My Impulse Engine Conundrum

My Impulse Engine Conundrum

It has always bugged me that the Impulse drive system is so weak when the ship is without any warp power as it has been seen so many times on screen that the warp engines are offline. So, I made notes a few years ago. I never completed the creation of the system I have stated here till now. I have recently updated them and made into what is a somewhat useful method. I have included my personal notes.

As an example, the Galaxy as well as the Constitution Class is far underpowered when the warp core is offline, and the addition of a third Impulse engine was the answers to the power shortage. There are a few examples in the Original Serries where the Enterprise was without warp power when in battle. In the past I have added a second impulse engine to the Enterprise to make the ship a more powerful ship.

In my expansion to the systems below are the set up I came up with. This would work for any ship. I came up with the set up after looking over the Galaxy class blueprints noting that each engine had two driver coils and six reactors for each impulse engine.

Impulse Engine Exhaust Director
SU Cost: standard 0.25 SU’s per 0.1c and maximum 0.5 per 0.1c acceleration round up
Power Cost: same as standard spacedock

Impulse Engine Driver Coil and Gas Flow Accelerator Units
SU’s Cost: 1 SU’s per coil

Fusion Power Impulse Reactors
SU’s Cost: 1 SU per 2 power per reactor
Number of reactors per impulse engine reactors up to the size (round up) but usually minus 2 off the size but two addition two reactors to such as a saucer engine can be installed to a saucer that can power the saucer during the separation system.

Fusion Reactors Eras
In the twenty-second century the Impulse Reactors Generates 6 power, the twenty-third century 8 power and the twenty-fourth century 10 power per reactors. Beyond the 24th century adds 2 power for each century following each above rules.

(Personal Note: With two additional reactors the saucer could become a somewhat effective weapons platform capable of firing a few phaser shots. With shields that can withstand a few shots. Or a Class 20 Fusion Reactor can be installed or a pair into the saucer giving it enough power to fight. A prototype warp reactor could also be installed in capable of a low warp capable starship with embedded nacelles of retractable nacelles. Somewhere I haves seen a version of a saucer with nacelles embedded. Personally, I think that a saucer with a warp nacelle would be a good idea to allow it to escape if the stardrive was destroy. Too much power would make the ship a devastating fighting ship.)

The acceleration uprating is the same as it is.

The hit chart expands into the following.
1-3 Impulse Exhaust Driver
4-5 Impulse Driver Coil and gas Flow Accelerator unites
6 Fusion Impulse Reactors (Note the reactors are more protected by the hull.)

Here is an example for a galaxy class starship

Impulse Exhaust Driver: three (.75c/.92c) [7/9 Power/round] <3 x 3 = 9>
Location: Engineering section, Starboard and Port Saucer section and base of the neck of the secondary hulls battle head

Impulse Engine Driver Coil and Gas Flow Accelerator Units: two unites per Exhaust driver [1 power/round] <6 x 3 = 18>

Fusion Power Impulse Engine Reactors: 18 reactors (generates 10 Power/engine/round) <5 x 18 = 90>

This only provides 12 additional power over all to the Galaxy class starship and a increase of 12 SUs to the three impulse version of the Galaxy class for the saucer separation version of the Galaxy class starship. With the addition of the two reactors would increase the power to the Galaxy class 72 power over all and for the saucer alone 48 additional power when needed. A saucer alone is far under powered with the standard spacedock version.

Here is an example for the Constitution class Enterprise starship

Impulse Exhaust Driver: two (.5c/.75c) [5/7 Power/round] <5 x 2 = 19>
Location: Starboard and Port Saucer section in a single housing

Impulse Engine Driver Coil and Gas Flow Accelerator Units: two unites per Exhaust driver [1 power/round] <1 x 2 = 2>

Fusion Power Impulse Engine Reactors: 8 reactors (generates 8 Power/engine/round) <4 x 8 = 32>


(The biggest problem I see is that this system does not work on a shuttlecraft as the reactors vary in size. But too many reactors can cause a problem with the SU’s of a ship. A starship reactor is two deck tall roughly four or five meters in diameter and a little more than that in length with the interconnecting mounts to one another. As stated in the Technical manual the reactors can be swapped out for one another. In the Enterprise era the ships power is increased by 12 power like the Galaxy class, nevertheless the ship is still under powered based on a version the Enterprise as it first appeared in the series.)

So, what do you think?