70 years to the Alpha Quadrant?

[Pawleygirl]

As a few may have noticed, I've been watching Voyager episodes lately, and someone brought this to my attention. They say that Voyager is over 70,000 light years from the Alpha Quadrant, and Voyager is a vessel capable of sustained flight at Warp 9.975 (which is over 21,000 times the speed of light, or a light year every 25 minutes). So with that said, shouldn't the flight of Voyager back to the Alpha Quadrant take between 3 and 4 years, instead of 70 years like we're told?

[Ryan8bit]

First, there is no definition of what 9.975 really is. Even if you went by the technical manuals (which is pointless), they would still say less than the 21,000 that you say.

Second, while a velocity might be sustainable, that does not make it efficient. With a scarcity of resources, they would be unlikely to sustain such speeds.

Third, they would definitely need to make stops to attain resources. It is unlikely that such a ship could ever be meant to make a voyage meant to last even a few years without refueling.

[R. Star]

Maybe they accounted for having to stop at every other system to check things out?

Seriously though, if you notice they typically cruise at warp 7 or 8 in non-emergency situations. Your car may have a maximum speed of 120 mph, but that doesn't make it gas efficient for example.

[teacake]

If it was potentially a ten year trip I wouldn't be stopping at every nebula and taking readings like Janeway does. I wouldn't want to add a year or two through mishap. But since it's 70 years it's kind of a coin toss, you will add some years but every now and then you might save some through a discovery.

[MacLeod]

Well based on basic maths from TMP, it would be potentailly around a 50 year trip.

As Vulcan was a 4 day trip from Earth (Speed unknown) as Vulcan is ~16ly from Earth so around 4ly per day.

[Dream]

In Q Who it was stated the Enterprise had been sent 7,000 light years away from the edge of Federation Space. They also said it would take them two years and seven months to get back.

So... Voyager was much slower than the old Enterprise? It should have only taken 30 years.

[teacake]

In space no one can hear you count.

[Guy Gardener]

Enterprise can travel though voids for longer periods. Voyagers journey has to take constant stayovers with (unknown-alien)population centres into account. So even if they move a little slower, they can chart a much more direct route probably cutting thousands of light years off the entire voyage.

You take the letter O out of the word "count", and what you said above still makes perfect sense Teacake.

Rude.

But perfect sense.

[teacake]

But that's flaming. You'd have to add an r to the "you" to make it okay.

[C.E. Evans]

The 70-year thing isn't meant to be an exact figure, but a very rough estimate or a ball park figurew, IMO. A ship at Warp 9 or so might average about 1000 light-years per year, taking into account periodic stops whenever necessary.

Personally, I think Janeway was being optimistic. I think most ships can only sustain Warp 9 and beyond speeds for a relatively short period of time but will spend most of a voyage around Warp 6 to prevent engine burnout and to conserve fuel.

[Guy Gardener]

teacock wrote:

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But that's flaming. You'd have to add an r to the "you" to make it okay.

Well queefing is the action of a vagina creating a vacuum losing integrity sound effect inside the females body... but if you're already in space, creating a vacuum inside a vacuum, that sounds like how you create a magic door into thirdspace.

Lets see how being capable of asking directions helps one of you out from being that turned around looking for a familiar landmark.

[Guy Gardener]

C.E. Evans wrote:

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The 70-year thing isn't meant to be an exact figure, but a very rough estimate or a ball park figurew, IMO. A ship at Warp 9 or so might average about 1000 light-years per year, taking into account periodic stops whenever necessary.

Personally, I think Janeway was being optimistic. I think most ships can only sustain Warp 9 and beyond speeds for a relatively short period of time but will spend most of a voyage around Warp 6 to prevent engine burnout and to conserve fuel.

Considering Seven, made a song and dance about using Borg cartography to cut 3 years off the journey, I think it's a reliably accurate number, and as the years went on, they did reduce the number of years they expected to be in transit in relation against all their short cuts.

[teacake]

Guy Gardener wrote:

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Well queefing is the action of a vagina creating a vacuum losing integrity sound effect inside the females body... but if you're already in space, creating a vacuum inside a vacuum, that sounds like how you create a magic door into thirdspace.

Lets see how being capable of asking directions helps one of you out from being that turned around looking for a familiar landmark.

You don't just hear it, you feel it. Space can't take that away from you and I'd imagine it would be a very good navigation point.

[Guy Gardener]

It's a manly man thing to say such comments "I listen to my balls" or "I'm letting my balls take the lead" or even in rare occasions "My ball's spider-sense is tingling"... have you ever seen the British Sitcom "How Not to Live Your Life"? The lead in that is always asking his balls questions as if they each had a mind of their own the equal to the one on top of his shoulders (Add it to the list.).

I didn't mean that you could follow your queefs to homespace, but that a queef in a vacuum might open a door into another dimension, perhaps one even with no shrimp.

I meant that after you had left reality as you know it, you might be so lost that asking directions would be pointless, not that your cooch would be a somewhat comparable article to Rudolphs red shiny nose leading Santa back to the pole.

[spot_loves_data]

teacock wrote:

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You don't just hear it, you feel it. Space can't take that away from you and I'd imagine it would be a very good navigation point.

^ Another answer for the "objects to navigate the space ship" thread?