General quarters was a command to prepare for battle that dated back to early naval tradition. By the 23rd century, the term had been adopted by Starfleet for use aboard Federation starships as a stage of red alert to describe a ship's condition of maximum readiness. The general quarters order was typically issued as a call for all hands to man their battle stations, but could also vary in state by a number of conditions. By the late-24th century, usage of this alert was phased out in favor of more specific alerts for various situations, such as yellow alert, red alert, security alert, and intruder alert.