A spectacular and dangerous formation manoeuvre for five small craft, banned at Starfleet Academy, which costs a cadet his life when Nova Squadron attempts it.
The Kolvoord Starburst is a display manoeuvre for five single-seat ships. They fly towards one another, cross within about ten metres and then break outwards while igniting their vented plasma, leaving a star-shaped burst of fire. Starfleet Academy banned it about a century before the events of the episode after an accident killed all five cadets attempting it.
It lies behind the story of The First Duty. Nova Squadron, the Academy's leading flight team under Nicholas Locarno, secretly practises the starburst for the graduation ceremony. The ships collide near Saturn and Cadet Joshua Albert is killed.
The survivors, Wesley Crusher among them, agree to hide what they were doing. Picard works out the truth and gives Wesley the choice of telling it himself, and Wesley confesses at the inquiry. Locarno is expelled and the others lose a year's credits.