Star Trek’sstarships travel vast distances throughout the galaxy thanks to faster-than-light travel known as warp speed. Within theStar Trekuniverse, the invention of warp drive technology is often used to determine whether a culture is ready to learn that other life exists in the galaxy. The Vulcans made first contact with Earth, for example, just afterZefram Cochrane (James Cromwell)completed humanity’s first successful warp flight.Starfleet’s Prime Directive states that official first contact should only occur after a civilization has achieved faster-than-light travel.
The universe is incomprehensibly huge, meaningit would take ships lifetimes to travel between inhabited planets without warp speed.Warp speed is measured by warp factors, with warp 1 being the lowest and warp 10 being the highest (theoretically).Star Trekhas not always been consistent in explaining exactly how warp speed works, but warp-capable ships use a warp drive that generates a subspace barrier around the ship. By the 24th century, warp technology was the most common means of propulsion and allowed for interstellar exploration and trade.
Warp Factor 10 Is The Highest In Star Trek (In Theory)
The Definition Of Warp Factor Speeds Has Changed Over Time
Warp factor 10 is meant to be the highest possible warp speed, but the definition of various warp factors has changed throughoutStar Trek’shistory. InStar Trek: The Original Series,theUSS Enterprise of Captain James T. Kirk(William Shatner) traveled at warp 10 or faster on multiple occasions. As starship technology continued to improve, the definition of warp factors was updated. By the 24th-century definition,warp 10 corresponded with infinite velocity,meaning a ship traveling at warp 10 occupied all points in the universe simultaneously.
8 Star Trek Warp Drives (& Which Is The Fastest)
Variations on Star Trek’s warp drive are more abundant than ever in new Star Trek shows, but which faster-than-light engine is the fastest?
By the 24th-century definition,a starship could theoretically reach speeds of warp 9.99…,but never actually reach warp factor 10. InStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 1, episode 6, “Where No One Has Gone Before,” the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) used his abilities to send the USS Enterprise-D to the very edge of the universe. Although the ship’s speed registers as being off the scale, it’s possible the Traveler pushed the Enterprise as close to warp 10 as possible without actually breaking the transwarp barrier.
How Fast Warp Factor 10 Is Supposed To Be
Warp Factor 10 Is Meant To Equal Infinite Velocity
Since warp 10 came to mean infinite velocity, a ship traveling at warp 10 could theoretically travel anywhere in the universe instantaneously. This speed was purely theoretical, and even by the 25th century ofStar Trek: Picard,9.99 was the fastest speed Starfleet vessels could achieve.InStar Trek: Voyagerseason 2, episode 15, “Threshold,“Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) successfully reached warp 10 in a specially modified shuttle, breaking the transwarp barrier, but he suffered disastrous side effects.
On Earth, Zefram Cochrane invented warp speed in 2063, but other species, like the Vulcans, had achieved faster-than-light travel far earlier.
Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew of the USS Voyager hoped that they could find a way to travel faster than warp 10, and Tom Paris wanted to be the first person to cross the transwarp barrier. While he managed to achieve this feat,Voyager’s crew quickly discovered that travel at those speeds resulted in hyper-evolution.In other words, traveling at warp factor 10 caused Paris and Janeway to evolve into amphibious creatures, putting an end to that particular technology.
Star Trek Has Gone As High As Warp Factor 36
Some Aliens Have Found Ways To Travel At Faster Speeds
OnStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Animated Series, the USS Enterprise achieved speeds as high as warp factor 22, while other ships went even faster.Outside forces or advanced aliens modified the Enterprise to travel faster than warp 10inTOSseason 2, episode 8, “The Changeling,” season 2, episode 21, “By Any Other Name”, and season 3, episode 15, “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” InTOSseason 3, episode 14, “That Which Survives,” the Enterprise was sabotaged and pushed to warp 14.1, which nearly destroyed the ship.
Captain Kirk’s Enterprise achieved its fastest recorded speeds inStar Trek: The Animated Series’series finale, “The Counter-Clock Incident.” When the Enterprise encountered a strange vessel traveling at warp 36, they locked on a tractor beam only to find themselves pulled into an antimatter universe where everything is reversed. As they were towed along by this small ship,the Enterprise reached speeds upwards of warp 22.These high numbers represent changes in the ways warp speed is measured, and no knownStar Trekship has successfully traveled faster than Warp 10 without catastrophic consequences.
Star Trek
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.
