Technology · 2375

Riker Manoeuvre

Gas-venting battle tactic in the Briar Patch

An improvised tactic used by William Riker in the Briar Patch, in which the Enterprise-E gathers explosive metreon gas and releases it in the path of two Son'a ships.

The Riker Manoeuvre is the name the Enterprise-E crew give to a trick Riker improvises in Star Trek: Insurrection. With Picard on the Ba'ku planet, Riker takes the ship out of the Briar Patch to tell the Federation Council what is being done there, and two Son'a warships pursue him through the nebula.
The Enterprise is outgunned and has already had to eject its warp core. Riker notices pockets of volatile metreon gas, draws the gas in through the ship's ramscoop and then vents it astern, flying the ship by hand with a manual steering column that rises from the bridge deck.
When the Son'a fire, their own weapons set off the gas. One ship is destroyed and the other is badly damaged, and the Enterprise gets clear to send its message.