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Distress call

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USS Shepard communications officer Trillya transmits a distress call in 2286

Distress signal from USS Honshu

A distress signal is detected

A distress call was any signal that requested assistance. It was typically sent by an individual or group that encountered a problem they could not handle on their own. The purpose of the signal was to summon those who could help.

A widely known distress signal was "SOS", which dates back to the early 20th century, when broadcast signaling was still a new science. An international convention met to debate and select a "universal" distress call, and "SOS" was selected by most. It did not truly become universal until after the year 1912, when the RMS Titanic, an ancient Earth water-going vessel, sank after striking an iceberg. Her radio operators were forced to send several types of distress signal to ensure the meaning would not be lost.

In 2152, Enterprise NX-01 answered a distress call of an alien vessel according to the captain's starlog. (ENT: "The Catwalk")

In the 23rd and 24th century, starships, starbases, and colonies could emit distress signals which were carried in space or through subspace to anything which could receive it. This could include other ships, bases, and colonies.

In 2254, the USS Enterprise detected an old-style distress signal, a radio wave. (TOS: "The Cage")

In 2266, the Enterprise detected an Earth-style SOS while hundreds of light years from Earth. The source was revealed to be a ground station on Earth Two, an exact copy of Earth]]. (TOS: "Miri")

In the final draft script of "Miri" but not in the final version of that episode, James T. Kirk and Spock speculated the distress call might be a lure intended to trap them.

Because of tense intergalactic relations, distress signals between races may or may not have received a response. In several cases, a Federation ship crossed into, for example, the Neutral Zone, to answer a distress signal. However, extreme care was taken in these situations, as some enemies would sometimes emit false distress signals to lure starships in and attack them. (TNG: "Suddenly Human")

When passing near Mab-Bu VI in 2368, the USS Enterprise-D received a faint distress signal that Data was later able to identify as a Starfleet subspace distress signal standard to Daedalus-class starships. The signal was sent by the crew of the USS Essex, which was lost in the sector over two hundred years earlier. (TNG: "Power Play")

The Federation planetary distress signal was an emergency transmission that was to be used only when a Federation world was under imminent threat. Prior to transmission of a planetary distress signal, the head of council for the Federation planet needed to declare a planet-wide state of emergency.











In 2372, Captain Kasidy Yates sent a priority one distress call to Deep Space 9 when the Xhosa was attacked by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey. The message was interrupted and Captain Sisko manned the USS Defiant to rescue the Xhosa. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior")

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