khaosworks

khaosworks, 11 months ago

(also copying my answer from the other place)

Good points, but to address a couple of them:

At the same time, that seems to be contradicted by ships that have no/limited warp capacity having impulse. The Constellation, sibling of the Enterprise, still retained impulse capabilities, in spite of the warp drive being turned into a pile of slag, and it’s implied that the Hathaway also retained impulse, despite the warp core being non-functional. It wouldn’t be much of a simulated combat if the Hathaway could only sit there.

I’m not suggesting that if warp drive gives out that impulse cannot be used. It obviously can be from the examples you’ve quoted, but I’d say that without the warp assist (from internal driver coils or external nacelles), it’s less efficient and speed would be reduced. From SNW: “Memento Mori” itself:

PIKE: How fast can you push impulse?

ORTEGAS: The starboard nacelle is half-damaged. I can get us about half speed.

Given the Tech Manual’s idea of incorporating warp drivers into impulse engines, I thought this fit in nicely as well with the idea of using a warp field’s mass-lowering properties to assist impulse operations.

At the same time, if they can do that, you might expect that the warp field could then be used as a shield against alterations in the flow of time, or that being in a warp field would be extremely bad for anyone on board who’s relying on biochemistry or conventional physics to live.

Coincidentally, Sternbach and Okuda have thought about those effects, because the Tech Manual makes passing reference to Starfleet safety standards for subspace field exposure in talking about the inertial dampening system:

The IDF operates by maintaining a low-level forcefield throughout the habitable volume of the spacecraft. This field averages 75 millicochranes with field differential limited to 5.26 nanocochranes/meter, per SFRA-standard 352.12 for crew exposure to subspace fields.

Like many things, they kind of gloss over them, but those millicochrane levels are pretty low, so there must be some kind of protective measure to mitigate against too much direct exposure to subspace. Perhaps it’s in the material hulls and EVA suits are made of? Maybe any deleterious subspace radiation can be blocked easily.

At the same time, using a subspace distance unit that conflicts with a realspace distance unit seems like it would cause more trouble than not. If anything, were that to be the case, you’d expect the Federation to have a separate distance for subspace travel, just to avoid people getting confused if there is a disparity between realspace and subspace.

Although, for practical purposes since ultimately the ship is moving through real space anyway despite being enclosed in a subspace bubble, it all evens out in the wash. I mean, when we’re saying Warp 3 is 39c (TNG scale), we still have to ask ourselves 39c relative to what? And the answer to that might be relative to subspace as a frame of reference, and the distance travelled is simply expressed in real space terms.

khaosworks, 11 months ago (edited 3 months ago)

As I’ve noted, I’m not saying impulse doesn’t function in the absence of warp. Warp makes impulse more efficient.

Also, by the mid-24th Century, impulse engines have driver coils build in which produce sublight warp fields to aid in impulse operations.

khaosworks, 1 year ago

Here you go!

khaosworks, 1 year ago

Now that you mention it, the design is actually also close to the Academy Training Ships that Nova Squadron were using for the Kolvoord Starburst maneuver.

khaosworks, 1 year ago

Allowing the rotational periods of the planet to continue and liquid dihydrogen monooxide to immobilize me. Allowing the rotational periods of the planet to continue and liquid dihydrogen monoxide traversing subterranean layers. Into the azure colored atmosphere once more, when the currency has been expended. A single moment in the years that consist of a lifespan and liquid dihydrogen monooxide traversing subterranean layers.