Warp Core, Nacelles and Warp Speed

[Timo]

We did in Enterprise.

Well, sort of. The cool thing about that graph is that it appears to establish that the speed associated with a specific warp factor can vary by a whole order of magnitude. Depending on what factors, we don't know, but the alternate curves and blue "error bars" in that graph offer enough variety to accommodate every single datapoint ever dreamed up by the writers, let alone the few that actually made it to the screen.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ronald Held]

How does warp plasma differ from ordinary plasma?

 

[Sgt_G]

How does warp plasma differ from ordinary plasma?

My head canon says: tachyon infusion.

 

[danellis]

How does warp plasma differ from ordinary plasma?

One's produced by a warp drive, the other isn't ^_^

dJE

 

[Ronald Held]

Not particularly edifying, but what do we know canonically, if anything?

 

[Go-Captain]

How does warp plasma differ from ordinary plasma?

It might be matter charged with subspace energy or be subspace matter, which allows it to interact with the warp coils in the warp engines and generate a warp field. That's based on the background information by the Discovery season 3 scientist, and the concept established the Burn, which is a subspace shock wave, definitely effects warp core dilithium; and vice versa, as based on Sukal's subspace scream effecting dilithium, and the dilithium acting as an amplifier of the subspace energy. It is compelling, and does explain why S3 has it so dilithium is absolutely synonymous with warp, even though things like non-dilithium fusion powered warp should otherwise exist, even if it's sleeper ship slow.

This also explains why in VOY the warp core has a warp coil, why the transwarp coil, and all other modifications are made to the warp core and not the warp engines. It also explains why a warp core breach would enlarge a subspace rupture in TNG.

 

[dupersuper]

WF 5.0 extrapolates to about 2000 c.

So that's, what, Earth to Proxima Centauri in about 18 - 19 hours?

 

[Henoch]

So that's, what, Earth to Proxima Centauri in about 18 - 19 hours?

That data was proved wrong with the clearer chart. But if we assume the grayish zone around the formula line is a variance from the line, then Warp 3 could be around 200c which gives a chi value of 7.4. Again, if we extrapolate the grayish upper limits, then Warp 5 still could be around 925c at optimal conditions.