General quarters

General quarters is a stage of red alert and term used aboard Federation starships during the 23rd Century and later to describe a ship condition of maximum readiness. The general quarters order is typically issued as a call for all hands to man their battle stations but can also vary in state by a number of conditions.

Conditions of General Quarters:

• Security Condition Three indicates that ships security has been comprimised and an intruder is aboard the ship. This is otherwise known as "security alert three" or "intruder alert". (TOS: "The Man Trap", "Dagger of the Mind", "The Lights of Zetar"). General quarters was sounded under this security condition in 2366 on the Enterprise-D (TNG: "The Hunted")

• Security Condition Four orders all halls to be sealed off and all weapons should be accounted for and locked away on all levels of the ship. Alert System Baker Two similarily orders all main sections to be sealed off. (TOS: "The Man Trap", "The Naked Time")