Why do say Picard or Janeway order a seemingly arbitrary warp number to go somewhere? What difference does it make? Why not just use maximum warp?
Why don't starships automatically use maximum warp?
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Whenever we see ships go real fast, they are on the verge of blowing up from the effort. So it's a risk-benefit analysis, and it's the CO's job to do that sort of stuff. Should we get there faster but arrive crippled? Should we get there so fast that we're all dead when we, well, don't get there? Should we be fashionably late?
Perhaps similar logic dictates why they never raise shields until fired upon.
FWIW, real-world warships basically never move at maximum speed. The exception sometimes being nuclear vessels where fuel consumption is independent of speed, but even those generally aren't in any hurry. For a gasoline-guzzling vessel, a top speed of 25 knots probably means puttering along at 18 kt unless there's a truly dire emergency or the President-for-life of the People's Benevolent Republic himself is watching.
Timo Saloniemi
Perhaps similar logic dictates why they never raise shields until fired upon.
FWIW, real-world warships basically never move at maximum speed. The exception sometimes being nuclear vessels where fuel consumption is independent of speed, but even those generally aren't in any hurry. For a gasoline-guzzling vessel, a top speed of 25 knots probably means puttering along at 18 kt unless there's a truly dire emergency or the President-for-life of the People's Benevolent Republic himself is watching.
Timo Saloniemi
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Of course unlike a car the fictional starship has the benefit of operating in three dimensions in an infinite area where the laws of physics don't apply to it.Do you drive your car at maximum speed no matter where or how far you're going?
It begs the question of how long a starship could travel at warp 9.9 without blowing up.
Well there's atleast 2 "Maximums".. Maximum cruising speed and maximum warp capable..
Max Cruse is what the ship can do for X amount of time before they have to slow down because of wear and tear, fuel economy, etc. where Max warp is how fast you can go period, but usually like 12 hour or less before stuff starts to break, and even after they probably have to replace parts etc. so have to be down for like 24 hours before they can even go to any warp.
Why they have "Cruise" Speed, max efficiency, low on maintenance, can go for weeks, even months without stoping if necessary.
Also depends on how fast you want to get there, if your in no hurry, why tax the engines?
Max Cruse is what the ship can do for X amount of time before they have to slow down because of wear and tear, fuel economy, etc. where Max warp is how fast you can go period, but usually like 12 hour or less before stuff starts to break, and even after they probably have to replace parts etc. so have to be down for like 24 hours before they can even go to any warp.
Why they have "Cruise" Speed, max efficiency, low on maintenance, can go for weeks, even months without stoping if necessary.
Also depends on how fast you want to get there, if your in no hurry, why tax the engines?
The laws of physics don’t apply in space?
That Hawking fellow was full of shit!
You heard it here first people! I have finally found a place where physics do not apply
On topic, while space is relatively empty there are still limitations in maximum energy output, how much impact the shields and deflectors can take, etc.
That's not much of an argument. I never had an issue about the ship not going at the maximum speed.
Bad phrasing on my part. I meant the laws of physics don't apply to a starship in how it can travel FTL speeds in space and the effects on it etc.
That makes sense, but I wonder what the in-universe reasoning is for specifically picking what warp factor to go by. How does Picard suddenly decide in a particular situation to go at warp 1 on one occasion and warp 4 on another occasion? It seems random. One of those quirky Star Trek things I suppose.
Acceptable risk depending on the situation.
"She'll fly apart!"
"Fly her apart then!!!"
"She'll fly apart!"
"Fly her apart then!!!"
Okay, in universe:
The ship needs to maintain a normal rhythm to life onboard. People need to sleep, shower, play on the holodeck, etc. Picard uses selective judgment depending on the emergent nature of the mission to allow “real life” to happen.
Zipping instantaneously from situation to situation would fry the crew pretty quickly.
Hows that?
Makes sense.
The car analogy is perfect - driving at full throttle increases consumption of fuel, wears out parts quicker, puts more strain on the engine overall leading to increased risk of failure, increased maintenance and a reduced lifespan.
Broadly speaking all these things would apply to a starship's engines as well - so maximum warp is only used when necessary and a lower cruising speed used at all other times.
Broadly speaking all these things would apply to a starship's engines as well - so maximum warp is only used when necessary and a lower cruising speed used at all other times.
Do you drive your car at maximum speed no matter where or how far you're going?
That would probably blow out the engine's seal, if nothing else... the matter/antimatter reaction chamber may be a 1:1 mix ratio* but the energy produced shouldn't go *whap* without some incremental cushioning**.
* which is the only allowable mix... except for when the very story next week require it to be 25:1,
** unless you're Wile E Coyote and chasing the road runner and oops there's a cliff, then it's usually advisable to slam on the brakes or turn?
In "Pathfinder" (VOY), they say Voyager was travelling an average of Warp 6.2. The fastest it could go was Warp 9.975, although we never actually saw Voyager go that fast.
So it seems like Warp 6 is the ideal cruising speed, where it's fast enough to get you somewhere but not so fast that things start to fall apart.
So it seems like Warp 6 is the ideal cruising speed, where it's fast enough to get you somewhere but not so fast that things start to fall apart.
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Because if you do high warp non-stop, the brother & sister duo will appear and make you feel bad about it. And then it will instantly be completely forgotten about after the credits roll.
"Give a hoot! Don't pollute!"
It was a fine story with an important message that had no bearing on anything that followed. So every TNG episode.
