warp and subspace faq

7/25/2019 Warp and Subspace FAQ

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/warp-and-subspace-faq 1/12



Changing the speed of light around the ship. *

The ship's mass is reduced to 0, and it can go any speed.**

Leaving our universe, and going through a hyperspace.

Entering subspace, and taking a bubble of real space with you.

Compressing space around the ship to make the distance shorter.

ll of these attempt to get around the first problem, but ignore the second. And none of these match the evidence seen on screen

the Tech Manual, which is that the FTL effect is created by powerful, nested subspace (a.k.a. warp) fields that push off each oth

o generate FTL speeds.

urther, without any additional effects, each of these can lead to a violation of causality, meaning every time you go into warp you

avel, from a certain frame of reference. This is addressed in great detail in Jason Hinson's "Relativity and FTL" FAQ.

hips in warp interact with things in normal space, one of the reasons for the navigational deflector. Things in warp require a subsp

eld to enter and stay in warp, and it takes an enormous amount of power to generate this. When the subspace field decays, a shi

rops out of warp returning to some STL velocity.

The point has been made that by constructing a space with a hyperbolic geometry between the source and destination of two po

ou can get away with FTL travel without the nasty causality violation effects pointed out by Jason's FAQ. However, this involves

making changes to space-time along your entire flight path before you travel, and it does not appear possible to construct this path

aster than c, so you'd have to set up a travel network beforehand. This obviously isn't what is used in Star Trek.

A subspace field does reduce the inertial mass of an object within it, i.e. it appears lighter. But it does not lower the mass to zero

or on its own would this effect allow FTL travel, as massless particles in our universe are still restricted to light speed. It turns out

his effect isn't even considered for warp travel, although it is used for impulse engines - less mass to push around.

.

Well, so how *does* warp work?"

powerful, asymmetric subspace field is established around the ship by the warp nacelles. The field is composed of nested layer

ach pushing against the one beyond it. This drives the ship forward, at a super-luminal velocity.

he nacelles are powered by a tuned plasma stream from the warp core Matter/Antimatter Reactor (M/AMR). Injectors feed the

asma into warp field coil segments at specific times, causing pulses to run the length of the nacelle, front to back. This peristaltic

auses the push of the nested warp fields, and moves the ship forward.

he warp field wraps around the ship in a two-lobed bubble, with the locus at Main Engineering (by design). The shape of the shipetermines the efficiency of the field, and this explains why the Enterprise has such a sleek design.

Meanwhile, the subspace field reduces the inertial mass of the ship, aiding in maneuvering. In fact, a small subspace field is kept

round the ship at Impulse speeds, so the Impulse drives have less mass to push around. However, this is only a side effect and is

OT the mechanism used to allow FTL travel.

.

But, but... that's just what it does! How does it work!!!"

las, there is no canonical answer. The "Relativity and FTL" FAQ offers a possibility, that the subspace field forces the ship to tak

he reference frame of subspace itself, which is a special reference frame, circumventing the limits of Special Relativity.

nfortunately, this still isn't an explanation of how it works. The Tech Manual offers that each of the nested fields couple and decoom each other at velocities near (but less than) c. It could be that the interaction of these fields, combined with the special frame

ubspace provides, causes the ship as a whole to travel at FTL speeds.

two nested fields have their outer edges "locked" into the special frame, while the inner edges travel at near-c relative to one

nother, this might cause the FTL effect, as an artifact of the special frame trick. This has the added support of being almost exact

hat the Tech Manual describes, but it doesn't mention the special frame.

ince this makes for boring drama, it's unlikely we'll ever "really know" how warp works in Star Trek.

.

So what stops the ship from accelerating and getting faster and faster?"



Warp travel is non-Newtonian. Without a constant influx of energy, the subspace field will decay, and the ship will drop out of warp

ther words, you *must* continue to provide energy to maintain your warp velocity.

nything which travels at FTL speeds must use a warp field (or some other technology) to keep moving at those speeds.

.

What about 'continuum drag' ?"

his was an idea proposed in the forgotten past to explain the above problem. To me, however, it seem that there is no need for su

force, since we are not dealing with Newtonian action/reaction drives, or force/acceleration systems.

.

So how'd the Saucer travel at warp speeds (in "Encounter at Farpoint" [TNG]) ?"

he Tech Manual states that the subspace field generators coupled to the Impulse drive can be used to maintain a decaying subsp

eld for brief periods of time. The decay is inevitable, but it can be drawn out, to allow the saucer section to get out of danger.

y field-saturating the nacelles (according to "Force of Nature" [TNG]), after a 6 second burst of maximum warp the Enterprise can

coast" at warp for 2 minutes 8 seconds before dropping out of warp. This is a form of "warp without warp drive", although the effec

oes not last very long.

his is similar to how photon torpedoes can be used at warp speeds. They have small "warp sustainer" engines that allow them to

ruise at their launch velocity (if launched while in warp) for brief periods.

.

This Warp 5 speed limit - what's up with that?"

n "Force of Nature" [TNG] it is discovered that within the Hekaras Corridor, a region of space where warp travel is hindered excep

narrow path, the intense use of warp drives in an already sensitive area can, over time, cause subspace rifts to form, where

ubspace manifests itself in real space on a macroscopic scale. To alleviate the problem the Federation imposed a speed limit of

Warp 5 on all starships which remained in place until at least the following year. In "The Pegasus" [TNG] Admiral Pressman gives

icard permission to travel faster than Warp 5 for the duration of the mission. In "Eye of the Beholder" [TNG] Picard is given

ermission to exceed the speed limit to delivery needed medical supplies.

here is a general assumption is that engine modifications later solved the problem; there has been no further mention of the spee

mit. This is fueled by rumors that Voyager's back story includes an updated warp core that is "environmentally friendly."

2. Can We Talk?

What is subspace?"

ccording to the Encyclopedia, it is a continuum with different laws than our own. That doesn't help much, considering you can ma

elds of it in our universe.

he best explanation I can come up with is that subspace is the "substrate" within which our universe exists. A subspace field is ei

forced or natural intrusion of this domain into our own space, altering the behavior of things within our space-time. The "subspac

arrier" is the albeit flimsy dividing line between the two continuums.

Many things support this: in "Schisms" [TNG] creatures exist within a tertiary subspace manifold, a manifold being a term used to

escribe the form our own universe takes when viewed from a higher (theoretical) dimension. This is also called a deeper level of

ubspace; another universe which is connected to ours by subspace. In "Remember Me" [TNG] an entirely new universe was

spawned off" by a static warp bubble, and it was only accessible through subspace. The proto-universe in "Playing God" [DS9] w

n intense subspace manifestation as well.

rotrusions of subspace, such as in "Force of Nature" [TNG], "Vortex" [DS9], or the shockwave in ST6 do nasty things to our spac

me. But subspace is also everywhere: sensors can detect subspace distortions caused by normal objects ( "Descent" [TNG] ),

ommunications work through subspace, and you can create subspace fields.

http://www.calormen.com/star_trek/FAQs/episode.htm?series=tng;episode=721




























Whenever our space-time is distorted or torn, or large amounts of energy released (explosions) there are subspace effects;

ormholes and Transwarp Conduits are good examples where subspace plays a part in the effect, and the presumably material-

ased explosion of Praxis in Star Trek VI generated the subspace shockwave. Also, in "Caretaker" [VOY] Captain Janeway menti

hat the warp core of a starship would leave behind a resonance trace signature even if the ship was destroyed - this indicates tha

onstant matter/antimatter reaction in a starship's warp core generates subspace fields as well.

ubspace fields (the kind that move starships around) are intentional manifestations of subspace in our space-time, caused by the

ontrolled release of energy in a warp field coil. These fields have many effects, often depending on the intensity.

They leave subspace distortions behind ("Interface" [TNG], "The Maquis" [DS9]) even when they're gone.

An object placed in a subspace field has a reduced inertial mass relative to things outside the field. ( "Deja Q" [TNG])

A symmetrical field (a.k.a. "Warp bubble") with enough power can create an entirely new universe, but it may not be stable

"Remember Me" [TNG])

An asymmetrical field can propel the generating ship at the speed of light; nested fields propel the ship at the speed of ligh

relative to the field beyond. (TM)

A subspace Soliton wave can carry a ship at the propagation speed of the wave. ( "New Ground" [TNG])

A field can be embedded in an object ("Phantasms" [TNG])

Overlapping static warp shells can create an artificial subspace barrier in a localized region of space-time ( "All Good Things

[TNG])

ou can think of subspace as being the "medium" in which our space-time exists. The nearest parts (nearest being measured by t

nergy it takes to access them) are tightly coupled to our own universe, and can be thought of as being mapped to our space-time

his is what sensors generally read, and what the subspace fields of warp drive are interacting with. Slightly deeper parts can conn

oints in our universe to others. Wormholes and Transwarp Conduits are this sort of thing. Deeper still are the "untamed wilds" seeForce of Nature" [TNG]. And even further down are entirely separate universes, all held together by subspace.

ubspace is not in an alternate reality, or "place", or space-time where things go - or at least, they don't go in the world of Star Tre

not entered by a starship at warp. A ship creates a subspace field which acts like another universe very tightly coupled to our ow

was inside such a field and you were outside, we could conduct a conversation, shake hands, etc. But when the field is powerful

nough (1000 millicochranes or more) and asymmetric, it is propulsive. Nested, decoupling fields magnify the effect considerably.

he ship still interacts with everything in our universe, and vice versa, as the level of subspace in which the field exists is so tightly

oupled to our own that it appears no "fancier" than, say, a magnetic field, if you're looking closely at it.

he weakest subspace fields do appear very similar to traditional fields, like magnetic fields. They have associated particles (see

elow), can be bound to objects ("Phantasms" [TNG]), can be used for transmissions (subspace radio), and generally unremarkab

n their own other than as residue from more powerful effects.

o keep Jason Hinson and Special Relativity happy, subspace doesn't need to follow the rules of relativity. Subspace might have

nique reference frame, and everything enclosed in a subspace field has the reference frame of subspace.

.

What are Tetryons and Verterons?"

ubatomic particles mentioned in "Force of Nature" [TNG], and a number of other episodes. These seem to be some of the particl

ssociated with subspace fields, just as photons are particles associated with electromagnetic fields.

verteron mine is used to disable the Flemming, a Ferengi ship, and the Enterprise in "Force of Nature". Verterons somehow ma

o disable all devices which use subspace. Simplest explanation - they inhibit interactions with subspace, causing massive overloa

nd feedback which damages equipment.

icard suggests using them to mask a subspace resonance signature in "The Pegasus" [TNG], although Data points out that their

rtificial nature would preclude their use in that circumstance - masking a warp core for several hours.

n "Caretaker" [VOY] , Voyager is scanned by a coherent tetryon beam before being transported across the galaxy.

erterons also infest the Wormhole near Bajor. In "Playing God" [DS9], a proto-universe intruding into our own c/o subspace was

ontained by an energy field, but verteron pockets in the Wormhole threatened to release it, destroying a Runabout and perhaps e

he Wormhole. Verterons and subspace do not mix well.

hey also allow vessels to travel through the wormhole under impulse power ( "In the Hands of the Prophets" [DS9]), and they app

a display in Keiko's classroom on DS9 as the verteron membrane at the outer boundary of one side of the wormhole.




































etryons are particles which are stable in subspace but unstable in normal space. They appear to be the main mediating particles

ubspace interactions with normal space. They were introduced in "Schisms" [TNG] but they've shown up in "Force of Nature" [TN

nd a tetryon field is the result of an metaphasic shield interaction in "Suspicions" [TNG].

.

What are 'warp particles'?"

hese were mentioned in "Parallax" [VOY], and used to open a subspace breach in an event horizon.

he objection has been raised that warp particles have never been mentioned before. However, fields and particles are different w

f looking at the same thing. You can even consider soliton waves (cohesive waves which don't disperse) as being made up of apecial soliton particle, or sound to be carried by a "phonon" particle, and it makes some calculations much easier than considerin

he wave or field classically.

uantum mechanics says that for things like photons, electrons, Higgs bosons, etc, the particle/wave/field distinction is pretty muc

meaningless. So "warp particles" could refer to the specific particles making up a warp field, or the entire class of particles which

artake in subspace reactions (tetryons, verterons, etc).

.

What is subspace radio?"

means of sending a signal through subspace, so that it is not limited by the speed of light. This is done by creating a subspace

stortion which propagates in much the same way as an electromagnetic field. A large amount of energy is needed to send a signny large distance, and the more energy that is available, the deeper the signal can be forced into subspace.

owever, the signal dissipates over time, eventually releasing the energy that is left as an electromagnetic field. A more powerful i

gnal can travel farther before this happens, but there is a limit; too much energy and the level of subspace that is used won't be

ghtly coupled to our own space-time any more, and the signal will probably go awry.

he Federation (and presumably other Alpha and Beta Quadrant groups) use subspace relay networks to periodically boost subsp

gnal strengths. We see one of these in "Aquiel" [TNG] and Seven of Nine uses one to "phone home" in "Hunters" [VOY].

.

How fast is subspace radio?"

nder ideal conditions, Warp 9.9997. (TNG TM, page 99) This is "sixty times faster than the fastest starship, either existing or redicted" - assuming traditional warp technology.

he Encyclopedia says that with boosters and relays, Warp 9.9999 is the speed.

.

Why is it i nstantaneous in the movies?"

o ad breaks.

.

What is a cochrane?"

ccording to the Tech Manual, it's a measure of subspace distortion named after Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive. 1

ochrane is the distortion required to propel a ship at Warp 1, so field strengths are typically measured in millicochranes. It's show

n TNG a couple of times amidst Geordi's technobabble.

3. Faster Than Faster Than Light

What's TransWarp?"

ccording to the Star Trek Chronology, the Excelsior was commissioned as NX-2000 in 2284 as a test bed for the new TransWarp












echnology. By 2287, the TransWarp Development Project was deemed unsuccessful by Starfleet Command, and experiments we

alted. "...The attempt to surpass the primary warp field efficiency barrier with the TransWarp Development Project in the early 228

roved unsuccessful...." [TNG Tech Manual, p14]

seems as though the designers were trying to get around the energy limits traditional warp entailed, after passing Warp 9. But w

hat is it? Is Transwarp just any "faster than warp travel" or is it a specific technology or natural occurrence?

n an IRC discussion with Boris S., Michael Okuda had this to say:

We were never clear on transwarp as seen in ST:III, but "Threshold" makes it clear that transwarp is the mysterious

Warp 10 alluded to in earlier episodes. We assume that it is some kind of "deeper subspace domain" just as subspace

presumably coexists with our own time-space continuum. In other words, we're not really sure.

X is to transwarp as subspace is to warp, then perhaps X has the same relationship to subspace that subspace has to normal

pace? Trans-subspace? Is it turtles all the way down?

What are Transwarp Condui ts?"

he first Transwarp travel we saw onscreen was in "Descent" [TNG], which has the Borg using TransWarp Conduits. They're like

ustom-made wormholes that, once created, stay in place and can be used repeatedly. The conduits are used by broadcasting a

achyon signature which makes them open up and suck the ship in. They're beyond the ability of the Federation to create, but the

nterprise was able to use them once it recorded the tachyon signature the Borg were using. Transfer through the conduits is 20 t

aster than the fastest warp available to Federation science (Warp 9.7 or 9.8), covering light-years in a matter of seconds rather th

ours - just like a wormhole.

hris Franklin points out:

[When] they followed Data's shuttle into the Conduit, Riker stated that they had covered 65 light years. I timed the trip

with my stop watch and came up with about 9 seconds for their stay in the Conduit. This corresponds to about

227,911,132.04 times the speed of light.

hat's a heck of a lot faster than speeds quoted above for Warp 9.9, even, far more than 20 times, so something is awry. Mike Bro

eminds me that any attempt to measure the duration of some event on screen is misleading - "television shows are always a

ompressed, highlights-only telling of a story that typically spans several days" - even if the action seems continuous, so take any

ard-and-fast numbers with a grain of salt.

ranswarp conduits appear to be tunnels through subspace (analogous to wormholes being tunnels through normal space?),

ypassing the limitations of warp entirely.

.

Transwarp Frogs in Space?"

nd then there's "Threshold" [VOY] in which Voyager - a ship running low on supplies, with half its crew dead, stranded away from

epair or research facilities, on the other side of the Galaxy from the Federation - manages to upgrade one of its never-ending sup

f shuttles to make a Transwarp flight, something that has defied the best minds in the Federation for a century. There are a lot of

hings in this episode that many people wish had never seen the light of television, so we'll just focus on technobabble as it relates

arp travel.

he [ TECH] isn't too bad, however. Warp 10 is identified clearly as infinite speed, but the pesky Warp 10 barrier is mentioned.

resumably, this is meant as the barrier to going at an arbitrarily large speed without draining the antimatter tanks and/or dilithium

rystals and/or other ship components. When the shuttle does achieve Transwarp, it registers as Warp 10 and is everywhere at onor a brief time. Now that is the way to travel! Sensors also lose track of the shuttle, indicating that things in Transwarp do not inter

ith things in normal space, unlike warp travel. (Thanks to Vikash R. Goel for pointing that out.)

ou can probably just ignore any parts of that episode that don't make any sense - various members of the Star Trek production cr

ave indicated that they plan to.

.

What about Transwarp drive?"

kay, now that the Star Trek writers are back to using this [ TECH] buzzword there's no stopping them. Apparently, Transwarp ca

sed as a drive, just like warp drive. Given the way the name is used in various episodes, it appears to be a coherent technology





xploiting a feature of the universe (a la warp) not just anything faster than warp. Civilizations a step above the Federation use it, a

he basics are understood - at least by the Voyager crew - enough to detect its use and follow ships in Transwarp with their sensor

he Voth in "Distant Origin" [VOY] use Transwarp drives (not to mention cloaks) even on small ships. This portrayal of Transwarp

oks much more like just "really fast warp" than the conduits. Visually, the star streaks around the ship look fatter and longer than

arp, but it's otherwise just the same, only better.

nd in "Scorpion" [VOY] Janeway refers multiple times to the Borg using Transwarp - which doesn't look at all conduitish.

.

What is Quantum SlipStream Drive?"

rticle by Jeremy H. Pace

rom Webster's Dictionary:

uantum

2 a : any of the very small increments or parcels into which many forms of energy are subdivided

b : any of the small subdivisions of a quantized physical magnitude (as magnetic moment)

lipstream

1 : a stream of fluid (as air or water) driven aft by a propeller

2 : an area of reduced air pressure and forward suction immediately behind a rapidly moving vehicle

n "Hope and Fear" [VOY] an alien race [Borg species designation 116] who are furious with Janeway's solving the Borg's species472 problem designs a fake experimental Starfleet ship for Voyager to "find" in the Delta Quadrant. Called the Dauntless, this shi

ppears to be of the same size or larger in mass than the Voyager, but has only minimal living space. The special hyperdrive is no

arp but a new method called "quantum slipstream". An accidental jumpstart and research into the drive gives the following

xplanation: quantum energies from a quantum reactor in Engineering are funneled to the main deflector array, which then opens

quantum slipstream" in "slipstream space", a non-subspace dimension where incredible velocities can be attained.

oyager uses the quantum slipstream (but not the Dauntless) to gain 300 light-years on their journey in only a few minutes, maybe

our. They are forced to stop using the quantum slipstream because of the incredible stresses it puts on Voyager's hull.

n "Timeless" [VOY], it seems that Engineer Torres and the rest of the crew have managed to reverse-engineer the Dauntless'

uantum reactor. Using Bedemite crystals and other exotic components, a quantum matrix is cobbled together that will allow for

uantum slipstream travel. Ensign Harry Kim has doubts about the math, fears that are proven in holodeck simulation and in actua

se. It turns out that Voyager runs into phase variant imbalances while using the quantum slipstream drive, making travel hazardofter only a few minutes of travel, Voyager is forced to drop out of quantum slipstream space. The hybrid Torres drive is dismantle

nd it is doubtful QSD will be seen again.

even of Nine does mention in "Hope and Fear" [VOY] that the QSD is similar in principle to the Borg's transwarp conduits (as

pposed to the Voth's transwarp drive), so research into one drive system might yield clues about the other. A faked message from

tarfleet claims the ship made 65,000 light-years in three months, which might put the velocity at 2,628,000 times the speed of ligh

learly, the quantum slipstream drive is a candidate for "extra-galactic travel" classification.

his is not warp, or a variation of warp drive. QSD appears to be based on a totally different principle than warp, Seven's statemen

otwithstanding. It is probable that due to the physics of QSD a ship would have to be made from scratch specifically for quantum

ipstream. This is the difference between the species 116's Dauntless and Voyager's mimicry. In "Hope and Fear" [VOY] and

Timeless" [VOY] Commander Chakotay uses the phrase "alter our slipstream", implying that slipstream space is not free and ope

ut must be transversed in the form of grooves or pre-laid paths. This is seen as the cool blue "vortex" effect of QSD ships, as

pposed to the sparkly lights of warp drive. Slipstreams appear to have only one setting: really, really, really (ludicrous) speed.

ou cannot "see" truespace while in slipstream. You must orient your ship in the proper three-dimensional axis position, then activ

he drive and time how long you want to travel before dropping out. You do not have to worry about local stars and gravity wells, s

ou are not in truespace, unlike warp drive.

seems that a M/AMR is not needed for QSD ships. At least, none was seen in "Hope and Fear" [VOY].

is possible to "fall" out of the slipstream, much as ships "fall" out of warp when their warp layers collapse. (It seems every time th

hip does this it is a bad thing - helm control and shields are offline due to quantum effects. Maybe species 116 overcame this side

ffect?)

http://www.vocabulary.com/

http://www.vocabulary.com/



he theories from the [tech] newsgroup with the most weight are:

1. Slipstream is "between" subspace and truespace, or "below" normal subspace and closer to the "untamed wilds" seen in "F

of Nature" [TNG], but not at the alternate universes level. The one-to-one mapping may hold true, but speed is faster. A

quantum energy field similar to a warp bubble is projected ahead of the craft and into slipstream space. This field is

continuously generated by the craft to maintain the quantum slipstream, which then pulls the craft along the path. Unlike the

warp bubble, which can be likened to a zero-dimensional subspace manifestation (when seen from subspace, say), the

slipstream field is a one-dimensional (linear) manifestation of subspace. Stresses build up because of the fluctuating nature

quantum-level energy, "quantum cavitation". Warp drive is not used, the ship moves by manipulating the quantum energy fi

and using their impulse engines. You don't obey warp rules, you go around them.

Sources: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

2. Slipstream is a special wormhole that tunnels into "slipstream space", which is not subspace. You essentially make a worm

"mouth", enter the wormhole, and then hold open the "throat" while you travel. The quantum stresses of forcing the "throat"

stay expanded by energies from the main deflector dish and quantum matrix are repulsed by truespace, which wants to

collapse the quantum field. This can shake the craft apart or force it to drop out of slipstream, which makes the exit wormho

"mouth". You have to fold space to make the wormhole, similar to the Cytherian- inspired Barclay drive in "The Nth Degree

[TNG]. Warp drive is not used, as this is an entirely different application of wormhole/subspace physics.

Sources: Rick Sternbach, Senior Illustrator, Star Trek Voyager, Paramount Pictures (with modifications using modern-day

wormhole math); [email protected]

3. Slipstream is a manufactured continuum, where the QSD increases the energy state of the local truespace. Then using the

uncertainty of where a quanta is, combined with the Heisenberg compensators, the ship instantly "jumps" a distance througgiant application of quantum tunneling. A whole series of these jumps occur near instantaneously for the slipstream effect o

quantum drive. These jumps put quantum-level stresses on the craft, and add to the randomness effect of the QSD, causin

the problems seen in the show.

Sources: [email protected]

While theory #3 is obviously an early guess, and theory #2 has one of the ST:VOY team behind it, I myself prefer theory #1. With a

espect to Mr. Sternbach, Star Trek has really bad wormholes physics (compared to modern-day cosmological math theories), and

ke to avoid them at all costs. If the Borg's transwarp conduits are really similar to QSD as Seven stated, then theory #1 allows for

ecaying one-dimensional transwarp tunnels more stable than quantum slipstreams. It also explains why the Borg do not use QSD

answarp is superior in the fact that it creates stable short-term conduits usable by other craft, cutting down on propulsion costs.

he necessary components for using QSD are:

hull material necessary for withstanding the quantum-level stresses of the slipstream (what, no force shields or structural

integrity fields to do this?)

a quantum matrix to produce the quantum field layer of slipstream space

a proper emitter of the field (deflector array)

sensors designed for slipstream space to adjust the field for phase variant imbalances and prevent premature collapse

some form of "braking" impulse drive to automatically hold your position and attitude when exiting slipstream space

.

Besides TransWarp and Quantum Slips tream, what other alternate forms of FTL travel have we seen?"

Where No One Has Gone Before" [TNG]

The Traveler propels the Enterprise to the Andromeda Galaxy, using more advanced warp equations.

The Nth Degree" [TNG]

The Cytherians bring the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy via graviton mediated subspace folding.

New Ground" [TNG]

Soliton waves are used to move a ship at warp speeds; "Warp without warp drive."

Contagion" [TNG], "To The Death" [DS9]

The Iconians had portals to other places in the galaxy.

The Price" [TNG], ST:TMP, and DS9

Wormholes, stable and unstable, connect remote parts of the galaxy. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture an unbalanced warp

causes an artificial wormhole to appear around the Enterprise.

nterface" [TNG]

Geordi proposes an artificially created subspace "funnel" connecting points 300 light years apart.





















Caretaker" [VOY]

The Array is able to bring ships across the galaxy with some form of displacement wave, which looks very similar to the

shockwave seen in Star Trek VI.

Prime Factors" [VOY]

Space-folding technology can be used from the Sikarian planet to transport people up to 40,000 light years in an instant.

Explorers" [DS9]

Sisko builds a solar sailing ship. When out sailing with Jake, a tachyon stream "catches" (ugh!) the sails and the ship is

accelerated to the FTL speed of the tachyons. [Michael Welch]

Vis a Vis" [VOY]

Co-axial warp drive. Apparently Federation scientists have been working on this for years. [D. Jacobs]

n several episodes ("When the Bough Breaks" [TNG], "Tin Man" [TNG], "Q-Who" [TNG], "The Gift" [VOY]) some unknown techno

r non-corporeal entity throws a starship tens, hundreds or thousands of light-years in mere seconds. In those cases there is rarely

ssociated technobabble to hint at the underlying mechanism.

m missing lots, please let me know.)

4. Nitty Gritty

FASA says the Enterprise-D uses UltraWarp, so nyeah!"

FASA is a game publisher that produces games loosely based on the original and animated Star Trek series, and briefly had acense to produce TNG-era games. See the Reading FAQ for more background information.)

ccording to the TNG Tech Manual and Star Trek Chronology, the Enterprise-D uses the same old warp technology seen in TOS

st a much more advanced version.

he only hint that TOS, the classic films, and TNG warp drives might be different is in their visual appearance on screen - in the

assic films the Enterprise "blurs" while in warp. We *have* seen the TNG Enterprise do this - in "Force of Nature" [TNG], when it

eld- saturated its nacelles and ran at high warp for 6 seconds. Perhaps the film-era warp drives used this field saturation to gener

gher speeds at lower energy, an effect which was surpassed by later developments and obsolete by TNG?

.

Some Starfleet ships use 3 nacelles!"

n 2269, Starfleet attempted ships with 1 and 3 or more warp nacelles (TNG TM p65). As previously thought, 2 is the most efficien

ut 4 is apparently useful in some cases (Constellation Class, Cheyenne Class).

ou need one nacelle to get anywhere, minimum. However, to yaw you need the nacelle to be split vertically (left and right halves

o pitch you need the nacelle to be split horizontally (top and bottom halves). By using a split nacelle, you can induce slight timing

fferences, and cause the desired rotational effect (TM p65). This is a bit of a problem with one nacelle, since you end up with eac

arp coil divided into four segments. The TM indicates that matching *pairs* is difficult and very sensitive. Matching four, and

roviding four plasma injectors for each coil segment is probably difficult.

aving more than two nacelles (either 3 or 4) allows you to use only a single segment per coil. But the warp field itself requires a g

o be released! (TM p65) (For anyone who doubts this, in "Eye of the Beholder" [TNG], we see TNG TM fig 5.3.3 reproduced on a

rge screen display with labels.)

o you need to have the warp coils split in two anyway; if you use the top/bottom split to provide pitch control, and two nacelles to

rovide yaw control, you're set.

n some designs, four nacelles may be the way to go; even with the required split, being able to tune the warp field discreetly ma

nough of an advantage to warrant using four nacelles.

.

Ha! Three nacelle ships are canon!" ("A ll Good Things..." [TNG])

ote that a number of things have changed by the time we see the U.S.S. Enterprise zipping around with three nacelles in that

pisode:




http://www.calormen.com/star_trek/FAQs/reading-faq.htm



















Warp 13 is a common cruising speed

Warp is no longer damaging space-time

New nacelle designs are being used on other ships

My own explanation: new nacelle designs allow ships like the U.S.S. Pasteur to cruise at Warp 13 without frying space-time. Olde

hips, like the Enterprise, can be refitted with a third nacelle (and other wingdings and widgets) to clean their subspace emissions,

o speak. The third nacelle also allows a more powerful field to be generated, to drive the ship around at Warp 13, but this goes

eyond TNG-era knowledge of subspace mechanics.

o as far as strictly TNG-era ships are concerned, three nacelles are still worse than useless.

.

But the Ferengi/Borg/Klingon Bird of Prey don't have nacelles!"

he Borg probably have subspace field generators (redundantly) scattered throughout their cube; they can then pulse them to

enerate *massive* overlapping, pulsating subspace fields in any direction. Same technique, more power, more flexibility.

s for Ferengi, perhaps they use shielding. One thing is certain; the design of Ferengi ships allows for the ship to be contained in

ngle lobed warp field. The Enterprise requires a double lobe. Having "inboard" warp drives (like the Bird of Prey) gets you a fast s

or less power; likely, shielding can prevent the fields from frying the crew.

display screen in "Blood Oath" [DS9] may show the warp field of the Bird of Prey - again, a single lobe.

omething to consider; most of the small ships (picture the raiding ship from "Gambit" [TNG]) don't have outboard drives. Theyrobably make the single-lobe/shielding tradeoff to keep their ships small, fast and cheap. Ditto for shuttles with warp.

.

Why do ships always meet the same way up?"

know it's been proposed as a joke, but the idea that warp travel requires a universal "up" isn't as silly as you might think. We kno

hat things in normal space affect subspace. What if the mass and orientation of the entire galaxy, which is nothing to sneeze at, a

ubspace in such a way as to make travel more efficient if your warp fields are generated parallel to the plane of the galaxy?

s then more efficient for ships to align their warp drives with the plane of the galaxy, so flying "up" and "down" in the galactic plan

which is relatively thin, about 1/10th to 1/40th the diameter of the galaxy) would take more energy. This also explains the banking

urns and such.

you have galactic-up and galactic-down to choose from, why always the same way up? Probably a matter of protocol. Only "lose

aces don't adhere to the standard. You'll also note that many small ships are vertically symmetrical, perhaps as their designers a

uite up to snuff when it comes to designing warp drives.

More support for this hypothesis: warp does really weird things at the edge and at the center of the galaxy. The Great Barrier of TO

ame ("Where No Man Has Gone Before" [TOS] and "By Any Other Name" [TOS]) at the edge of the galaxy and the one near the

enter of the galaxy (if you believe in Star Trek V) were each considered impassable and gave the Enterprise a rough ride.

irk made a number of references in "By Any Other Name" [TOS] about warp drive not working outside the galaxy, or something t

hat effect. While the Kelvans of Andromeda had got that licked, this does give the theory a little bit of support.

nother note: the subspace shockwave seen in Star Trek VI was both planar and aligned with the direction of the Excelsior's verti

xis, and shockwaves within the subspace rift of "Force of Nature" [TNG] were also aligned coplanar to the ship.

ete Carr points out the following bit of dialog from "Genesis" [TNG]:

Picard: Adjust the axial stabilizers [of the shuttle] to match the attitude and rotation rate of the Enterprise.

"universal up" would explain why this sort of thing doesn't happen all the time; only drifting ships like the Enterprise need help.

5. Contributors:

Eur van Andel











Mike Brown

Jeremy H. Pace

D. Jacobs

Daniel S. Barclay

Vikash R. Goel

Jason Hinson

Greg Berigan

A.J. Madison

Axis

Sharon Collicutt

Ges Seger Michael M. Welch

Tom Bagwell

Joseph Haller

Chris Franklin

Pete Carr

Taki Kogoma

6. Glossary:

Speed of Light ( ~= 3 * 10^8 m/s )

QSD

Forced Quantum Singularity Drive. A miniature black hole used on Romulan Warbirds as a power source for their warp driv

and other shipboard systems.

TL

Faster Than Light (usually communication or travel)

PS

Impulse Power System. The Newtonian STL drive used on board Federation starships.

M/AMR

Matter/Antimatter Reactor (also called the warp core). Power source used on Federation and Klingon starships. Romulans

a FQSD.

ewtonian

Term referring to action-reaction systems. For example, propulsion by means of pushing accelerated gas out the back of aship, where the reaction causes the ship to move forward. The IPS is an example of this. Warp drive has no normal

action/reaction component associated with it, and is called non-Newtonian.

TL

Slower Than Light (as opposed to FTL).

etryon

Subspace particle unstable in normal space. Appears to be the primary particle associated with subspace fields and subspa

interactions.

erteron

Particle associated with subspace interactions. Appears to inhibit the formation of subspace fields, damaging or rendering

devices which use subspace useless.

arp

One method of FTL travel used in Star Trek, in which nested subspace fields create a propulsive effect.

Warp"Unit" for warp factor, as opposed to the technology.

arp coil

One of many units in a warp drive; shaped like squashed horseshoes, and paired together to form rings, plasma is pumped

them and the exotic materials forming them create the warp effect.

arp core

See M/AMR.

7. References:



ee the Reading List FAQ for more details on the reference volumes mentioned above and below.

he question of "what is canon" has been argued for years in the Star Trek newsgroup hierarchy. In the realm of technical

scussions, this can be refined to the question of "what evidence is factual, and what is apocryphal". These FAQs follow the curre

ominant notion that "canon" is aired live-action material and nothing more, with the caveat that materials produced off-camera by

roduction crew are often (but not always) reliable predictors of the direction future canonical material will follow, and are therefore

ranted a special "quasi-canonical" status. Any other material falls into the realm of speculation - it may be perfectly well grounded

peculation useful for building up technical arguments, or wild flights of fancy that have no rational basis.

n addition, more recently presented information is considered to supercede old information, unless the weight of the evidence

upports the original data. While this may seem highly biased and may be eyed with some skepticism as a form of Orwellian

newthink", it is a more useful predictor of what those directly responsible for the creation of the series are likely to include as

anonical material in the future.

or example, the excellent and groundbreaking Star Fleet Technical Manual, by Franz Joseph created in the 1970's was a very we

hought out look at the technical world of Starfleet just slightly beyond what was seen in the original series. Unfortunately, and per

or purely arbitrary reasons, the future development of "canon" Star Trek diverged from this speculation. This in no way implies tha

here was anything wrong with that volume or any others, merely that due to later "evidence", it can no longer be regarded as an

uthoritative overview of Trek technology. On the other hand, the author performed a lot of research to create it, and therefore its

peculation should not be dismissed out of hand.

hat said, we are dealing with a universe in the process of being created by scores of (usually) non-technical people, aiming to

rovide weekly entertainment for a mass audience. There are many inconsistencies even amid the canonical material, and often t

he wildest speculation on the newsgroup makes more sense than what we see in the episodes.

anonical material:

Star Trek: Voyager [VOY]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [DS9]

Star Trek: The Next Generation [TNG]

Star Trek feature films

Classic Star Trek [TOS]

uasi-canonical material:

The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future

Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future

Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical ManualStar Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual

The Making of Star Trek

Other "behind the scenes" information from the production crew, including:

Newsgroup postings

Convention presentations

Interviews

Email conversations

ighly regarded, but non-canonical material:

Star Trek: The Animated Series [TAS]

Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise

Star Fleet Technical ManualStarlog's Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Journal

Other "reference" guides

Novels, incl. novelizations of films and episodes

Blueprints, drawings, photographs, models, etc.



warp and subspace faq

Documents