Achieving warp factor 1 is equal to breaking the light barrier, while the actual velocity corresponding to higher factors is determined using an ambiguous formula.Īccording to the Star Trek episode writer's guide for The Original Series, warp factors are converted to multiples of the speed of light by multiplication with the cubic function of the warp factor itself. The warp drive velocity in Star Trek is generally expressed in 'warp factor' units, which-according to Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual-corresponds to the magnitude of the warp field. In the second pilot for The Original Series, 'Where No Man Has Gone Before', time was dropped from the speed setting with Kirk ordering speeds in the simple 'ahead warp factor one' that became so familiar from then on. ' before the ship's systems start failing. Later in the pilot, when Spock is faced with the only action of escaping, he announces to the crew they have no choice but to leave, stating 'Our time warp factor. When beginning to explain travel times to the illusion survivors (before being interrupted by the sight of Vina), crewmember Jose stated that 'the time barrier's been broken', allowing a group of interstellar travelers to return to Earth far sooner than would have otherwise been possible.

Warp drive is one of the fundamental features of the Star Trek franchise in the first pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, 'The Cage', it is referred to as a 'hyperdrive', with Captain Pike stating the speed to reach planet Talos IV as 'time warp, factor 7'. Warp effect as depicted in Star Trek: The Next Generation Warp drives serve to circumvent this limitation in fiction to facilitate stories set at galactic scales. The problem of a material object exceeding light speed is that an infinite amount of kinetic energy would be required to travel at exactly the speed of light. Įinstein's theory of special relativity states that speed of light travel is impossible for material objects that, unlike photons, have a non-zero rest mass. Campbell in his 1957 novel Islands of Space.

The general concept of 'warp drive' was introduced by John W. In contrast to hyperspace, spacecraft at warp velocity would continue to interact with objects in 'normal space'. In contrast to some other fictitious faster-than-light technologies such as a jump drive, the warp drive does not permit instantaneous travel and transfers between two points, but rather involves a measurable passage of time which is pertinent to the concept. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at speeds greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude. Short description: Fictional superluminal spacecraft propulsion systemĪ warp drive is a fictional superluminal spacecraft propulsion system in many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek, and a subject of ongoing physics research.

Star trek transwarp drive