Who needs warp?

[Brell]

Warp drive could be described as the bread and butter of Star Trek, but it was far from the only means to get from point A to point B in the universe of our favorite franchise. One was using a generator on a planetary surface that generated Soliton waves that would accelerate a starship to warp speeds. A second generator was required at the destination planet in order to create a counterwave to slow the incoming starship down. A civilization could be lucky enough to find alternate means of interstellar travel on their doorstep like the Vaadwaur, and their Subspace Corridors. Another Delta quadrant species, the Sikarians possessed impressive transporter like technology with a range of 40,000 light years no Starship needed at all just hop on the trajector pad! The Iconians used their Gateways to rule a vast empire 200,000 years ago. Even Starfleet with a little Borg ingenuity developed alternative means in Quantum slipstream drive.

 

So many interesting alternatives to warp drive it may be hard to pick a favorite. Tell us yours in the comments!  

 

This poll comes from Trek Technology and science category. Where we ask questions relating to the technology and science seen in Star Trek. Often the questions will relate to how the lines between modern tech and trek tech blur more and more each day. Other times questions from this category will ask about your favorite gear or uses of the futuristic tech we enjoy seeing on the big and small screen.

[Kendra Eberhart]

I feel that most alternate fall somewhat into one of two categories. Either the warp variant is a technology that is faster then warp but comes complete with "handy" draw backs. On the other side you have methods that wouldn't look out of place on that other long running SciFi show, you know the one with the round wormhole creating device.  

Just to put it out there, I would never consider a stargate-by any other name cool in the context of trek, to me its just not what trek is about. The enterprise wasn't cool because of the planets it visited but rather it was an amazing location in itself. You can't say the same about a Stargate or trajector pads or ancient gateway thingy. 

Similarly I feel that most non warp alternatives don't do enough to set themselves apart. They are either weirdly impractical to be cool or simply warp travel dressed up as something different. Take the hirogen subspace corridor's, yes the technology could be quite interesting but when the corridor network goes everywhere, what's the point. 

That's why I think that qsd is the coolest. Its a speed increase with unique limitations, but in the end it allows for much the same as warp does. Given time it would also allow us to create brand new ships that focus on the qsd rather than warp/qsd hybridization.

[Randal Shayne]

I always liked the concept of those crazy soloton waves. They seemed just impractical and dangerous enough to be a viable method for transporting non-warp capable ships and objects. I could see them being used in military operations- a wave carrying supplies within itself, one that speeds up and could smash through enemy starship lines, while being stopped by a few torpedoes let loose by the intended target. Seems like the perfect blockade runner to me!

 

[Kendra Eberhart]

41 minutes ago, Randal Shayne said:

I always liked the concept of those crazy soloton waves. They seemed just impractical and dangerous enough to be a viable method for transporting non-warp capable ships and objects. I could see them being used in military operations- a wave carrying supplies within itself, one that speeds up and could smash through enemy starship lines, while being stopped by a few torpedoes let loose by the intended target. Seems like the perfect blockade runner to me!

 

I suppose the one thing I like about the soloton wave or even graviton catapult methods is that it probably is in line with something that present day earth is likely to invent to make space travel just that much easier, before practical ftl is developed. Though I don't think they have as much potential as weapons as you think because they would probably cause to much damage to ships crossing space lanes at the wrong times. What's good of a weapon that you can't control, an all that.