TNG Manual · Chapter 5 · Warp Propulsion Systems
5.0 Warp Propulsion Systems
Chapter introduction describing the warp propulsion system as the heart of the ship and humanity's gateway to deep interstellar space.
If one were to consider any of the ship's major components as its heart, the warp propulsion system would have to be the logical choice. The WPS, the single most complex and energetic element of the USS Enterprise, is the latest version of the device that at last afforded humanity access to deep interstellar space, facilitated contact with other lifeforms, and profoundly changed all preeminent technological civilizations in the Milky Way.