Picard Manoeuvre

Primary Meaning

The act of a Captain straightening his uniform whilst under close scrutiny from the viewscreen on the bridge of his own ship. So named after the actions of one Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

The Picard Manoeuvre consists of three distinct sectional movements:

1: The Stand

The Captain must stand in a single thrusting posture, not utilising his hands for thrust from the chair arms.

2: The Grasp & Pull

The lower hem of the tunic or central seam of the uniform jumpsuit is grasped firmly by the left and right hands at waist height, and the a single firm tug downard is executed with such speed an precision as to be nearly indistinguishable from The Stand part of the manoeuvre. (Care should be taken to ensure that the Captain does indeed grasp the hem of his uniform tunic here and not the waistband of his uniform trousers, as pulling firmly down on the latter would no doubt lead to some very undiplomatic circumstances. And the odd laugh in certain cases.)

3: The Stance Captain's assume "The Stance" whilst addressing the being or officer who necessitated the entire Picard Manoeuvre standing with feet firmly placed just in front of the command chair, but with an almost "at attention" stance, meant to imply strength, power and command.

Most Captains get this entire sequence totally wrong, and look to be adjusting the "lay" of their internal uniform equipment. This can lead to some embarrassing situations when dealing with female diplomats, especially those of an exceptionally attractive, or desireable visage.

Secondary Meaning

A momentary pulse of power through the warp drive of a supralight vessel to confuse the sensors of a sub-light vessel or civilisation by making the faster ship appear to be in two or more places at once. No tunic jerking is required in this version, although there have been reports of the repeated useage of shirt tails if the inertial dampners of the warp capable ship fail.