The fictional technology in Star Trek has borrowed many ideas from the scientific world. Episodes often contain technologies named after or inspired by real-world scientific concepts, such as tachyon beams, baryon sweeps, quantum slipstream drives, and photon torpedoes. Some of the technologies created for the Star Trek universe were done so out of financial necessity. For instance, the transporter was created because the limited budget of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) in the 1960s did not allow expensive shots of spaceships landing on planets.Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 by Paula M. Block, Terry J. Erdmann
Discovery Channel Magazine stated that cloaking devices, faster-than-light travel, and dematerialized transport were only dreams at the time TOS was made, but physicist Michio Kaku believes all these things are possible. William Shatner, who portrayed James T. Kirk in TOS, believes this as well, and went on to co-write the book I'm Working on That, in which he investigates how Star Trek technology is becoming feasible.
Subspace In the Star Trek fictional universe, subspace is a feature of space-time that facilitates faster-than-light transit, in the form of interstellar travel or the transmission of information. Faster-than-light warp drive travel via subspace obeys different laws of physics. The name "subspace" has also been adopted and used in other fictional settings, such as the Stargate franchise, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, the Bobiverse series, and Descent: Freespace. Narratively, it plays a similar role to the hyperspace that appears in Star Wars and other works of science fiction.
In most Star Trek series, subspace communications are a means to establish nearly instantaneous contact with people who are light years away. The physics of Star Trek describes infinite speed (expressed as "warp factor 10") as an impossibility; as such, even subspace communications which travel at speeds over Warp 9.9 may take hours or weeks to reach certain destinations. One exception to this impossibility was in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Threshold" where Lt. Paris breaks the Warp 10 barrier. In the Star Trek universe subspace signals do not degrade with the square of the distance as do other methods of communication utilizing conventional bands of the electromagnetic spectrum (i.e. radio waves), so signals sent from a great distance can be expected to reach their destination at a predictable time and with little relative degradation (barring any random subspace interference or spatial anomalies).
In the Star Trek franchise, subspace communications have a limit of just over 20 light years before they must be boosted, although this limitation has been ignored in several storylines, such as when the crew of the USS Voyager establishes real-time communication networks directly with Starfleet Command across the Delta Quadrant.
Warp drive
Warp drive is one of the fundamental features of the Star Trek franchise; in the first pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage", it is referred to as a "hyperdrive", with Captain Pike stating the speed to reach planet TalosIV as "time warp, factor 7". When beginning to explain travel times to the illusion survivors (before being interrupted by the sight of Vina), crew member Jose Tyler stated that "the time barrier's been broken", allowing a group of interstellar travelers to return to Earth far sooner than would have otherwise been possible. Later in the pilot, when Spock is faced with the only action of escaping, he announces to the crew they have no choice but to leave, stating "Our time warp factor..." before the ship's systems start failing. In the second pilot for The Original Series, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", time was dropped from the speed setting with Kirk ordering speeds in the simple "ahead warp factor one" that became familiar from then on.
Working principle
The basic functional principle of the warp drive in Star Trek is the same for all spaceships. It was originally conceived of by a strong energy source, usually called a warp core or sometimes intermix chamber, generates a high-energy plasma. This plasma is transported to warp field generators via lines that are reminiscent of pipes. These generators are effectively coils in warp nacelles protruding from the spaceship. The warp nacelles generate a subspace field, the warp field or a warp bubble, which distort space-time and propels the bubble and spaceship in the bubble forward. That is similar to the Alcubierre drive, but with some exceptions as the maintenance of sub-light velocity and inertia. This means that a spaceship does not come to a complete standstill after the warp flight, but that superluminal and subluminal speeds flow directly into one another. It is also possible to ram another object at warp speed that is outside the warp bubble. This necessitates the existence of fictional deflector shields that protect the spacecraft from damage from collisions with interstellar dust particles and asteroids. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "By Inferno's Light" indicates that flying at warp speed inside a planetary system is not recommended.
The warp core can be designed in various forms. Humans and most of the other fictional races use a moderated reaction of antideuterium and deuterium with Dilithium. The Romulans, however, use artificial micro-black holes called quantum singularities.
Fictional history
The episode "Metamorphosis", from The Original Series, establishes a backstory for the invention of warp drive on Earth, in which Zefram Cochrane discovered the "space warp". Cochrane is repeatedly referred to afterwards, but the exact details of the first warp trials were not shown until the second Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, Star Trek: First Contact. The movie depicts Cochrane as having first operated a warp drive on Earth in 2063. This successful first trial led directly to first contact with the Vulcans.
It was also established that many other civilizations had warp drive before humans; First Contact co-writer Ronald D. Moore suggested Cochrane's drive was in some way superior to forms which existed beforehand, and was gradually adopted by the galaxy at large.
The following table shows the gradual evolution of the warp drive and the warp speeds of humanity and later the United Federation of Planets. For better comparison, the warp factors of the TNG scale, based on the values given in the book Star Trek Encyclopedia, have been converted to cubic warp factors from TOS.
Era(Starship) Design speed(equivalent to the aircraft VNE V-speed)Typically, this speed can be maintained for up to 12 hours before damage to the drive or the starship structural integrity occurs. Normal cruising speed(equivalent to the aircraft VBE or VBR V-speed)Usual flight speeds with optimized fuel consumption and mechanical wear. Maximum cruising speed(equivalent to the aircraft VNO V-speed)Maximum speed that can be sustained unlimited amount of time without damaging the engine or the structural integrity of the starship. However, the fuel consumption is disproportionately higher than usual and limited the time of using this speed. Speed recordsMaximum speed that the drive can achieve under its own power in emergency situations without external forces. This usually requires modifications to the drive and other components and causes damage to engine and structural integrity of the starship. 2063(Starship Phoenix) Warp 1 experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine spacecraft propulsion with flight time limitation of the engine 2140(NX-Alpha) Warp 2 experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine Warp 2.2 (ENT episode First Flight) 2143(NX-Beta) Warp 2.5 experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine 2145(NX-Delta) Warp 3 experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine experimental spacecraft with flight time limitation of the engine 2145(Starship Franklin) Warp 4 Warp 3.5 Warp 4 2151(Starship Enterprise NX-01) Warp 5.2 Warp 4.5 Warp 5 Warp 6.9 (ENT episode E²) 2161(USS Essex NCC-173) Warp 7 Warp 5 Warp 6 2245(USS Enterprise NCC-1701) Warp 8Star Trek Starship Spotter, Page 9 Warp 5 Warp 6 Warp 9.5 (TOS episode Is There In Truth No Beauty?)Warp 10 (TOS episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield)Warp 11 (TOS episode By Any Other Name and The Changeling)Warp 14.1 (TOS Episode That Which Survives) 2285(USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A) Warp 12Star Trek Starship Spotter, Page 17 Warp 6 Warp 8 2293(USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B) Warp 12 (9.2 TNGStar Trek Fact Files) Warp 7 (6 TNG) Warp 10 (8 TNG) 2332(USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C) Warp 12 (9.3 TNG) Warp 7 (6 TNG) Warp 11 (8.6 TNG) 2363(USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D) Warp 12.5 (9.6 TNGStar Trek Starship Spotter, Page 25, 29)Warp 14.5 (Upgrade to 9.9 TNGStar Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, Page) Warp 7 (6 TNG) Warp 12 (9.2 TNGStar Trek Technical Manual, Page) Warp 14 (9.8 TNG) (TNG episode Encounter at Farpoint) 2371(USS Enterprise NCC-1710-EUSS Voyager NCC-74656USS Defiant NX-74205) Warp 17 (USS Enterprise 9.95 TNG)Warp 18.5 (USS Voyager 9.975 TNGStar Trek Starship Spotter, Page 57Warp 19 (USS Defiant 9.982 TNGStar Trek Starship Spotter, Page 45) Warp 10 (8 TNG) Warp 12.5 (USS Defiant 9.5 TNG)Warp 13 (USS Enterprise 9.7 TNGStar Trek Starship Spotter, Page 53)Warp 13.5 (USS Voyager 9.75 TNG) Warp 20 (9.99 TNG) (VOY episode Threshold) 2374(USS Prometheus NX-74913) Warp 20 (9.99 TNGStar Trek Starship Spotter, Page 69) Warp 11.5 (9 TNG) Warp 14.5 (9.9 TNG)
Warp speeds Original warp scale (The Original Series, The Animated Series, Enterprise, and Discovery)
The warp drive velocity in Star Trek is generally expressed in "warp factor" units, which—according to Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual—corresponds to the magnitude of the warp field. Achieving warp factor1 is equal to breaking the light barrier, while the actual velocity corresponding to higher factors is determined using an ambiguous formula. According to the Star Trek episode writer's guide for The Original Series, warp factors are converted to multiples of the speed of light by multiplication with the cubic function of the warp factor itself. Accordingly, "warp 1" is equivalent to the speed of light, "warp 2" is eight times the speed of light, "warp 3" is 27 times the speed of light, etc. Several episodes of The Original Series placed the Enterprise in peril by having it travel at high warp factors. However, the velocity (in present dimensional units) of any given warp factor is rarely the subject of explicit expression, and travel times for specific interstellar distances are not consistent through the various series. In the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual it was written that the real warp speed depends on external factors such as particle density or electromagnetic fields and only roughly corresponds with the calculated speed of current warp factor. The reference work Star Trek Maps established the theory of subspace (or warp) highways. In certain regions, a spaceship can fly at a multiple of the speed that corresponds to the current warp factor.
In The Original Series, warp factor6 was established as the common speed of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701. In some cases, the starship traveled at warp7 or above, but with risk of damaging the ship or the engines. Warp8 in The Original Series was the "never exceed" speed for the hulls and engines of Constitution-class starships. Warp6 was the maximum safe cruising speed for that vessel class.