Brainstorm a new type of engine Trek hasn't had before

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

First, let's list the engines it has had for reference:

* Impulse
* Regular warp drive
* Spore drive
* Slipstream drive
* Protostar drive
* Drive that feeds off the death of living things (from Voyager)

What's left?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Solar sail (been done in DS9)

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What about a living engine that's propelled by a single space dragon creature?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

What about a living engine that's propelled by a single space dragon creature?

Does TNG "Tin Man" count?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I imagine it with its wings spread out, or breathing fire or something.

 

[blssdwlf]

From TOS...
Enterprise's Hyperdrive - "The Cage/Menagerie" (measured by "Time Warp Factors")
Total Conversion Drive - "The Doomsday Machine"
Nuclear Propulsion Units - "Elaan of Troyius"
Ion Engine - "The Menagerie"
Super Compact Starship Engine - "Return To Tomorrow"
Gravity Drive - "Obsession"
Unique Ion Propulsion - "Spock's Brain"
Impulse (FTL and Sublight) - TOS
Enterprise's Warp drive - TOS

 

[Racefuel]

The Enterprises engines were also called "Time Warp" in Cage also

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

STL (Slower-than-Light):

• RCS (Reaction Control System): mostly used for manuevering in space
  
• Solar Sails: The slowest, but 'least energy intensive" energy/power consuming way to travel
  
• Rockets: Really only practical to get into space and traveling within a Star/Solar System.
  
• Ion Drive/Propulsion (IRL Tech): A very slow/gradual method of accelerating up to speed.
  
• Impulse: In Federation starships, the impulse drive was essentially an augmented fusion rocket, usually consisting of one or more fusion reactors, a driver coil assembly, and a vectored thrust nozzle to direct the plasma exhaust. The fusion reaction generated a highly energized plasma. This plasma, ("electro-plasma") could be employed for propulsion, or could be diverted through the EPS to the power transfer grid, via EPS conduits, so as to supply other systems. The accelerated plasma was passed through the driver coils, thereby generating a subspace field that improved the propulsive effect.
  
• Hyper-Impulse: A improved version of Impulse Drive used in the 29th century. The TimeShip Aeon had a set.

FTL (Faster-than-Light):

• Ion Drive/Propulsion (Some Aliens have it that allow it to go FTL)
• Warp Drive (Many Variants of Warp Engines out there, that deserves a list all of it's own)

• TransWarp Drives (Note a very Generic Term for FTL drives that allowed faster movement than typical Warp Drives).
  • Subspace Vortex Generators (Xindi were the ones to popularize it) The SubSpace Vortex Generators opens up a Vortex into SubSpace to allow the vessel to traverse vast distances in SubSpace for hours on end before re-entering normal space. Capable of transporting a vessel at a rate of about six light years per two minutes or 3 ly per minute.
    
  • TransWarp Conduit Generators (Borg are known to use them), the Conduits seem to last for a while and can be made permanent if you install supporting brace to keep it open. Ergo saving other vessels alot of energy of having to travel at FTL by using a Pre-Made TransWarp Conduit. This would be great technology for creating a "Freeway/Highway" for civilians to travel between Star Systems in space once you stabilize each Corridor.
  • TransWarp Drive (Voth have their own Transwarp Drive) The Voth Transwarp Drive seemed to not be Conduit based and allow the vessel to move at significantly faster than Warp Drive speeds. Each Voth Starship was equipped with a transwarp drive. This technology produced no harmful effects to DNA or an expansion of awareness. Voth ships could also move between regular warp and transwarp. As a ship exited transwarp, a spatial displacement was registered if the ship was not cloaked.
    
  • CoAxial Warp Drive: A form of Space Fold Drive
  • Graviton Catapult: A form of Catapult that launched your vessel through Null Space, eventually popping you at at your chosen destination point. Null Space is incredibly dangerous, but once you're shot through it and out the other side, you would've traveled a great distance with little energy expenditure on your end. the catapult generated a massive graviton surge that locked onto a ship through an array of projectors. The Graviton Surge that locked onto target vessel, generated by the Graviton Catapult, sent the ship hurtling into null space for some hours. Upon emerging back to normal space, the vessel had jumped many hundreds or even thousands of light years. The distance was determined by the graviton field strength.
    
    Unprepared ships would likely encounter System Overloads instead of Energy Absorption like typical encounters in Null Space. Those who take the time to prep their systems would encounter a smoother ride to the other side. Voyager used the Graviton Catapult to eliminate 3 years of their 75 year journey back home.
    
    If commercialized, Graviton Catapults could be a great way to link far away sections of the UFP together to get civilians to travel great distances w/o owning a FTL drive of any form on their vessels.
  • Quantum SlipStream Drive: A technology that StarFleet liked and was able to eventually make regular use out of. The quantum slipstream drive operated by routing energy through the vessel's main deflector, which then focused a quantum field, allowing the vessel to penetrate the quantum barrier. In order to maintain the slipstream, the phase variance of the quantum field had to be constantly adjusted, or the slipstream would collapse, violently throwing the ship back into normal space. No antimatter was involved.
    • Two versions were used, the original version that Voyager used w/o Benamite Crystals
    • The faster version that had Benamite Crystals allowed the vessel to travel faster.
  • Spatial Flexure Generator: This really isn't so much of a secret tech, more of a advanced form of using the traditioanl Deflector Array to generater a Spatial Flexure (a form of Spatial Rift) to cross vast distances of space almost instantaneously. Q Junior was able to do this, the knowledge from it could greatly alter travel for many people without having to waste vast amounts of energy to travel the stars. However, what kind of limitations are there to using this technique isn't known as of yet.
  • Temporal Displacement Drive: Ultimate form of FTL, can cross Time & Space to the exact location and moment that you desire.
  • Soliton Wave Riding: Not so much of a drive at the moment of understanding, but the Soliton Wave Rider can be used to ride the Soliton Wave by absorbing the Soliton Waves that envelope the craft, to power it's Warp Drive more efficiently. The Soliton Wave Rider showed a 98% Energy Efficiency Conversion from the Soliton Wave, to whatever the Wave rider used to generate it's Warp Field. According to Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge, that was 450% more Efficient than what the Enterprise-D's conversion of Electro-Plasma to Generating a Warp Field. That means that The Enterprise-D's Warp Field energy conversion from EPS was around 21.7…%. No wonder the Galaxy Class needs to generate such massive amounts of power to go as fast as it does. There is much room for Energy Efficiency improvement to go faster for less energy usage.
    
    The downside of riding a Soliton Wave was that there was a potential for accelerated Energy build up of the Soliton Wave to the point that it becomes a Tsunami like force that is Planet Destroying. Mis-use of the this technology could be a Planet Killing Weapon.
  • DASH (Displacement Activated Spore-Hub) Drive AKA Spore Drive: What is there to say, the information on it is redacted, it could be very valuable if you didn't need a Genetically Modified Biological Navigator to operate it. Otherwise the Spore Jump distances are very bad w/ 23rd century computer navigation.
    
    Some six months after the start of the war, the Discovery had reached Speirin 12, and leaps measured in the hundreds of kilometers. This was considered a poor result by Discovery captain Gabriel Lorca. If you can only jump accurately to "Hundreds of kilometers", the drive becomes more of a Tactical Weapon for Space Combat or getting out of the way of things then a drive for travel. If you need a Biological Navigator to travel vast distances, than you created a living being requirement or SuperComputer requirement needed to process the vast information for navigation. (Soong Type Androids like Data come to mind) as a perfect solution to solve this type of drive.
    
    The USS Glenn managed to travel back and forth into the Beta Quadrant, a 90 ly jump, in 1.3 seconds. That's AMAZING on so many levels. Having only the requirement of a Biological Navigator.
  • Displacement Wave Generator: The CareTaker was able to generate a Displacement Wave that carried StarShips across the Milkyway Galaxy, from one end of the Alpha Quadrant, to another end of the Delta Quadrant. The exact details of the mechanism is unknown, but it's incredibly powerful and dangerous. A Displacement Wave set Voyager on it's 75-year journey to home.
  • SubSpace Corridors: Not so much of a drive or Generator, just a naturally occuring spatial phenomenon that allows a vessel to cross vast distances w/o having to use vast amounts of energy on their own FTL drive. UnderSpace was one such Corridor Network that spanned across the Delta Quadrant, the exact extent of that spread is unknown and the mapped distances and routes are kept only in a persons head for secrecy reasons.
  • ProtoStar Drive: The ProtoCore contained a mini Baby-Star that was intitially fed by dual Warp Cores. This allowed the ProtoCore to power the Warp Engines to speeds labeled as ProtoWarp because it's so fast, it outclasses normal Warp Drive.

 

[XCV330]

starship that carries its own wormhole like a cargo around it like a stargate, and goes through it to to travel, taking it with it as it goes. Hula Hoop Drive

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

starship that carries its own wormhole like a cargo around it like a stargate, and goes through it to to travel, taking it with it as it goes. Hula Hoop Drive

I already came up with a concept like that, but it required somebody to have a corresponding Transporter Ring on the other end.

 

[Bynar0110]

Is there an equivalent to Star Wars hyperdrive in Trekverse?

 

[DonIago]

I see nobody's yet proposed Giant Space Hamsters spinning in wheels to generate propulsive force.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Giant_space_hamster

 

[Tango]

The telesthetic shifting system portrayed in the classic SPI game “StarForce: Alpha Centauri”? By the way, always thought that game’s universe a nice premise for a novel.

 

[blssdwlf]

Is there an equivalent to Star Wars hyperdrive in Trekverse?

Depends. Visually there isn't an equivalent as Star Wars hyperdrive has that spinning tunnel effect while Star Trek warp and most variants do not.
New Star Trek has incorporated the jumping in and out of warp to look visually similar to Star Wars ships jumping into and out of hyperdrive though.

 

[Turtletrekker]

The infinite improbability drive.

 

[matthunter]

Bloater drive from Bill The Galactic Hero. Ship expands until it's as large as the galaxy, moves a few centimetres up/down/left/right/forward/back then shrinks back to normal and now it's thousands of LY from where it started.

 

[Shik]

I've always been a fan of the inversion drive from The Wounded Sky.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Depends. Visually there isn't an equivalent as Star Wars hyperdrive has that spinning tunnel effect while Star Trek warp and most variants do not.
New Star Trek has incorporated the jumping in and out of warp to look visually similar to Star Wars ships jumping into and out of hyperdrive though.

ST:ID (Into Darkness) had the closest with it's Warp Effects.
It had the Blue Streaks in the tunnel flying by.

But I think that's a mis-use of the VFX, that would be better to represent Quantum Slip Stream in action than what ST:VOY did which was pallette swap the TransWarp Conduit

 

[shyborg]

The tanning booth or sunbeam, a Dyson sphere/transporter hybrid warp drive

 

[Shik]

All post-2K5 Trek uses some variant of Bistromathics for their drives.