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Science and Technology List

Name :  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # All

Name Notes
Warp Beacon Decoy [1] A device employed by Skalaar when he abducted Captain Archer in 2153. The beacon could emit a warp signature which matched another vessel, thus decoying a searching ship away from the real target. [1]
Warp coil [2] A toroidal device which is responsible for generating the field which drives a vessel at faster than light speeds. Warp coils are powered by a plasma stream which passes through the centeral apeture. Each nacelle on a Starship can hold many warp coils. [2]
Warp core [3] The main power generator of a Federation Starship. The warp core is where the Starships matter and antimatter fuel is reacted together to produce the energetic plasma which powers the ship major systems. It is normally located in main engineering. [3]
Warp Drive Warp drive is by far the most widespread method of faster than light travel used in the alpha quadrant. Invented in 2063 by Zefram Cochrane of Earth [4] (and later of Alpha Centuri) [5], the first of his warp drives used a fission reactor to create a low energy plasma stream. This was split into two and directed through a pair of warp coils to produce a field around the ship which propelled it - briefly - faster than the speed of light.

Humans subsequently sold warp drive ships to many other cultures, and this technology has become common within the quadrant with over 2,000 species using it. The present day state of the art is not fundamentally different from Cochranes original system; ships today generally use matter / antimatter reactors rather than fusion ones, and dilithium has allowed more advanced power systems. The warp coils themselves have also become more numerous and complex in design.

For the future, many developments are possible. Over a century since it was first envisaged, transwarp drive remains seemingly just beyond the reach of Federation science. [6] Other lines of research involve soliton wave drive, which would allow warp travel without ships having to carry warp drive [7], co-axial warp cores, which allow instantaneous travel over sizeable distances [8] and slipstream technology [9], variants of which could theoretically allow travel at hundreds of light years per second. If this latter technology ever came to pass, it would make travel on an intergalactic scale easily feasible. [10] On the other hand, the idea of generating stable artificial wormholes for interstellar travel is also being researched and if successful this may render warp drive totally obsolete. [11]
Warp Drive There are two distinct fuel storage systems on board any starship; the matter storage is generally a single large fuel tank holding a large amount of slush Deuterium - in the case of the Galaxy class there is 62,500 m3 of actual Deuterium within 63,200 m3 of tankage space - the rest being accounted for by internal compartmentalisation of the fuel tank. [12] The ship thus carries 12,500 metric tons of fuel, sufficient for a mission period of seven years at the cruise speed of warp 6. [13]

The antimatter is contained within much smaller pods; the standard starship antimatter pod is capable of holding 100 m3 of fuel for a total of 3,000 m3 in a Galaxy class Starship. [14] Starfleet is somewhat reticent about revealing exactly how much antimatter is kept on board its starships, as this would allow threat forces to make detailed estimates of the total output of a ships power systems. In the event of a systems failure which threatens antimatter containment, the pods can be thrown clear of the ship by emergency systems of considerable reliability. [15]
Warp Drive Fuel from the pods is sent to the reactant injectors; these are designed to condition and feed streams of matter and antimatter into the warp core. The matter reactant injector is located at the top of the warp core; it is a conical structure some 5.2 metres in diameter and 6.3 metres high. The injector is constructed of dispersion strengthened woznium carbmolybdenide. Shock attenuation cylinders connect it to the deuterium fuel tank and the skeletal structure of the ship, allowing it to 'float' free within the structure.

Within Starfleet vessels, the MRI contains redundant sets of crossfed injectors. Each injector would consists of a twin deuterium manifold, fuel conditioner, fusion pre-burner, magnetic quench block, transfer duct/gas combiner, nozzle head, and related control hardware. Other designs are in use by civilian craft and other species. Although operation varies from class to class, in general slush deuterium enters the inlet manifolds and is passed to the conditioners where heat is removed. This brings the deuterium to just above solid transition point; micropellets are formed and then pre-burned by a magnetic pinch fusion system. The fuel is them sent on to a gas combiner where it reaches a temperature in the region of 106 K. Nozzle heads then focus the gas streams and send them down into the constriction segments.

Starfleet safety protocols require that should any nozzle fail, the combiner can continue to supply the remaining nozzles which would dialate to accommodate the increased fuel flow. The present generation of nozzles are constructed of frumium-copper-yttrium 2343.

The antimatter injector lies at the lower end of the warp core. Its internal design is distinctly different from that of the matter injector owing to the dangerous nature of antimatter fuel; every step in manipulating the antihydrogen must use magnetic to keep the material from physically touching any part of the structure. In some ways the ARI is a simpler device requiring fewer moving components. It uses the same basic structural housing and shock attenuation as the matter system, with adaptations for magnetic suspension fuel tunnels. The structure contains three pulsed antimatter gas flow separators; these serve to break up the incoming antihydrogen into small manageable packets and send them up into the constriction segments. Each flow separator leads to an injector nozzle and each nozzle cycles open in response to computer control signals. Nozzle firing can follow highly complicated sequences resulting from the varying demands of reaction pressures and temperatures and desired power output, amongst other factors. [16]
Warp Drive The magnetic constrictors make up the bulk of the warp core. They provide physical support to the reaction chamber, pressure containment for the whole core and, most importantly, guide and align the fuel flow onto the desired location within the reaction chamber.

The matter constrictor is typically longer than the antimatter constrictor, as antimatter is easier to focus and so requires a shorter distance for the same accuracy. Typically, the magnetic constrictors are divided into segments; each segment will contain several sets of tension frame members, a toroidal pressure vessel wall, several sets of magnetic constrictor coils and related power and control hardware. Constrictor coils will have dozens of active elements, and on more advanced designs these will be configures to contain the magnetic field almost wholly within the constrictor, with minimum spillage into the exterior environment. Starfleet warp cores usually have the outermost layers of the constrictors constructed of a semi-transparent layer which allows harmless secondary photons to escape from the inner layers, creating a glow effect. This gives an immediate visual cue to the current activity rates within the warp core.

As the fuel is released from the injector nozzles, the constrictors compress it and increase the velocity considerably. This ensures the proper collision energy and alignment within the reaction chamber. [17]
Warp Drive This is in many ways the "heart" of the ship. The principle function of any reaction chamber is to allow the matter and antimatter streams to come together and direct the resultant energy flow into the power transfer conduits. This apparently simple task is rendered highly complex by the need to allow the various sensor and other monitoring and control equipment to function within the chamber. The addition of dilithium to regulate and control the reaction, while allowing far higher efficiency and so increasing the power output, has also lead to ever more complex designs - most especially in more recent starships which are designed to allow continual recompositing of the dilithium whilst in use. Nevertheless, reaction chambers of today perform fundamentally the same task as those of a century ago or more. [18]
Warp Drive Dilithium is a key factor in the design of any efficient matter / antimatter reactor, and has been incorporated into Federation Starship designs since it replaced lithium crystals in 2265.

The key to the success of dilithium lies in the remarkable properties of this material. When subjected to a high frequency electromagnetic field in the megawatt range, dilithium - or 2<5>6 dilithium 2<:> diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide to give it the full scientific name - becomes completely porous to antimatter. The field dynamo effect created by the iron atoms within the crystalline structure allows antimatter atoms to pass through without actually touching it; it is thus the only known substance which does not react to the antimatter fuel commonly used in Starships. Dilithium can thus be used to mediate the reaction, boosting efficiency. [19]


Early reactor designs used naturally occurring dilithium, and considerable time and effort was spent in locating sources of dilithium ore. This led to confrontations between major powers seeking to secure new sources, most especially between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. [20] The Federation was largely successful in these efforts, and the Klingon Empire was forced to expand its mining operations on the few sources it did have access to. Such over mining was a major contributory factor in the catastrophic explosion on Praxis in 2293, which ultimately led to peace between the two powers. [21]

Eventually reliance on natural dilithium was reduced after breakthroughs in nuclear epitaxy and antieutectics made it possible to synthesize dilithium for Starship use through theta-matrix compositing techniques utilizing gamma radiation bombardment. [19] However, refining dilithium ore is a procedure which is still viable for Starships which are unable to obtain synthetic dilithium from a Starbase or other manufacturing facility. This is not generally a problem within known space, but USS Voyager has resorted to collecting dilithium ore to aid her in the long journey back to the Federation. [22]
Warp Drive The power transfer conduits are similar in nature to the magnetic constrictors of the warp core, in that they are ducts designed to use high energy magnetic fields to carry energetic plasma from one point to another. But where the magnetic constrictors operate only across relatively short distances and require a very high degree of precision with a comparatively low energy plasma, the PTC's must carry very energetic plasma across large distances with - relatively speaking - far less finesse.

Federation starships are equipped with a separate PTC line for each nacelle, a measure which increases resistance to battle damage or other failures. Since most Starships have twin nacelles, two PTC's will typically be arranged to be symmetrical about the ships centreline. These will proceed through the bulk of the engineering hull and along the connecting struts, if any, to the nacelles themselves.

Smaller versions of these heavy duty systems are also used to carry power to components such as the phasers, shields, and high energy scientific laboratories. [23]
Warp Drive At the terminus of the Power Transfer Conduits are the plasma injectors. One of these devices is fitted in each nacelle, and has the task of sending a precisely aimed plasma flow through the centre of the warp coils. [23]

Because of the relatively low accuracy with which the plasma flow is usually controlled by a PTC, the plasma injector system must often be designed to re-condition the fuel flow in order to dampen down turbulence and so ensure a smooth flow through the warp coils. In many Starfleet designs, most especially those systems with the highest raw power output, the plasma flow from the PTC is split into two parts and sent through swirl dampers before being recombined during the injection process. Long experience has found that this method reduces the size of the required hardware to a reasonable minimum.
Warp Drive After its long journey from the fuel systems, the flow is finally directed down the warp coils. These devices are large split toroids which take up the bulk of the nacelle. In order to increase efficiency they are usually made from multiple layers of various materials; this complicates the manufacturing processes greatly and has - so far - kept the replication of warp coils beyond Federation science.

The warp coils generate a multi-layered set of fields around the craft, creating the propulsive forces that enable a Starship to travel beyond light speed. Manipulation of the shape and size of the field determines the velocity, acceleration and direction of the vessel. [24]


Warp coils are composed of verterium cortenide, a densified composite material composed of polysilicate verterium and monocrystal cortenum. [25]
Warp Drive The Bussard collector is a device which is designed to collect interstellar gases - usually hydrogen - for use as fuel. They are not really intended for general use, but are rather an emergency system which can let a Starship limp to a nearby base if the standard fuel supply has been exhausted. [26] On Federation vessels the Bussard collectors are usually situated at the front of the nacelles, and are typically visible as a large red-glowing dome. As well as being used to collect gas, the collectors are capable of being back-flushed to expel gas into space. [27]
Warp Drive In the event of an emergency, Federation Starships are able to dump the plasma overboard to facilitate the fastest possible shutdown of the main power system. The system differs from ship to ship; on a Galaxy class vessel each nacelle has a single plasma vent below the plasma injectors [28], whilst on the newer Intrepid class plasma can be vented from the entire length of the nacelle simultaneously. [25]
Warp Drive Once the energy of the plasma is transferred to the warp coils it is used to create a warp field which encompasses the vessel. The field is what drives the shp to warp speeds. [3]
Warp Drive In extrem situations where a breach of the warp core is imminent, Federation Starships are designed to be able to disconnect the core from their supporting systems and eject it into space. On occasion this will allow both core and ship to be preserved, allowing the core to be recovered and re-mounted. [29] Sovereign class starships could remote-detonate their cores after ejection if required. [27] Core ejection systems were not always effective, and could be neutralised by battle damage. [30]
Warp factor [31] A number related to the velocity of a vessel using warp or transwarp drive systems. The Federation has used at least two different warp scales since warp drive was invented. [31]
Warp field [32] A subspace field with a value of 1 Cochrane or more. Starships use their warp coils to generate a warp field in order to facilitate faster than light propulsion. [32]
Warp injector casing [33] Highly radioactive container for warp injector. Transporting them was considered a highly dangerous occupation. [33]
Warp manifold [34] Element of the warp drive of an NX class starship. Damage to the manifold could cause an antimatter cascade to pass through an antimatter junction and into the reactor core, causing a catastrophic explosion. [34]
Warp nacelle [35] A structural component of a Starship which houses the warp coils. Nacelles are usually located at the end of long struts which hold them away from the main body of the ship, although this is not really necessary. A Bussard collector is often located at the front of the nacelle. [35]
Warp plasma regulators [36] Element of the drive system of an NX class starship. The warp plasma regulators were located in the twin booms which attached the primary hull to the nacelle struts in shaft C, junction 12. [36]
Warp plasma subprocessor [37] A computer system which controls the warp core of a Defiant class starship. It can be used to initiate a warp core breach. [37]
Warp Scales Since warp drive was first used by Zefram Cochrane in 2063, two methods of scaling warp speeds have been used. The original "Cochrane Scale" was devised by the great man himself for his first test flight aboard the USS Phoenix. It was a relatively straightforward scale in which the speed of the vessel was proportional to the warp factor cubed. Cochrane's first ship didn't exceed lightspeed by more than a few percent, but the scale was flexible enough to remain in force for over two centuries.
Warp Scales The original "Cochrane Scale" was devised by the great man himself for his first test flight aboard the USS Phoenix. It was a relatively straightforward scale which followed the formula


V/c = WF3


Where V = Velocity of the vessel, c = the velocity of light, and WF = the warp factor. This scale has the advantage of simplicity; the velocity in multiples of light speed at any given warp factor is that number cubed, hence : [38]
Warp FactorVelocity (xc)
1 [38] 1 [38]
2 [38]8 [38]
3 [38]27 [38]
4 [38]64 [38]
5 [38]125 [38]
6 [38]216 [38]
7 [38]343 [38]
8 [38]512 [38]
9 [38]729 [38]
10 [38]1,000 [38]
11 [38]1,331 [38]
12 [38]1,728 [38]
13 [38]2,197 [38]
14 [38]2,744 [38]

By 2300 many were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the Cochrane Scale. Although convenient for those using the warp formula, it was of limited use to Engineers and specialists since it took relatively little account of the interstellar conditions at the moment. Thus it took a great deal more engine power to achieve a speed of Warp 5 while within a gravimetric distortion than it did while in relatively "calm" interstellar space. Engineering departments lobbied for years to bring in a new scale, but the bridge crews resisted and Starfleet Headquarters - primarily composed of ex-bridge officers - concurred.

The loss of the USS Wilmington with all hands during an Ion storm in 2309 changed this attitude. It emerged during the inquiry that Captain Lamarr had seriously over stressed the Wilmingtons engines by ordering Warp 7 while within the storm; although the Wilmington was quite capable of maintaining this speed under normal conditions, during an Ion storm it was far too great a load. Although other factors contributed greatly, such as a serious breakdown in communications on the ship, Starfleet was unwilling to chance such a situation again.

Warp Scales The Terrance-Neltorr Graduated Scale was first suggested in 2298 by two civilian warp field specialists of those names. On the TNG Scale the warp factor is indicative of the subspace stress levels which the vessel must both create and endure, rather than the actual velocity of the vessel itself. The actual speed denoted by any given warp factor would depend upon the precise conditions prevalent at the time. So a Captain using the TNG scale would be able to order Warp 7 while in space, a solar system, or an Ion storm and be assured that he would not be over stressing his engines. The new scale was also tweaked to accommodate a number of technical advances made over the last century and in development at the time. Starfleet conducted a quick assessment of several possible new warp scales between 2310 and 2311 before formally adopting the TNG scale, with the changeover made in 2312.

For ideal conditions, such as are found in interstellar space, the speeds of TNG warp factors are calculated using either of two formulae :

Up to Warp 9 :


V/c = WF(10/3)


Which is very similar to the Cochrane Scale. Beyond Warp 9 the formula becomes somewhat more complex. [39]
It is best approximated by :


V/c = WF[<(10/3)+a*(-Ln(10-WF))^n>+f1*((WF-9)^5)+f2*((WF-9)^11)]


Where a is the subspace field density, n is the electromagnetic flux, and f1 and f2 are the Cochrane refraction and reflection indexes respectively. Under ideal conditions values of a = 0.00264320, n = 2.87926700, f1 = 0.06274120 and f2 = 0.32574600 can be expected within a "normal" area of deep interstellar space. The values for TNG warp speeds under these conditions are shown below, along with travel times across typical distances :
Warp
Factor
Equals
(xc)
Time to travel
Earth
to Moon
(400,000 km)
Across Sol
System
(12 billion km)
To nearby
star
(5 ly)
Across
Sector
(20 ly)
Across
Federation
(8,000 ly)
To
Andromeda
(2 million ly)
1.3333 Sec [40]11.1 Hours [40]5.0 Years [40]20.0 Years [40]8,000.0 Years [40]2,000,000 Years [40]
0.1323 Sec [40]1.1 Hours [40]181.1 Days [40]2.0 Years [40]793.7 Years [40]198,425.1 Years [40]
0.0342 Sec [40]17.1 Minutes [40]46.9 Days [40]187.5 Days [40]205.4 Years [40]51,360.1 Years [40]
0.0131 Sec [40]6.6 Minutes [40]18.0 Days [40]71.9 Days [40]78.7 Years [40]19,686.3 Years [40]
0.0062 Sec [40]3.1 Minutes [40]8.5 Days [40]34.2 Days [40]37.4 Years [40]9,356.9 Years [40]
0.0034 Sec [40]1.7 Minutes [40]4.6 Days [40]18.6 Days [40]20.4 Years [40]5,095.6 Years [40]
0.0020 Sec [40]1.0 Minutes [40]2.8 Days [40]11.1 Days [40]12.2 Years [40]3,048.2 Years [40]
1,024 [40]
0.0013 Sec [40]39.1 Sec [40]1.8 Days [40]7.1 Days [40]7.8 Years [40]1,953.1 Years [40]
1,516 [40]
0.0009 Sec [40]26.4 Sec [40]1.2 Days [40]4.8 Days [40]5.3 Years [40]1,318.9 Years [40]
9.1
1,573
0.0008 Sec25.4 Sec1.2 Days4.6 Days5.1 Years1,271.2 Years
1,649 [40]
0.0008 Sec [40]24.3 Sec [40]1.1 Days [40]4.4 Days [40]4.9 Years [40]1,212.9 Years [40]
9.3
1,693
0.0008 Sec23.6 Sec1.1 Days4.3 Days4.7 Years1,181.6 Years
9.4
1,757
0.0008 Sec22.8 Sec1.0 Days4.2 Days4.6 Years1,138.3 Years
9.5
1,828
0.0007 Sec21.9 Sec24.0 Hours4.0 Days4.4 Years1,093.9 Years
1,909 [40]
0.0007 Sec [40]21.0 Sec [40]23.0 Hours [40]3.8 Days [40]4.2 Years [40]1,047.7 Years [40]
9.7
2,044
0.0007 Sec19.6 Sec21.4 Hours3.6 Days3.9 Years978.5 Years
9.8
2,304
0.0006 Sec17.4 Sec19.0 Hours3.2 Days3.5 Years868.0 Years
3,053 [40]
0.0004 Sec [40]13.1 Sec [40]14.4 Hours [40]2.4 Days [40]2.6 Years [40]655.1 Years [40]
9.95
4,183
0.0003 Sec9.6 Sec10.5 Hours1.7 Days1.9 Years478.1 Years
9.975
5,552
0.0002 Sec7.2 Sec7.9 Hours1.3 Days1.4 Years360.2 Years
9.99 [40]
7,912 [40]
0.0002 Sec [40]5.1 Sec [40]5.5 Hours [40]22.2 Hours [40]1.0 Years [40]252.8 Years [40]
9.995
10,553
0.0001 Sec3.8 Sec4.2 Hours16.6 Hours276.7 Days189.5 Years
9.999
25,567
0.0001 Sec1.6 Sec1.7 Hours6.9 Hours114.2 Days78.2 Years
9.9999 [40]
199,516 [40]
0.0000 Sec [40]0.2 Sec [40]13.2 Minutes [40]52.7 Minutes [40]14.6 Days [40]10.0 Years [40]
Infinite [41]An object at warp 10 travels at infinite speed, occupying all points in the universe simultaneously [41]


Although the TNG Scale has proved highly successful in use, recent advances in warp drive have brought its practicality into some question. In 2312 it seemed unlikely that Starships would get beyond Warp 9.9 for a very long time, but modern vessels are capable of Warp 9.97+ [42] speeds and some predict that the next twenty years will see ships which can travel in the Warp 9.999+ region. While there remains no engineering difficulties with these numbers, it is becoming problematic for bridge crews to keep track of a tactical situation while having to use numbers to three significant figures. Although nothing definite has yet emerged, several proposals for new warp scales are currently under consideration by Starfleet.

Warp Scales Although the above values hold true for ideal conditions, there are occasions when a Starship can travel at speeds significantly higher than normal. For instance, shortly after Zefram Cochrane made his famous warp flight, the SS Valiant was able to reach the edge of the galaxy. [43] In 2286 Captain Kirk was able to reach the centre of the Galaxy from Nimbus III, covering a distance of 22,000 light years in just 6.8 hours at warp 7 - an average of 3,235 light years per hour. [44] These high speeds are allowed by so called "warp highways". Named after an ancient transportation system, these can consist of broad areas encompassing a number of whole star systems, or narrow corridors which can extend for many thousands of light years.

The effect of a warp highway is to change the speed associated with any given warp factor according a multiplier known as Cochranes Value, which is highly variable from region to region. These phenomena are known to exist for a finite period of time; the one between Nimbus III and the Galactic core no longer exists, which is why the USS Voyager is unable to make use of it in her attempts to return from the other side of the galaxy.

Amongst their other properties, highways are notoriously difficult to detect and map - Starfleet has always put considerable effort into locating these regions, carrying out many mapping missions. Voyager has been partially able to overcome this difficulty with the use of advanced Astrometric sensors, which cut five years off their journey time [45] by allowing the vessel to detect regions where the Cochrane Value would be slightly higher from many thousands of light years away.

Since their discovery, the warp highways have been a crucial factor in the expansion of the Federation and other powers. They allow the journey time across known space to be cut from years or even decades down to a matter of days.
Warp Scales Subspace Sandbars are a phenomenon which prevents a vessel using warp drive at all within a given region [46] - essentially, a region with a Cochrane factor of zero. These regions are, fortunately, very rare.
Warp Scales Whilst some regions of space have a speed multiplier in the tens of thousands, there are also regions where the value is less than unity. For example, in the region around the Xendi Sabu system warp speeds are reduced by almost one half - a Cochrane Value of 0.55. [47] These regions, which are commonly nicknamed 'Warp Shallows', are generally more common than warp highways and tend to cover a larger area. Warp shallows can be caused by a variety of phenomena - the Hekaras corridor is a region of relatively normal space which passes through a large warp shallow caused by unusually intense tetryon fields. The Briar Patch is a warp shallow caused by the unusual metaphasic radiation common to the region.
Warp sustainer engine [48] Propulsion device included in small probes or weapons which allows them to take a small amount of energy from a launch vessels warp field and coast on it for a short time. [48]
Waveform discriminator [49] Device carried by Vulcan spacecraft in the 1950s. A waveform discriminator could be used as part of an improvised communications device. [49]
Weather modification net [50] A system designed to modify or control the weather on a planet. Risa has one of the most extensive weather modification systems in the Federation. [50]
Wormhole [51] An anomaly which connects two points in spacetime, creating a short cut between them. Wormholes can allow a vessel to travel quickly across vast distances, or even back in time. Most wormholes are unstable, with endpoints which move regularly, [51] with the artificially created Bajoran Wormhole as the single exception. [52]
Wormholes [53] A wormhole is a "tunnel" which connects two points in normal space and time. The distance between the endpoints of a wormhole through the tunnel is generally very much shorter than the same journey through normal space, and wormholes offer the possibility of covering huge distances - often in the tens of thousands of light years - in a matter of minutes. [51]

Wormholes could therefore prove enormously useful as a natural short cut across the galaxy, or even beyond it. Unfortunately virtually all known wormholes are extremely unstable - their end points wander unpredictably through space rather than being fixed in place. This makes them useless for transport purposes since there is no way to know where the journey will take a ship, and no guarantee that the wormhole will still be there for the return trip. [51]

There was much interest in 2366 when the Barzan discovered an apparently stable wormhole which stretched from their system to the Delta Quadrant, some 70,000 light years distant. The Federation and others attempted to acquire the rights to travel the wormhole in order to open up a new frontier of exploration; unfortunately on investigation it was discovered that only one end of the wormhole was stable; the Delta Quadrant end was as prone to motion as any normal wormhole, and two Ferengi scientists were stranded in the area when it eventually shifted. [51]

In 2369 Commander Sisko of Deep Space Nine discovered a wormhole which stretched from the Denorious Belt in the Bajoran system some 70,000 light years to the Gamma Quadrant. Historical records indicated that the wormhole had been there for some 10,000 years, making it the first completely stable wormhole known to exist. [52] On investigation Sisko found the reason for this stability - the Bajoran wormhole is an artificial entity created by a sentient alien species which exists outside of linear space and time. He was able to negotiate with the aliens to secure right of passage through the wormhole, allowing exploration of the Gamma quadrant [52], and unfortunately leading to contact with the Dominion [54] and the ensuing Dominion war. [55]

Voyager was always on the lookout for wormholes whilst attempting to find a way to reach home territory [42], and in 2371 such a structure was indeed located which led to the Beta Quadrant. Unfortunately it was ancient, and of very small size. Voyager's crew found a way to send communications and transporter signals through the wormhole, contacting a Romulan officer at the far end. However the wormhole proved to be a link in time as well as space - the far end connected to the year 2351, twenty years before the ship had been lost. [56] Voyager also encountered the far end of the Barzan wormhole in 2373, but was unable to use the unstable entrance to reach the Barzan system. [57]

Given the possibilities of near-instantaneous travel on a galaxy-wide basis, there has been much interest within the Federation in creating artificial wormholes. [11] Certain engine imbalances in the warp drive of a (refit) Constitution class Starship can generate a form of wormhole. This is extremely hazardous to the ship involved - the wormhole can sweep up material from normal space during its formation, posing a considerable risk of impact with the vessel. The wormhole effect can also disrupt ship's systems, making it difficult to avoid such dangers. Fortunately these occurrences are extremely rare, though the newly refitted USS Enterprise did experience one in 2271 whilst attempting to reach the approaching V'Ger cloud. [58]

In 2372 a team arrived at Deep Space Nine with the intention of creating the first deliberate artificial wormhole, using the USS Defiant as a space going laboratory for the experiment. They were successful, though considerable problems were encountered with stability of the structure and a resulting accident aboard the Defiant nearly led to at least one death. Further research continues. [11]

Name :  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # All

Colour key

Canon source Backstage source Novel source DITL speculation

References

# Series Season Source Comment
1 ENT 2 Bounty
2 TNG 7 Force of Nature
3 Generic canonical information
4 Star Trek : First Contact
5 TOS 2 Metamorphosis
6 DS9 3 Distant Voices
7 TNG 5 New Ground
8 VOY 4 Vis-a-Vis
9 VOY 4 Hope and Fear
10 VOY 5 Timeless
11 DS9 4 Rejoined
12 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 69
13 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 2
14 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page67-68
15 TNG 2 Contagion
16 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 57-58
17 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 58-59
18 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 59-60
19 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 60-61
20 TOS 3 Elaan of Troyius
21 Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country
22 Various Voyager episodes
23 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 62
24 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 64-65
25 VOY 2 Investigations
26 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 70
27 Star Trek : Insurrection
28 TNG 7 Eye of the Beholder
29 VOY 4 Day of Honor
30 Star Trek : Generations
31 TOS 1 The Cage
32 TNG 3 Deja Q
33 ENT 2 Marauders
34 ENT 1 Cold Front
35 TOS 2 The Apple
36 ENT 2 Regeneration
37 DS9 6 One Little Ship
38 Star Trek - Starfleet Technical Manual 2:06:20
39 Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual Page 55
40 Star Trek Encyclopedia third edition Page 558
41 VOY 2 Threshold
42 VOY 1 Caretaker
43 TOS 1 Where No Man Has Gone Before
44 Star Trek V : The Final Frontier
45 VOY 4 Year of Hell, Part 1
46 VOY 5 Bride of Chaotica!
47 Speculative Speculation to explain the low speed quoted by Riker in Bloodlines
48 Generic official information
49 ENT 2 Carbon Creek
50 DS9 5 Let He Who Is Without Sin...
51 TNG 3 The Price
52 DS9 1 Emissary
53 TNG 2 Where Silence Has Lease
54 DS9 2 The Jem'Hadar
55 DS9 5 Call to Arms
56 VOY 1 Eye of the Needle
57 VOY 3 False Profits
58 Star Trek : The Motion Picture
Series : ENT Season 2
Episode : Bounty
Series : TNG Season 7
Episode : Force of Nature
Source : Generic canonical information
Film: Star Trek : First Contact
Series : TOS Season 2
Episode : Metamorphosis
Series : DS9 Season 3
Episode : Distant Voices
Series : TNG Season 5
Episode : New Ground
Series : VOY Season 4
Episode : Vis-a-Vis
Series : VOY Season 4
Episode : Hope and Fear
Series : VOY Season 5
Episode : Timeless
Series : DS9 Season 4
Episode : Rejoined
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 69
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 2
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page67-68
Series : TNG Season 2
Episode : Contagion
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 57-58
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 58-59
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 59-60
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 60-61
Series : TOS Season 3
Episode : Elaan of Troyius
Film: Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country
Series : VOY Season
Episode : Various Voyager episodes
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 62
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 64-65
Series : VOY Season 2
Episode : Investigations
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 70
Film: Star Trek : Insurrection
Series : TNG Season 7
Episode : Eye of the Beholder
Series : VOY Season 4
Episode : Day of Honor
Film: Star Trek : Generations
Series : TOS Season 1
Episode : The Cage
Series : TNG Season 3
Episode : Deja Q
Series : ENT Season 2
Episode : Marauders
Series : ENT Season 1
Episode : Cold Front
Series : TOS Season 2
Episode : The Apple
Series : ENT Season 2
Episode : Regeneration
Series : DS9 Season 6
Episode : One Little Ship
Book : Star Trek - Starfleet Technical Manual
Comment : 2:06:20
Book : Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual
Comment : Page 55
Book : Star Trek Encyclopedia
Comment : third edition Page 558
Series : VOY Season 2
Episode : Threshold
Series : VOY Season 1
Episode : Caretaker
Series : TOS Season 1
Episode : Where No Man Has Gone Before
Film: Star Trek V : The Final Frontier
Series : VOY Season 4
Episode : Year of Hell, Part 1
Series : VOY Season 5
Episode : Bride of Chaotica!
Source : Speculative
Comment : Speculation to explain the low speed quoted by Riker in Bloodlines
Series : Season
Episode : Generic official information
Series : ENT Season 2
Episode : Carbon Creek
Series : DS9 Season 5
Episode : Let He Who Is Without Sin...
Series : TNG Season 3
Episode : The Price
Series : DS9 Season 1
Episode : Emissary
Series : TNG Season 2
Episode : Where Silence Has Lease
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Jem'Hadar
Series : DS9 Season 5
Episode : Call to Arms
Series : VOY Season 1
Episode : Eye of the Needle
Series : VOY Season 3
Episode : False Profits
Film: Star Trek : The Motion Picture


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