Gravity Wells

**Kodiak** · 03-13-2003, 11:37 PM

How big of an area in a star system is off-limits to warp speed?
The reason for this question is to determine how easily it would be to engineer a decisive engagement by hiding part of the defending force in system, baiting the attacking force into an area of no escape, and finally crushing them with superior firepower before they could get to the warp limit.

**KillerWhale** · 03-14-2003, 03:09 AM

I think there's no real limit, save the close areas of the star (in ST IV, the Enterprise warps out as soon as they clear the dock).

However there are regulations that forbid warp travel in a star system, because it always damage subspace a little bit, and if everyone would warp in the system, subspace would be torn to shreds. Still, it's always possible in case of an emergency.

That's just my interpretation of the various clues I saw...

**qerlin** · 03-14-2003, 11:01 AM

My impression is there are regs against warp in a system due more to traffic control issues. Figure Earth is super busy as a port of call, with Luna, Earth, Mars, Juptier, and other areas constantly having ships, shuttles, and what have you running about. You don't want to be moving at the speed of improbable, with a nanosecond to turn, should some drunk libertine in a space yacht, out for a good time, decides to pilot in front of you.

I would think you could get closer on warp in systems where the traffic is lower. In some places, if there's no traffic at all, you could cruise right up to a planet, lock up the brakes, and spray Cherenkov radiation all over the planet's ionosphere (Look at the pretty lights!)

I would say that getting within the corona of a star should act like long range from a cluster on the ship; higher it you're in closer or dealing with a larger star. Hit the actual atmosphere of the thing, I'd do damage as per the superjovian close approach, ratchet the damage up a die for every class of star above M (ex. 3d6 for a G class, 5d6 for an A class -- fiddle for giants, dwarfs, or what have you.) Just a suggestion.

Id also say the event horizon of a black hole, for a starship moving at warp, would probably be the point of destabilization for the warp field. But with a good engineer and pilot, you could conceivable keep the warp bubble stable enough to pop a little way inside the event horizon and have a look, since you could escape. Of course, you should do mega damage to the ship, but if still under warp speed, you should be able to escape...but into what time, dimension, or alternate universe..?

**Kodiak** · 03-14-2003, 12:02 PM

It sounds like the general conclusion is that with the exception of junk in the system, stars do not offer any protected ports for ships.
Thank you for the information.

**Greg Smith** · 03-14-2003, 12:34 PM

If you had metaphasic shields you could hide a bunch of ships in the star's corona. See TNG 'Suspicions' and 'Descent pt II'.

It is also more difficult to spot a ship above the magnetic pole of a planet, TNG 'Devils Due'.

**Sho-sa Kurita** · 03-14-2003, 06:43 PM

And there's always interdictor-type devices that could prevent a warp field from forming.

**Kodiak** · 03-14-2003, 09:09 PM

That's an interesting idea, I'll see if I can find anything in canon to suggest that someone has built something like that.

**Sho-sa Kurita** · 03-14-2003, 09:16 PM

There have definitely been [relatively] natural phenomena that have prevented it, and I'm pretty sure there have been ship-board ones too, I just can't remember any episodes. Surely someone here will remember...

**Karg** · 03-14-2003, 09:47 PM

Originally posted by KillerWhale
I think there's no real limit, save the close areas of the star (in ST IV, the Enterprise warps out as soon as they clear the dock).

However there are regulations that forbid warp travel in a star system, because it always damage subspace a little bit, and if everyone would warp in the system, subspace would be torn to shreds. Still, it's always possible in case of an emergency.

That's just my interpretation of the various clues I saw...

Hell in the same move the Bird of Prey jumps to warp while STILL IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE! (Which i have a big problem with by the way)

**Kodiak** · 03-14-2003, 11:29 PM

Anyone want to take a shot at the energy needed to move that much air?

**redwood973** · 03-14-2003, 11:42 PM

Originally posted by Kodiak
That's an interesting idea, I'll see if I can find anything in canon to suggest that someone has built something like that.

Originally posted by Sho-sa Kurita
There have definitely been [relatively] natural phenomena that have prevented it, and I'm pretty sure there have been ship-board ones too, I just can't remember any episodes. Surely someone here will remember . . .

Sienar Fleet Systems Interdictor-class heavy cruiser. Six hundred meters long, crew of 2 807, twenty laser cannons and four Gravity Well Projectors.

Oh. Wait. Wrong galaxy.

**Sho-sa Kurita** · 03-15-2003, 04:30 AM

Oh. Wait. Wrong galaxy.

Yeah, but Tim Zahn rocks. That did first appear in the Thrawn trilogy, right?

**Greg Smith** · 03-15-2003, 07:10 AM

My players came up with photon torpedoes with a heavy graviton warhead. They cause ruptures in subspace which force incoming enemy vessels to drop out of warp, thereby slowing them down.

Of course my group are in a desperate struggle against the Dominion. Regular Federation authorities may frowm on the disruption of subspace in this way.

**Aldaron** · 03-15-2003, 07:25 AM

Originally posted by Sho-sa Kurita
Yeah, but Tim Zahn rocks. That did first appear in the Thrawn trilogy, right?

Actually, it first appeared in fiction form in Zahn's...ahem..."novels"...(sorry, I can't agree he "rocks". I despised the Zahn trilogy with a loathing that borders on the pathological...but that's another story!

).

The Interdictors, AFAIK, first appeared in WEG's Star Wars RPG, in the Imperial Sourcebook.

Zahn adopted them from there, as he did quite a few other things. The ysalmiri, however, were entirely his own creation - if he wants to take credit for a cheap, contrived plot device to neutralise Luke...*slaps self* "Must....not...get....off....topic....Must...contr ol...hatred...for...Zahn...."

**Aldaron** · 03-15-2003, 07:27 AM

Originally posted by Greg Smith
My players came up with photon torpedoes with a heavy graviton warhead. They cause ruptures in subspace which force incoming enemy vessels to drop out of warp, thereby slowing them down.

Of course my group are in a desperate struggle against the Dominion. Regular Federation authorities may frowm on the disruption of subspace in this way.

Naughty, naughty!
Sounds a lot like the isolytic(?) weapons used by the So'na.

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