down all those false positives and/or filing reports in the log would seem to be sufficiently time consuming to justify a department head actually having his own office (as opposed to aimlessly wandering around the ship with a hand phaser, looking for something to do).