Seeing as a lot of people have posted entries that are jokey or amusing (YMMV), then I thought I might join in:
The Universe as we see it is perceived based on things we believe can happen. If I believe that the sky is blue, then I can perceive that it is. Same if I believe that the sky is brown, for instance. However, the strength of this perception is limited by our interpretation of what we sense and our thought processes, which may not necessarily be reproducible in the real world. However, this can be theoretically overcome if two or more people believe in exactly (and precisely) the same thing together. This thought then becomes reality if the minds become joined up as one.
The next step, however, is in amplifying these thoughts as the vast majority of people will still not believe what is happening. Using modern telepathic disciplines, and the latest scientific breakthroughs, large-scale psionic amplifiers can be constructed so that thoughts can be projected onto a large number of people. The net result is that the Universe as a whole can believe that anything is possible, thus altering the perception of the Universe entirely. Therefore, theoretically, if a concentrated number of minds can all believe in one thing, and if that belief can be amplified so that the rest of the Universe follows that belief, then it will happen in real life.
Thus, comes the Omniversal Mindhive Field Generator (OMFG) - operated by a hive mind of beings all believing that something can happen, given basic instructions, and their thoughts connected to massive psionic amplifiers and transmitters, connecting themselves to others in the Universe. Ergo, if enough people can believe that the ship it is on can travel faster than light without the side effects, then it will.
Of course,the real danger of this method is that unscrupulous people can use this technology to project into everyone else their own idea of how the Universe works to their own advantage, or to automatically stop wars, trade, create tall buildings, destroy entire star systems, etc. Hence there is this need to police this field thoroughly and with extreme prejudice, punishment involving trapping the perpetrators within their own private Universe of Belief, safely out of harm's way.
Unfortunately, because of the infinite applications and abuses of the OMFG to alter the perception of reality throughout the Universe, as opposed to its original principle of altering the fabric of the perceived Universe so that a vehicle can fly from point A to point B in a convenient period of time, and the need to regulate all of this, employment demographics have changed to the point that the whole of intelligent civilization is now divided into three subclasses: the Hive Minds who create and disseminate their ideas of reality, the Instructors who influence the Hive Minds, and the Regulators who police the Instructors to whatever end. As a result, the entire Universe is now under the control of a small inanimate ragdoll whom one particularly unhinged Regulator calls "Fluffy."
So, yeah. The OMFG.
Or, yeah, there's that other idea with fusion, lasers, magnetic plasma bottles and stuff.
