Warp Factors: A Crazy Thought

[rook111]

After finally getting to see the 1st Enterprise episode (which I liked) I was some what amazed to find the the klingon home world was the closest star to earth. Kidding aside while driving home today from work I had a thought, what if Warp Factor was not a constant speed/velocity, but instead was a factor of acceleration? Could this be used as Treknobabble to explain the ability for a ship to travel across the federation in a few days or to the center of the galaxy in hours?

Please feel free to discuss this so I can see if its something I want to pursue.

David Broussard
rook111@pernet.net

[The Tatterdemalion King]

That's not a bad idea, IMO. We'd have to throw out every bit of published info 'bout warp factors and re-think all sorts of stuff, though. But yeah, that's a cool idea.

[rook111]

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure how to work the math but it sure would go a long way toward solving a lot of the distance/speed/time inconsistancies.

[SIR SIG]

I guess you haven't read any of my threads on warp speeds and the chi factor then?

The way some people see it is that the warp charts we have a for a subspace variable =1.

Parts of space have vastly increasing and decreasing values.

Check the old threads, or I'll have to post some 'Big Scary Math' (TM) as Styro would say

[rook111]

Are you refering to the "warp highway" theory? If so I have read several articles (not on this board as I recall though) and while they go a long way towards rectifying some of the dicrepencies I always thought that they created just as many new ones. I havn't really given this one a whole lot of thougth and not being a mathmatician I have no way of figuring how it would work or even if, but it would explain why a lot of Kirks travel were done a warp 1 - 4 and he still manged to get from one side of the federation and back in three years.

[rook111]

Sir Sig can you point me to your threads? I can't find them.

[SIR SIG]

Yeah but not so much as a continous highway.

Just isolated bubbles of higher variables for 10's-1000's lightyears.

Thats why I like to take a constant 24 as the variable. Thus the warp charts we have can simply be modified. So that what we see as distance traveled in a day; equals with the variable what distance is traveled in a hour.

Thus fast ships can do up around 100 ly a day!

I'll look round for those threads.

[SIR SIG]

Okay he's the main 2 threads I did on warp speeds:

http://forum.trekrpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=626

http://forum.trekrpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=580

I also use this data for my maps to.

[rook111]

Thanks SIR SIG, that is some good math. I had missed that thread entirerly. Ilove it.

[SIR SIG]

Still they could use some dusting off in light of new data from Enterprise.

For arguments sake lets take a chi variable equaled to 24.

* Earth-Qo'nos app. 4 days at warp 4.5???

*30 mil k/p/s = app. 82*C or app. Warp 4.3 TOS scale

*The 30 mil kps is in a solar system so a variable of 1 applies

* Therfore Qo'nos should be around 21 ly from Earth at this scale.

* On the other hand if they are using a TNG scale (possible by other sources) then warp 4.3 = app. 130*C and thus a 24 variable would place Qo'nos at around 34 ly from Earth.

Still far to close IMHO

[Thorn]

The one thing that has remained consistent in all of the Star Trek Universe is the inconsistantcy of warp travel. Well lets see if this helps 1)warp propulsion is a theory we have no real facts to figure on so use what makes the most interesting story. 2)the universe is ever changing (nothing is realy static) so what works now may or may not work later, what is here may or may not be here later. Once again use what works best for the story. 3)pick a patch of heavy woods and walk trough it,time your self. Do this every day with the same start point and same end point but a different path, you will notice that the trip will take a different amount of time. Now do the same thing again but use the same path each time, you should now notice that the path becomes easier and takes less time with each passing (you are also getting in pretty good shape from all the walking ). The reason for all the changes is first each different path has its own unique set of obsticals taking a varing amount of time to negotiate, second as you travel the same path each day you actually begin to effect changes on the environment(or you make a trail) you also become more familiar with the obsticals on your path and this makes your passing easier thus saving you both time and effort. Obsticals are what brings enjoyment to RPGs so if yours are in space use mode of travel one, if it is on a planet then let them happen upon the easy quick path there. Most of all have fun.

It only realy hurts in real life, so why go there?

[tonyg]

One possible way to resovle the proximity of Q'onos is that perhaps the Q'onoS seen in ENTERPRISE isn't the one one seen in TNG. There are many placed on Earth with the same name.


Or- Maybe Q'onoS could be a tititle for the site of government. This would be similar to the way that Medieval kings would hold court in various cities throughout thier realm.

[SIR SIG]

Originally posted by tonyg
One possible way to resovle the proximity of Q'onos is that perhaps the Q'onoS seen in ENTERPRISE isn't the one one seen in TNG. There are many placed on Earth with the same name.


Or- Maybe Q'onoS could be a tititle for the site of government. This would be similar to the way that Medieval kings would hold court in various cities throughout thier realm.

I'd still think they'd keep the same planet as imperial capital.

But something about having rotating seats of power as medieval times/castles is cool.

OTOH They still wouldn't have planets, let alone a capital world be that close to a potential enemy.

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

Originally posted by Thorn
The reason for all the changes is first each different path has its own unique set of obsticals taking a varing amount of time to negotiate, second as you travel the same path each day you actually begin to effect changes on the environment(or you make a trail) you also become more familiar with the obsticals on your path and this makes your passing easier thus saving you both time and effort.

Nice idea, and I believe fits quite neatly in with the idea of chi factors, or warp highways, or some such thing.

Perhaps someone more learned on these matters could comment, but I really like that idea.

[SIR SIG]

Well I believe the warp highway thread over yonder at the Daystrom Instuite www.DITL.org (???)

Goes on about multiple uses defining a path in space and thus making a more definate highway.

This could also tie in with the TNG ep with the Herkras Corridor (?) with instability to make warp because of warp traffic being very high.