Questiona about Trek-nology

[Abraxas]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but seeing as it pertained to the universe as a whole, I didn't see where I could put it.

As for the questions, I'm not sure if they're ever been answered in the show or somewhere here in the hallowed halls of the Daystrom Institute, but I was curious how ships power themselves after they've ejected the warp core. Is there just a mini warp core somewhere or is it something more conventional (I doubt it's a disel, though).

And also, how do they communicate at speeds faster then the speed of light? Does communication travel at warp speeds or is just one of those things people aren't supposed to ask about lest the men in white coats take them away?

Anyway, these questions popped into my brain and I was curious if they had ever been addressed.

[Captain Seafort]

General tech question, so probably best to put it here.

As for the questions, I'm not sure if they're ever been answered in the show or somewhere here in the hallowed halls of the Daystrom Institute, but I was curious how ships power themselves after they've ejected the warp core. Is there just a mini warp core somewhere or is it something more conventional (I doubt it's a disel, though).

The impulse engines, and the auxillary generators, are fusion reactors.

And also, how do they communicate at speeds faster then the speed of light? Does communication travel at warp speeds or is just one of those things people aren't supposed to ask about lest the men in white coats take them away?

Subspace. Yes it's handwaving, but that's the ready-made answer for anything in Trek that ignores real science.

[Graham Kennedy]

Impulse engines are basically big fusion generators, and we've heard several times that their output can be used for ships power.

In ST II when the ship takes hits from Reliant for the first time Kirk asks Scotty what's left. He replies "Just the batteries!" That's said to be enough for "a few shots" from the phasers. Presumably these batteries are something rather more advanced than nicads!

I can't see them going to warp on batteries, but maintaining life support, running lighting, computers, doors, etc, maybe a few hours on low impulse.

[Mikey]

Yeah, in addition to the impulse reactors, I was thinking of Scotty's line about the batteries also. They might even be magnetic storage for energetic plasma rather than the equivalent of our chemical electrical batteries.

Fusion power certainly seems to be scalable to the point at which it could power warp speed, based on Scotty's comment about the Romulan ship in TOS: "Balance of Terror." We've discussed endlessly how absurd it is to interpret it to mean that the Romulan ship didn't have FTL capability, so their "simple impulse power" must have referred to the manner of generation, which was patently enough to get them from Romulus to the far side of the Neutral Zone.

[Graham Kennedy]

There's also the Phoenix to consider. Whilst there's nothing canon about the power system one way or the other, I for one find it hard to believe Cochrane had a matter/antimatter system in there.

[Lazar]

What's up with that auxiliary warp core in the Intrepid class?

There's also the Phoenix to consider. Whilst there's nothing canon about the power system one way or the other, I for one find it hard to believe Cochrane had a matter/antimatter system in there.

Yeah, that had always been my interpretation.

And also, how do they communicate at speeds faster then the speed of light? Does communication travel at warp speeds or is just one of those things people aren't supposed to ask about lest the men in white coats take them away?

Yeah, as Seafort noted, they use subspace communications. They've shown subspace communications relays on the show, and the TNG Technical Manual actually establishes speeds for subspace communications - like Warp 9.9999 or something, much faster than any starship could travel. Still, for the sake of realism, they should still have a bit of a time delay, as opposed to the instantaneous communication that they show.

[Lt. Staplic]

well, everything I had was already said, but since everyone else keeps reiterating it i might as well.

most power comes from the impulse reactors i thought anyway, so ejecting the warp core just shuts down warp and everything else powered off the WC.


Subspace becons can relay communications. Appareantly though the longer a message travels un-aided though subspace the slower it moves however. so if a ship sends a message w/o any becons it takes much longer than if they go through several becons over several hundred ly.

[Mikey]

While it's been terribly inconsistent, there have been a number of examples of delay in communications travel.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Comm going at the speed of plot? Unheard of!

[Lazar]

While it's been terribly inconsistent, there have been a number of examples of delay in communications travel.

Really? I've got all these memories of them chatting with admirals on distant starbases with not even the slightest delay.

[Captain Seafort]

There have also been cases of messages being sent and Picard having to wait hours or days before he got a response. The best way to reconcile them is probably the subspace relay network. In areas well-supplied with relays the message gets pinged along fairly quickly. In sparsely-equipped areas it loses power, the signal slows, and it therefore takes much longer for the signal to propagate.

[Mikey]

While it's been terribly inconsistent, there have been a number of examples of delay in communications travel.

Really? I've got all these memories of them chatting with admirals on distant starbases with not even the slightest delay.

I did say the depiction was inconsistent. There were examples, as Seafort supported, but there were also the examples of instantaneous comm that you mention.

[Lt. Staplic]

that fits with what I was saying about the becons.

[Graham Kennedy]

If you assume that relays can send signals at close to infinite speed, whilst shipboard communicators are quite slow, then the transmission delay doesn't really have anything to do with how far you are from the other end. It's only a function of how far each end is from the nearest relay.

[Mikey]

... and Bob's your uncle.

Isn't that what you people say?