Engineering control system
The engineering control systems, engineering controls, or simply engine controls were the primary controls for all engines aboard a starship, including maneuvering thrusters, impulse engines, and the warp drive. It was typically controlled from main engineering, but could also be controlled from the bridge. () Engineering controls (and the life support systems) aboard the original  were located on Decks 5 and 6. ()

After several Human Augments hijacked a  Bird-of-Prey in 2154, Persis reported to Malik a short time later that they had already "mastered their engine controls." () 

When the  entered orbit of Exo III in 2366, the bridge reported on the ship's engineering controls during their status report. () 

In 2269, when the Shore Leave Planet's master computer began testing the ship's computer aboard the Enterprise by pulling the ship out of orbit at high speed and bringing it back into orbit, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott requested a printout of the guidance computer's last orders. After the ship was given another unauthorized series of short burst maneuvers orders, Scott recognized that the computer was being fed a familiarization procedure, "a system's checkout of the ship's controls." In the case of the second set of orders,  the commands were not carried out because Lieutenant Arex had all of the engine controls manually locked. ()

After the  struck a quantum filament in 2368, the ship lost multiple systems and many of the bridge controls were inoperable. During the emergency, Ensign Ro Laren was able to restore power to the engineering station by diverting  from the phaser array and dumping it into the engineering control system. While the technique worked, it was, according to Chief Miles O'Brien, "[..] a completely improper procedure. You can't just dump that much raw energy into a bridge terminal without blowing..." before Ro cut him off and told him "We're not going to get out of this by playing it safe." ()

After acquiring an isokinetic cannon from Kovin for installation aboard , Captain Kathryn Janeway requested that Seven of Nine assist him in supervising the installation and integrated of the cannon into the ship's defensive systems, due to her knack for adapting alien technology. Upon hearing the order, Commander Chakotay inquired if he should also "her complete access to the engineering control systems" during the process, to which Janeway acknowledged, "I'm ready to give her some latitude. She's been behaving herself lately." ()

When the Silver Blood  wanted the deteriorating Silver Blood version of  to drop out of warp in 2375,  was unable to comply, stating that "the engine controls are fused." When Kim told her to unfuse them, she told him she could only do it with an isolitic converter, which she did not possess. Kim then offered the extremely risky alternative, of "dump[ing] the core", which was ultimately unsuccessful. ()

Later that year, while searching for Worf in the Badlands, following the destruction of the , from aboard the , Ezri Dax ordered the ship's computer to "cut engines" so as to allow the Badlands' currents to take the runabout on the same potential route the Koragas escape pods took. Given the circumstances, the computer warned that with the engines cut and thus without maneuvering thrusters, "the ship may be swept into areas of  activity." As the runabout approached a section of plasma flow activity, the computer warned that "reestablishing engine control is recommended." Dax continued to ignore the computer's recommendation, stating, "No, let's sit tight. Our only hope of finding that escape pod is to follow the currents. Transfer all available  to the shields." ()

Propulsion technology