Can the Enterprise reverse?

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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Tyyr »

Mikey wrote:There certainly seems to be concern over how the nacelle configuration and hull shape interact with the warp field.
Well you see the same thing in current land vehicles. The difference is that you just accept that the vehicle is optimized for forward movement and accept inefficiencies in reverse. If it can reverse it might just not be as efficient as turning and heading the right way. They tended to be able to make the warp field do as they damn well pleased most of the time.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Mikey »

The idea of the forward-facing outline of the ship being optimized for warp field dynamics would also lend itself to the slower top end in reverse idea.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Atekimogus »

Well, the conclusion of most people seems to be that they can fly reverse at warp, but that it is probably less effiecient, slower etc.

If we are assume that they can manipulate the warp field/bubble more or less at will are the ships also able to turn inside the bubble? Let's stick with Balance of Terror. They see the torpedo coming, no time to turn so they jump backwards immediatly. Given a few seconds are they able to turn the ship into the direction they are heading or do they need to come out of warp for that maneuvere?
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Tyyr »

Maneuvering at warp (aside from one idiotic Voyager reference) seems to be pretty much canon.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Tsukiyumi »

Tyyr wrote:Maneuvering at warp (aside from one idiotic Voyager reference) seems to be pretty much canon.
Yeah, I watched TNG: The Wounded recently, and the Phoenix banks away at warp; the E-D follows immediately. I thought to myself, "Only straight lines at warp, huh?"
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Tyyr »

You can explain that one by Tom being a dumbass, which is fairly plausible.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Tsukiyumi »

You would think someone else would've shook their heads or facepalmed. Maybe it's a ship full of morons.


Wait, scratch the maybe.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by BigJKU316 »

Atekimogus wrote:Well, the conclusion of most people seems to be that they can fly reverse at warp, but that it is probably less effiecient, slower etc.

If we are assume that they can manipulate the warp field/bubble more or less at will are the ships also able to turn inside the bubble? Let's stick with Balance of Terror. They see the torpedo coming, no time to turn so they jump backwards immediatly. Given a few seconds are they able to turn the ship into the direction they are heading or do they need to come out of warp for that maneuvere?
I would think you would be very limited with the deflector facing the wrong way. In an emergency sure, it can probably work. But that dish is there to push away any larger objects you might encounter, along with small ones that could be dangerous at high speed.

Hell the E-D could not even go to warp to chase the Borg when its deflector was out. That would seem to be the limiting factor to me.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Graham Kennedy »

They can certainly turn whilst at warp, there's ample evidence of that and only one rather strange Voyager ep to say otherwise.

Here's a thing though. I recall in one of the books the Enterprise was flying forwards at warp... and without slowing or changing course, the ship itself gradually nosed over, so that it was pointing "down" whilst still flying straight forwards... then kept on rotating so that it was still going straight forwards, but the ship itself was facing backwards and upside down. They did this so they could fire phasers and torpedoes at a pursuing Klingon ship who, not expecting it, had minimal shielding and so got blown to bits.

I always thought this was a neat trick, but it does make me wonder if you could really fly a Starship at extreme angles of attack like that.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Mark »

I don't see why not.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Atekimogus »

Tyyr wrote:Maneuvering at warp (aside from one idiotic Voyager reference) seems to be pretty much canon.
Execpt maneuvering at warp isn't the same as beeing able to rotate the ship without changing direction which is what I meant.

The main deflecter is actually a good point as a limiting factor yet maybe at least at slower warp speeds other systems (shields, phaser, tractorbeams) might be able to compensate for it. Not efficient but managable.

I guess there must be some limitation to the practicality of such stunts otherwise I would expect more of the tactics GK described in his post. (On the other hand it could explain why we hardly ever see port/starboard/top/bottom torpedo tubes. Just not worth it)
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Vic »

Mark wrote:I don't see why not.

Since there is no friction or pressure involved and with the fine tuning that they can do with a warp field. Apart from actually changing course there should be no/minimal stresses involved.
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Aaron »

What about the ships with no deflector? Are they limited to slower speeds or is the debris issue over rated?
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Mikey »

Cpl Kendall wrote:What about the ships with no deflector? Are they limited to slower speeds or is the debris issue over rated?
What ships have no deflectors?
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Re: Can the Enterprise reverse?

Post by Captain Seafort »

Off the top of my head, the Miranda, Constellation, and every alien ship we've seen.
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