What would the "Warp Formula" look like if...

[Captain Seafort]

ENT? Plot? Where?

[Sionnach Glic]

I think you misunderstand, the plot drive gets the show away from trivialities such as plots.

[Captain Seafort]

Ah, understood.

[Mikey]

I think you misunderstand, the plot drive gets the show away from trivialities such as plots.

And at incredible speeds, too.

[Mark]

[Sionnach Glic]

Aye, it's been estimated at speeds of Warp 10.

[Mark]

But if Starfleet were to start using Borg style Transwarp corridors (I'm thinking THAT'S the logical progression) then an entirely NEW speed scale will be needed.

[Sionnach Glic]

Nah, Plot Drive is faster than Transwarp. Infiinite speed is the only answer.

[Mark]

Warp Drive = Light Speed
Transwarp Drive = Ridiculous Speed
Plot Power Drive = Ludicrous Speed!!!

The above is a small comparison chart

[Captain Picard's Hair]

But if Starfleet were to start using Borg style Transwarp corridors (I'm thinking THAT'S the logical progression) then an entirely NEW speed scale will be needed.

Why couldn't TNG have just used the same scale, going to speeds of Warp 13, 14. As it is, the existing TNG scale is just a small modification of the TOS scale, anyway - so what's the point of it?

[Captain Seafort]

Why couldn't TNG have just used the same scale, going to speeds of Warp 13, 14. As it is, the existing TNG scale is just a small modification of the TOS scale, anyway - so what's the point of it?

It's a small modification up to warp 9, but after that it shoots off up to warp 10 as the ultimate speed limit. Roddenberry wanted that limit to stop the numbers getting stupid - warp 13, 14, 15 aren't so bad, but warp 30 or 40 would start to get rediculous. Of course, reeling off warp factors with a stupid number of decimal places isn't much better.

[Lt. Staplic]

the problem is that the way warp works there is now "max speed" so no matter how you do it eventually throught natual evolution your going to hit stupid levels of decimals or rediculusly high numbers.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Why couldn't TNG have just used the same scale, going to speeds of Warp 13, 14. As it is, the existing TNG scale is just a small modification of the TOS scale, anyway - so what's the point of it?

It's a small modification up to warp 9, but after that it shoots off up to warp 10 as the ultimate speed limit. Roddenberry wanted that limit to stop the numbers getting stupid - warp 13, 14, 15 aren't so bad, but warp 30 or 40 would start to get rediculous. Of course, reeling off warp factors with a stupid number of decimal places isn't much better.

Well, just using the wf^(10/3) formula, I get Warp 40 is equal to 218,876c, or roughly 25 ly/hour!!! So, there's the answer: it's crazy to be going at speeds that high (if they want to keep the galaxy as "big" as it is meant to be) to begin with, so you should never have to worry about going as fast as Warp 40.

[Sionnach Glic]

Hell, I'd still prefer to hear "Warp factor 47" instead of "Warp factor 9.9975".

[Lt. Staplic]

.9975 isn't that bad, however if we do another series after VOY it'll get pretty old:

ensign Warp 9.99999999999982138479625 on my mark.