What if............

[Captain Picard's Hair]

If you['re leaving the star system, why not just go 'up' and avoid the other planets altogether?

Third-dimension shortsightedness, a la TWOK.

Seriously, does anyone more familiar with Keppler than I know if there is anything that states that most planetary systems would form with most of the orbits in the same plane, as ours?

IIRC, some rather odd deviations from the coplanar orbital scheme have been observed (this scheme never having been completely accurate to begin with as there are slight variations of the orbital planes within our own solar system). However, (as I understand it) the fact that solar systems evolve from rotating clouds of gas and dust would tend to incur a tendency for the planets created to orbit on similar planes - roughly the central plane of the original cloud of gas about its rotational axis - and in the same direction. Of course, there are probably many exceptions throughout the cosmos and what I described may oversimplify the case; I'm an engineer, after all, not an astronomer.

[Captain Seafort]

I wouldn't say it's entirely senseless - depending on how the newer engines worked, they might to more damage. By having a much more volumous subspace field, for example.

Well, TNG era engines were supposed to damage subspace, so maybe they restricted their use in-system due to possible effects?

The problem with that is that they always dropped to impulse when entering a system, even before they discovered the damaging effect of the engines. Hell, they even dropped to impulse in the solar system in BoBW II, when you'd have thought they'd have maintained maximum warp regardless of any damage it caused.

[Mikey]

there are slight variations of the orbital planes within our own solar system

Especially Pluto, even though it's no longer a planet - that's why I said "most."

It would make one wonder, though, how Neptune ended up with it's almost-perpendicular axis of rotation, but I guess that' for another discussion...

I wouldn't say it's entirely senseless - depending on how the newer engines worked, they might to more damage. By having a much more volumous subspace field, for example.

Well, TNG era engines were supposed to damage subspace, so maybe they restricted their use in-system due to possible effects?

The problem with that is that they always dropped to impulse when entering a system, even before they discovered the damaging effect of the engines. Hell, they even dropped to impulse in the solar system in BoBW II, when you'd have thought they'd have maintained maximum warp regardless of any damage it caused.

I had always imagined that it was because in-system warp drastically reduced available reaction time and thus endangered the ship itself.

[Mark]

I always assumed it had to do with gravitational wells generated by the planets, and even the sun itself. Run the risk on a TMP style wormhole if things weren't done perfectly.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

there are slight variations of the orbital planes within our own solar system

Especially Pluto, even though it's no longer a planet - that's why I said "most."

It would make one wonder, though, how Neptune ended up with it's almost-perpendicular axis of rotation, but I guess that' for another discussion...

There is one moon in the solar system which orbits its planet in the opposite direction than all the other moons (I forget which), which leads astronomers to believe that it was an external body captured by the gravity of its planet rather than a satellite that formed coincidentally with its planet as most moons are believed to be. Hence, my caveat about the many exceptions throughout the cosmos.

[Mikey]

Good point.

[Mark]

In BoBW, why did both the Borg and E-D enter the system the LONGEST way through? Via the outside in route. Why now swing wide, and come staight up on Earth?

[Sionnach Glic]

The problem with that is that they always dropped to impulse when entering a system, even before they discovered the damaging effect of the engines. Hell, they even dropped to impulse in the solar system in BoBW II, when you'd have thought they'd have maintained maximum warp regardless of any damage it caused

Fair point.

[Teaos]

The problem with that is that they always dropped to impulse when entering a system, even before they discovered the damaging effect of the engines. Hell, they even dropped to impulse in the solar system in BoBW II, when you'd have thought they'd have maintained maximum warp regardless of any damage it caused

I would imagin its just safer/eaiser to go at impulse in a system.

Maybe a bunch of starships ran into a astroid at warp while in systems soo SF made a rule saying no warp in systems.

[Sionnach Glic]

Doesn't warp use some sort of mass-reducing thing to work? If so, it could make hitting an asteroid at warp less dangerous than hitting one at impulse (momentum, and all that).

[Teaos]

Impulse uses mass reduction, warp just folds space around the ship.

[Sionnach Glic]

Ah, right.

[Graham Kennedy]

The no warp in system thing was dumb. They did it all the time, in every series!

As but one example in TNG's "The Schitzoid Man" they did a crash stop from high warp into a planetary orbit, then warped straight back out again moments later.

The only dumber thing was the Voyager episode where they suddenly insisted that a ship can only go in straight lines at warp speed.

[kostmayer]

Yeah, cleary impossible..

[Sionnach Glic]

Inconsistancies in VOY?