2.4 Warp Drive

Warp Drive

In brief: To traverse the literally astronomical distances between the stars, the Enterprise employs WARP ENGINES. This system actually warps space, enabling the ship to travel faster than light. The primary fuel source of the Enterprise is ANTIMATTER.

Warp speed: Warp Factor One is the speed of light. Higher warp factors are computed according to a geometric formula. Normal cruising speed of the Enterprise is Warp Six, about 392 times the speed of light. Maximum rated speed is Warp 9.6 (1,909 times light speed), and the ship can exceed Warp 9.9 for only a few minutes. Under NO circumstances can the Enterprise or any other ship attain or exceed Warp 10. See the table on the next page for approximate travel times at various warp factors.

Power: The heart of the warp drive system is a matter/antimatter reactor in which deuterium plasma (hydrogen) is brought together with antimatter. This reactor is part of our Engineering set.

Antimatter: This refers to matter whose electrical charge and spin is opposite to that of “normal” matter. (For example, a proton — normally positively charged — would have a negative electric charge.) When matter and antimatter are brought together, they annihilate each other, releasing a tremendous amount of energy (as per Einstein's “E=mc²”). Antimatter fuel is extremely volatile for this reason, and can only be stored in special magnetic containment pods which prevent the fuel from touching the rest of the ship.

Dilithium Crystals: The matter/antimatter reactor includes a component called a Dilithium Chamber, which is used to “tune” the harmonics of the antimatter reaction. The dilithium chamber is a small drawer at the center of the antimatter reactor. This “tuning” enables the warp coils in the engines to generate the subspace field which makes warp speed possible. 24th Century technology allows dilithium to be regenerated, so there is rarely a problem with these once-priceless crystals.

Warp Ten: This is the absolute speed limit of the universe. As Warp Factors approach 10, speed increases dramatically (sort of like the Richter Scale) and so does the required power. Warp 9.9 is over 50% faster than Warp 9.6, and Warp 9.99 is nearly triple Warp 9.9. (Subspace radio signals propagate at about Warp 9.9999, about 100 times faster than Warp 9.6.) Warp Ten is effectively infinite, and an object at that “speed” would occupy all points in the universe simultaneously.

Subspace: When travelling at warp speed, the Enterprise is actually suspended in a “bubble” of “subspace”, which allows the ship to travel faster than light.

Refueling: The Enterprise normally carries sufficient antimatter and deuterium for about three years of operation. Refuelling is usually accomplished at a starbase by means of a special-purpose tanker. Entire antimatter containment pods can also be loaded through the external cargo bay doors. (Transporter loading is possible, but considered too dangerous because of the highly unstable nature of antimatter and the large mass involved.)