Star Trek: Self-Destruct Sequences

Code 000 destruct 0! As a last resort, to prevent their ships from falling into the wrong hands or other similarly dire consequences, Starfleet captains will sometimes initiate the self-destruct sequence. These sequences can vary between different ships (or space stations), and in this video we will be looking at the many self-destruct scenarios in Star Trek.

Thank you!

0:00 - Intro
0:11 - TOS
1:41 - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
2:52 - TNG
4:15 - TNG films
5:06 - DS9
7:12 - Voyager
8:31 - Picard
8:51 - Lower Decks
9:04 - Conclusion

Episodes used...
TOS: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
TNG: 11001001, Where Silence Has Lease
DS9: Civil Defense, The Adversary
Voyager: Dreadnaught, Deadlock, Basics Part I
Picard: The Star Gazer
Lower Decks: Crisis Point

Thanks to Jitse Lemmens for my amazing avatar:

[geraldarmstrong]

I love the continuity of the code from the series to the movie

[Acrosurge]

I like that detail from Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise that suggests the Enterprise refit has two destruct sequences to choose from; one that detonates the m/a reactor causing complete destruction of the ship and anything nearby (including probable catastrophic damage to planets) and one that "merely" set off specialized fusion (I think) explosives throughout the ship, rendering it unusable, but not completely disintegrated and without the possible catastrophic damage to nearby planets. They used the latter method in ST:III, which is why the burning hull of the ship fell through the Genesis planet's atmosphere.

If the m/a core had blown, there wouldn't have been anything left and Genesis would likely have been damaged.

[calebfogler]

I love how Dukat gets his comeuppance in "Civil Defense" while Tuvok proves his loyalty to Janeway in "Dreadnought." This video also has some of my favorite lines:



Kruge: "GET OUT! GET OUT OF THERE! GET OUT!"

Riker: "Yes! Absolutely! I do indeed concur wholeheartedly!"
Picard: "A simple 'yes' would have sufficed, Number One."
Riker: "I didn't want there to be any chance of misunderstanding."

Kirk: "What have I done?"
McCoy: "What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live."

[Lightsoul]

"Unable to initiate self-destruct sequence due to damage to secondary command processors." Then someone in engineering should grab a phaser, set that thing to maximum level and shoot at that damn warp core.

[jhmcd]

It's pretty sad when your ship is so badly beat up that it can't even blow itself up.

[scottgould]

From “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, ” that destruct sequence scene is most likely among the most suspenseful in science fiction history.

[TheMultiGunMan]

Please tell the crew of the Discovery where to find the self destruct.

[SOCORROSILVA-inpx]

Thank you very much, John DiMarco, for uploading this interesting video so that we can see it again soon in the near future.
Please have a nice day today. ™
June 04, 2023 @ 11:40 am ™

[LGranthamsHeir]

4:15 - 4:43 This is the most sophisticated self destruct sequence in the Trek-verse. Has two factor authentication followed by a second confirmation code "Destruct Sequence Alpha-One"). Its further confirmed by codes from two additional bridge officers (Worf and Dr Crusher) to avoid the possibility the Captain is compromised when initiating self destruct.
I don't understand why in "Picard" (8:31 - 8:55), they reverted back into a much simpler passcode and no reconfirmation by other bridge officers which from a security perspective is not good given the possibility of the Captain (or Admiral) being compromised when giving the authorisation, etc.

[nicholasmaude]

When the original Enterprise was blown up in ST-III it shocked me.

[fastertrackcreative]

Computer: Riker William T do you concur?
Riker: Yes absolutely I do indeed concur _wholeheartedly_
Picard: A simple yes would have sufficed number one
😆

[williammitchell]

Still brings a tear to my eye to see the old lady go up.

[kralexprofill]

0.0.0.0 This self-destruct code is even worse than the one the Spaceballs used...

[benives]

I never realised the movie code was the same as the original series!
Yay!
I always thought the search for spock explosion was awful, as in, most of the ship was intact and burning and likely the crew with it, except the exalted bridge crew!
And as for bloody nemesis and the rest, how can it be offline! Just kick the warp core!

[AndrewJamesWilliams]

I still say that the Star Trek 3 self-destruct is a very ineffective one given that it only blew up the bridge module and the forward half of the primary hull. If the Genesis planet hadn't been nearby and its gravity hadn't pulled the remaining two thirds of the ship in - burning it up in the process - then theoretically someone could have salvaged knowledge or technology from the wreck. Though the novel version of the destruct completely destroys the ship.

[Calzaki]

So good of them to have made time during that entire borg thing to give and have Worf learn command codes for a ship he wasn't even assigned to

[jackraider]

Thanks a lot, Takei. Now everyone knows.

[oddish]

Most ships require 2-3 officers to be in agreement when setting the autodestruct sequence. Voyager lets the captain do it alone. Not sure THAT'S a good idea...

[Whalewraith]

They resort to destruct quiet regularly & sometimes destruct is the right option. Sometimes though i wonder if just having the option to fire the ships Narcels like mega missiles would be a better design choice/option.

[ZombieFBody]

I've always wondered why Worf had destruct authorization on the E. Maybe when he beamed over he transferred his station over with the computer. That or the ships have always been linked through some kind of network unlike what Picard S.3 wants us to think. I can see the A being analog as Geordi calls it but not the D. Maybe after the crash in Generations Starfleet took her off the network.