Flight plan A flight plan was a pre - determined course of action or path a starship or squadron would take during a specific flight or mission . Flight plans could be entered into a starship ' s auto - navigation system to assist with helm operations . ( ) A flight plan was typically filed with a space station or area of departure prior to take off – for example , shuttlecraft leaving the shuttlebay of a starship were to file a flight plan with the ship before departing . ( ) Traveling without a flight plan . In the 23rd century , failing to file a flight plan was a chargeable offense according to Starfleet . In 2266 , one of the many charges Captain Kirk named against Harcourt Mudd was galactic travel without a flight plan . ( ) Erin and Magnus Hansen , scientist s and parents of Annika Hansen , distanced themselves from Starfleet and the Federation and refused to file a flight plan before they left the Alpha Quadrant for the Delta Quadrant in the 2350s and were never heard from again . The crew of the eventually learned that the Hansen family was assimilated by the Borg when they discovered Annika , then called Seven of Nine , in 2374 . ( ) Changing a flight plan . Starfleet Command had the authority to order a Federation starship to alter its flight plan . In 2267 , Admiral Komack ordered Captain Kirk to alter the flight plan for the in order to make the Altair VI president ial inauguration ceremonies , which had been advanced seven solar day s , in time . ( ) In Starfleet Academy , Nova Squadron ' s team navigator Jean Hajar filed a flight plan with the Academy Range Officer before practicing maneuvers for the 2368 graduation ceremony on the Academy Flight Range near the moon s of Saturn . The team did not follow their flight plan , and instead attempted a Kolvoord Starburst maneuver that resulted in the death of teammate Joshua Albert . A board of inquiry formally reprimanded Nova Squadron for altering their flight plan . ( ) In 2373 , a version of Odo from an alternate timeline bypassed the computer ' s security protocols and altered the ' s flight plan so that the ship ' s auto - pilot did not follow the intended trajectory . Odo did so to ensure that the ship did not time travel like intended and result in the death of Kira Nerys . ( ) Practical uses . By examining the flight plan a Yridian trader filed with Deep Space 9 before departing the station in 2369 , Lt . Commander Geordi La Forge was able to narrow down the potential location of Lt . Commander Worf , who was aboard the vessel and did not rendezvous with the as planned . ( ) While on board Arctus Baran ' s raider , Commander Riker was able to transmit an encrypted signal to the " Enterprise " containing bearing s and coordinates taken from the raider ' s navigational system . Lt . Commander Data was able to analyze the signal and reconstruct the ship ' s flight plan . ( ) In 2372 , Captain Kathryn Janeway asked Tom Paris what his flight plan was when it was discovered the " " was capable of attaining transwarp velocity . Paris replied that the second he entered transwarp , he would disengage engines and come about . ( ) Crossing into Bajoran space required permission from Bajoran Control and the transmission of a ship ' s authorization code and flight plan . ( )