Fleet formation mode taking control of the Titan
Fleet formation under Borg control prepare to fire on Spacedock
Fleet formation mode, also called Starfleet emergency protocol NX12.11, was a Starfleet computer protocol designed to place all Federation starships within a fleet under the automated control of the Starfleet mainframe. The product of decades of development, this mode utilized synchronistic technology to allow a large number of ships to operate as a coordinated whole, but could not be overridden even by the crews of affected vessels.
Fleet formation mode was publicly demonstrated for the first time during the 2401 Frontier Day celebrations over Earth at Sol Station. Unbeknownst to Starfleet Command, the implementation of this protocol had been influenced by renegade Changeling infiltrators working with the Borg Collective, and its activation served to expedite the Borg takeover of the entire Federation fleet. Afterwards, the only remaining functional starship not susceptible to the protocol was the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D due to the ship's analog systems. (PIC: "Vox")
Because the protocol relied on line-of-sight propagation, Commander Seven of Nine and other un-assimilated members of the USS Titan-A crew were able to disrupt it by activating the ship's recently installed Klingon cloaking device, allowing them to regain control. (PIC: "The Last Generation")
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Background information[]
When formed after assimilation, the shape of the formation resembled that of a Klingon bat'leth, but when asked about it, Picard showrunner Terry Matalas stated that the intent was to invoke the impression of Borg script. (PIC Season 3 Blu-ray/DVD: "The Last Generation", audio commentary)
Schematic of the fleet in assimilated formation mode with its constituent starships
Based on observations by former Star Trek: Picard Research Assistant Jörg Hillebrand, the fleet gathered in the fleet formation mode consisted of a grand total of 339 starships from 17 different ship classes, [1] While Picard Production Designer Dave Blass has confirmed the presence of at least four Sutherland-class vessels on Frontier Day at Sol Station, [2] further observation did additionally reveal that these had not been part of the fleet formation mode, neither as individual starship nor as a class altogether. [3] The same also applied to the two Duderstadt-class (USS Intrepid and USS Trumbull), single Steamrunner-class (USS Appalachia), and single Jein-class (USS Gregory Jein) vessels, whose presence at Sol Station was likewise established, albeit only as two separate graphics on a bridge monitor screen, in the first two cases. At least three of the four Sutherland-class vessels were actually seen in "Võx". [4]
Effectively, all this strongly implied that not all Starfleet vessels assembled at Sol Station on Frontier Day were tied into the automated protocol of the fleet formation mode, contrary to the assertions Fleet Admiral Elizabeth Shelby had made in the episode. Furthermore, since the two Duderstadt-class vessels were seen under the clear control of their assimilated crew, also implied that other means of assimilation were utilized as well, beyond the fleet formation mode protocol alone.