Warp and Subspace Mini-FAQ

(updated December 20, 1993)

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Glossary:

FTL - Faster Than Light (usually communication or travel)

STL - Slower Than Light
M/AMR - Matter/Antimatter Reactor (also called Warp Core)
IPS - Impulse Power System
c - Speed of Light ( ~= 3 * 10^8 m/s )

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Part I: Gettin' Nowhere Fast

"Warp speed is <insert formula here>!"

Many things have shown up in that spot. Here's the lowdown on

figuring out how fast warp travel is.

v = velocity c = speed of light in vacuum

W = Warp factor ^ = "to the power of"

TOS: v = (W ^ 3) * c "TOS scale"

TAS: v = (W ^ 3) * c
TFS: v = (W ^ 3) * c [I, II, III, V, VI]
v = (W^(10/3)+(10-W)^(-11/3)) * c [IV]
TNG: v = (W^(10/3)+(10-W)^(-11/3)) * c "TNG scale"
DS9: v = (W^(10/3)+(10-W)^(-11/3)) * c

Note that the "TNG scale" formula is only approximate. The "real"
equation is a complex array of variables derived from the very
structure of spacetime itself, on the subspace level. (Actually,
it's on Michael Okuda's Macintosh computer in an Excel
spreadsheet, but close enough).

Here's an ASCII version of a graph from the TNG Tech Manual:

Warp speed/power graph

| :| .- 10^10
| : | :=
| + : | :-
| ::: ' :- 10^9
10^4 -| + : | :=
=| + : : | :-
=| + : ::::: ,/ :- 10^8
-| + : : :: __*-' :=
1000 -| : : :::: __*--' | :-
=| + : :: __*--' | | :- 10^7
=| : :: __*--': | | | :=
-| + : __*--': |::: | | | :-
100 -| : _*--': |:: | | | | :- 10^6
=| : _-':| : | | | | | :=
=| + _*' : |:: | | | | | :-
-| : _-':| : | | | | | | :- 10^5
10 -| *' :| : | | | | | | :=
 =| + ,'| : |:: | | | | | | :-
=| : ,' :| : | | | | | | | :- 10^4
-| :/ :| : | | | | | | | :=
1 -| :* : |:: | | | | | | | :-
=| :/| : | | | | | | | | :- 10^3
=| ::/ | : | | | | | | | | :=
-|:_:-' |:: | | | | | | | | :-
0 -| ,-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----. :- 10^2
------' | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| | `::::::::
| Warp Factor |
`--- Velocity in Power usage in ---'
multiples of c Megajoules/cochrane

__.---' Velocity * Integral Warp Values

::::::: Power + Power Thresholds

The above formula was calculated by someone out there, based on

the graph. It holds most accurately for 1 < W < 9.3. Below Warp 1
it is inaccurate, and above Warp 9.3 it's only speculation, but
follows the curve as stated in the Tech Manual.