curious

[Redshirtveteran]

Hi, new to forums. curious about a tech point. when Burnham and georgiou leave the junkyard with Booker, they go to warp from inside the atmosphere. always thought you had to break orbit to go to warp?

 

[Turtletrekker]

Needs the plot. I had the same question back in 1984 when Kirk and company went to warp in Earth's atmosphere in Star Trek 4 (6:43).

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The truth is, what the story needs will always take priority over the fictional science. It is what it is.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

They warp out of orbit all of the time. I think the reason people remember it being a big concern was the because the Motion Picture Enterprise couldn't use its untested warp drive while they were still within the solar system. They turned it on and immediately created a wormhole so it's a good thing they didn't.

Then the film ended with the ship going to warp from orbit.

I know that's not in the atmosphere exactly, but I can't honestly remember a time when not being able to go to warp in an atmosphere was mentioned.

 

[The Wormhole]

I think the reason people remember it being a big concern was the because the Motion Picture Enterprise couldn't use its untested warp drive while still they were within the solar system.

Warp within a solar system was also mentioned as being problematic in DS9 By Inferno's Light and Enterprise Demons. Granted, in both cases it's warping to a destination within the same solar system that's the issue. Still, the franchise has otherwise shown a needs of the plot mentality when it comes to whether a ship warps directly into a planet's orbit or if it drops out of warp on the periphery of the solar system.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

It's been a while since I've seen Demons, but in By Inferno's Light they were warping directly towards a star and that was a good reason for everyone to be concerned all on its own.

 

[The Wormhole]

in By Inferno's Light they were warping directly towards a star and that was a good reason for everyone to be concerned all on its own.

That concern wasn't voiced in the episode. The dialogue on the matter:

DAX: We're too far away.
KIRA: Wanna bet? Take us to warp.
DAX: Inside a solar system?
KIRA: If we don't, there won't be a solar system left.

While we're on the topic, this was the relevant dialogue from Demons:

TUCKER: You're going to warp?
PAXTON: A five second burst.
T'POL: Inside the system?
TUCKER: We'll be lucky if we don't fly apart.
PAXTON: I plan on luck.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Yeah those do point it being a 'thrusters only in spacedock' situation, where they're not supposed to go point to point within a system with the faster engines. Mostly so that O'Brien and Bashir have time for awkward conversations on a runabout trip to Bajor.

There have been countless examples of ships going into warp or leaving warp within a solar system though, starting with The Man Trap in 1966 (or Zefram Cochrane in 2063, in-universe).

 

[drt]

Probably because of that line in TMP, there's been the idea floating around for decades that you can't use warp drive inside of solar systems. I'm guessing the writers of the DS9 and ENT episodes just thought that was the case.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Probably because of that line in TMP, there's been the idea floating around for decades that you can't use warp drive inside of solar systems. I'm guessing the writers of the DS9 and ENT episodes just thought that was the case.

Especially funny in ENT, when the credits show the ship warping out of earth orbit

 

[DonIago]

I suspect there's best practice (don't go to warp inside a solar system), there's what you're generally capable of (...but it will probably be fine if you do...), and there's what you really shouldn't even try to do unless you have no other choice (...though you might not want to be pointed towards the sun at the time...).