Semaphore was an ancient means of visual communication over distance on the planet Earth, a language transmitted by means of the motion of flags or the flashing of lights or fire. A flag semaphore alphabet was represented by a flagger holding two flags at predetermined positions. Trains were signaled via flashing, moving signage. During the 22nd and 23rd centuries, semophore was adapted as a form of emergency interstellar communication for starships.
History and specifics[]
In cultures where environmental factors precluded the invention of radio, a visually-oriented civilization would naturally develop semaphore and eventually invent laser signals for interplanetary communication. (SCE eBook: Honor)
In 2155, as the ECS Horizon was trying to evade the threatening IKS Mup'chIch, Paul Mayweather Sr. thought that trying to transmit a distress call without a working subspace transmitter would be as successful as using semaphore. (ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru)
In 2267, Captain James T. Kirk lamented that Neolithians were not advanced enough even to use semaphore. (TOS novel: Mission to Horatius)
In 2269, during The Great Starship Race, as subspace communication was jammed with interference, Kirk directed the USS Enterprise to reach other contestants via semaphore using the flags and pennants code to signal the "coming into danger" alert. He then sent the semaphore code for "stop intentions" with flashing x-ray signals to the ChR Red Talon. Unfortunately the interference was too high in the immediate vicinity for x-ray signals to reach the Romulan starship. (TOS novel: The Great Starship Race)
In 2319, Demora Sulu used a form of semaphore to communicate between the USS Enterprise-B and the class H shuttlecraft Amundsen, which was on the other side of a temporal gateway. (TLE novel: One Constant Star)
In 2365, Data noted to Thralen that if Konor was communicating via semaphore, sensor scans of energy emissions would not find him. (TNG novel: Metamorphosis)
In 2371, Jadzia Dax detected several warp nine probes in the sector near Deep Space 9, but their emissions were faint, not evening exhibiting semaphore-like signals. (DS9 novel: Station Rage)
First Splinter timeline[]
In 2382, the Kinshaya Rasec used his wings to make the semaphore signal to his soldiers to raise their weapons, in defiance of Ghoc Reyd. (ST - Typhon Pact eBook: The Struggle Within)