Warp Speeds

[Gatefan1976]

As this was brought up before, I managed to track down some info on warp speeds. This is written from a TNG standpoint so warp 10 is the max!


SPEED KPH Times LS
Full Impulse 270mil .25 (sublight)
Warp 1 1Bil 1
Warp 2 11Bil 10
Warp 3 42Bil 39
Warp 4 109Bil 102
Warp 5 229Bil 214
Warp 6 421Bil 392
Warp 7 703Bil 656
Warp 8 1.1Tril 1024
Warp 9 1.62Tril 1516
Warp 9.2 1.77Tril 1649
Warp 9.6 2.05Tril 1909
Warp 9.9 3.27Tril 3053
Warp 9.99 8.48Tril 7912
Warp 9.9999 214Tril 199,516
Warp 10 Infinite Infinite

It is possible to go faster than these speeds within Trek Canon via Transwarp or "Q-like" intervention, but this is the warp scale for "normal warp speeds" in Trek. To give you a comparison, at Warp 9.9999, it would take a Trek ship 10 years to make the voyage to a local galaxy (2,000,000 LY), and 18 days to cross the Federation (10,000 LY)

 

[Robbie_Rocket_Pants]

As this was brought up before, I managed to track down some info on warp speeds. This is written from a TNG standpoint so warp 10 is the max!


SPEED KPH Times LS
Full Impulse 270mil .25 (sublight)
Warp 1 1Bil 1
Warp 2 11Bil 10
Warp 3 42Bil 39
Warp 4 109Bil 102
Warp 5 229Bil 214
Warp 6 421Bil 392
Warp 7 703Bil 656
Warp 8 1.1Tril 1024
Warp 9 1.62Tril 1516
Warp 9.2 1.77Tril 1649
Warp 9.6 2.05Tril 1909
Warp 9.9 3.27Tril 3053
Warp 9.99 8.48Tril 7912
Warp 9.9999 214Tril 199,516
Warp 10 Infinite Infinite

It is possible to go faster than these speeds within Trek Canon via Transwarp or "Q-like" intervention, but this is the warp scale for "normal warp speeds" in Trek. To give you a comparison, at Warp 9.9999, it would take a Trek ship 10 years to make the voyage to a local galaxy (2,000,000 LY), and 18 days to cross the Federation (10,000 LY)

What speeds did Coaxial Warp Drive & Quantum Slipstream reach or was it never specified?

 

[Gatefan1976]

What speeds did Coaxial Warp Drive & Quantum Slipstream reach or was it never specified?

Not specified as far as I know Robbie, yet the scale is a sliding mathematical equation (I think, Hate math) but I don't have it. As "warp 10" is "existing in all points simultaniously", I would assume it either is an even higher 9.9999+ fraction or operates on a different scale.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Wasn't Voyager 70,000 light years from home when it got stranded with a time scale of years to get back? That would make those speed calculations a bit off if 10,000 light years only takes 18 days.

OK, some extrapolations I can find
At constant Warp 4 it would take 98 years to cross Federation space, 47 years at constant warp 5 and 25 years at Warp 6. Now bear in mind these are to cross federation space ONLY, not the entire milky way galaxy (which is some 1mil light years in diameter and would take a ship travelling at warp 9.99 253 years to cross!)
Also, you have to consider that travel over Warp 5 has been proven to be damaging to the fabric of space itself and requires dispensation from starfleet to exceed.

Useful?

 

[Stonelesscutter]

Wasn't Voyager 70,000 light years from home when it got stranded with a time scale of years to get back? That would make those speed calculations a bit off if 10,000 light years only takes 18 days.

Aaah, but Voyager only got up to warp 9.975 or something, not 9.9999.
And if memory serves me correctly it would have taken the ship about 75 years to get back home.
Don't know if that number is based on a constant speed or taking into account stops in between.

 

[Tropicana]

I thought Voyager can't stay at warp 9.975 indefinitely thus, can only travel along those speeds for several hours at a time, before having to drop out of warp entirely for the engines to recoup.

As part of the whole subspace pollution from extreme travels exceeding Warp 5, isn't that the reason why Voyager's nacelles can be raised and lowered? Cos I remember hearing that in its raised position and with any other ships with normal nacelles, it can still damage subspace a bit (even when they're not travelling at warp) but when the nacelles are in its lowered position, it can't establish a warp field and therefore can't damage subspace.

 

[Stonelesscutter]

I thought Voyager can't stay at warp 9.975 indefinitely thus, can only travel along those speeds for several hours at a time, before having to drop out of warp entirely for the engines to recoup.

As part of the whole subspace pollution from extreme travels exceeding Warp 5, isn't that the reason why Voyager's nacelles can be raised and lowered? Cos I remember hearing that in its raised position and with any other ships with normal nacelles, it can still damage subspace a bit (even when they're not travelling at warp) but when the nacelles are in its lowered position, it can't establish a warp field and therefore can't damage subspace.

Where do you hear stuff like that?

 

[Tropicana]

Honestly I do not remember.

When I was younger I was a Trek-tech fan (never wore outfits and still don't, and never went to conventions and still don't). I knew all these info inside and out, but I hadn't tapped into those info in my head for years so I do not remember where I first found them.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Honestly I do not remember.

When I was younger I was a Trek-tech fan (never wore outfits and still don't, and never went to conventions and still don't). I knew all these info inside and out, but I hadn't tapped into those info in my head for years so I do not remember where I first found them.

As far as I can remember the Intrepid class of ship had variable geometry nacelles for manuverability and speed reasons as it was designed as a rapid response starship. I can't say I ever remember them saying anything about subspace damage as a reason for the design, but that does not discount the idea any.

Actually, on checking it was referred to in a official tech manual for the Intrepid Class (so not strictly "canon", but as close as you can get)

 

[Tropicana]

The variable geometry nacelles certainly allowed them to establish an inverse warp field bubble to anchor themselves in the neutronic wavefront. ("Fair Haven", one of my favourite episodes)

 

[Gatefan1976]

I thought Voyager can't stay at warp 9.975 indefinitely thus, can only travel along those speeds for several hours at a time, before having to drop out of warp entirely for the engines to recoup.

As part of the whole subspace pollution from extreme travels exceeding Warp 5, isn't that the reason why Voyager's nacelles can be raised and lowered? Cos I remember hearing that in its raised position and with any other ships with normal nacelles, it can still damage subspace a bit (even when they're not travelling at warp) but when the nacelles are in its lowered position, it can't establish a warp field and therefore can't damage subspace.

More Info on the Intrepid class warp drives (shamelessly borrowed from memory alpha in this case:

According to Star Trek: Starship Spotter and the Star Trek: Voyager Technical Manual, warp factor 6 is the actual cruising speed for the Intrepid-class. "Dragon's Teeth" would support this, as the episode begins with Voyager cruising at warp 6, as does "Pathfinder", in which the average speed of warp 6.2 was estimated as the speed Voyager was traveling towards the Alpha Quadrant. According to the text of the Technical Manual, warp 9.2 is supposed to be the maximum sustainable speed, while warp 9.6 is the rated top speed and warp 9.9 is a speed that can be sustained for only a few minutes. In a speed chart, the Manual contradicts itself by giving instead warp 9.975 as the top speed, that can be maintained for 12 hours. According to the chart, the 9.975 speed corresponds to a velocity of 3,056 times the speed of light. This would be much slower than what warp 9.9 is canonically established to be in "The 37's", well over twenty-one thousand times the speed of light.
Canonically in "Caretaker", "Relativity" and "Barge of the Dead", Voyager is specifically stated having the maximum cruising speed of warp 9.975. In the episode "Threshold", when accelerating to and attempting to match warp 9.97, the computer warned of imminent structural collapse. In the episode "The Swarm", it is only possible to maintain warp 9.75 for twelve hours. It is also stated in the episode by Chakotay, that Voyager is not able to sustain its maximum warp at that time. The maximum warp is however used in several episodes before and after "The Swarm" for extended periods. Finally the maximum warp is given a canonical speed estimate in "Friendship One" as being capable of crossing 132 light years in one month. This turns out to be only about 1,554 - 1,721 times the speed of light.
The reasons for Voyager's lack of ability to maintain optimal warp speeds are given in the Star Trek: Voyager Technical Manual. There were very limited refueling and overhaul assets available during the journey, and the crew had to allow the engines down time for cooling. Furthermore according to the Manual, the 75 year travel time figure established in "Caretaker" was never a realistic one. It is based on the assumption that Voyager would maintain warp 9.6 and travel uninterruptedly directly to Earth. A more realistic figure of two to four hundred years to cross the Delta Quadrant and into the Beta Quadrant was the more realistic predicament at the beginning of the series.

 

[Tropicana]

It's good to see I had not imagined all those stuff, lol.

 

[Gatefan1976]

So essentially the 75 year bit was an error or plot hole of sorts ?

I'd go with Janeway plugging a "best case scenario". I don't think the full layout of warp speeds was codified at that point however (during the beginning of ST:VOY), so perhaps "revised plothole"?
Don't know for sure dude.

 

[Stonelesscutter]

Don't you just hate contradicting information?

Furthermore according to the Manual, the 75 year travel time figure established in "Caretaker" was never a realistic one. It is based on the assumption that Voyager would maintain warp 9.6 and travel uninterruptedly directly to Earth. A more realistic figure of two to four hundred years to cross the Delta Quadrant and into the Beta Quadrant was the more realistic predicament at the beginning of the series.

So two to four hundred years ey. Well after 7 seasons, and so assumably 7 years of travelling for the Voyager crew, they had travelled about half the distance to earth. As said before the second half of the journey was all done in one go with the Borg transwarp tunnel, or whatever it's called. Before that they managed to travel around 35000 lightyears in 7 years. Ofcourse there were a few times when Voyager got a gentle nudge to help speed them on their way, but still most of that distance was crossed by Voyager just travelling regularly. I'd say about two-thirds but that's just some guesswork. So that would be about 23.000 lightyears in seven years of travelling, meaning the whole trip of 70000 lightyears would take somewhere in the vicinity of 20 years.
Hmmmm... perhaps my estimate was a bit off then. I don't know. But two to four hundred years is obviously a very unlikely estimate. And that was to get to the beta quadrant, not even the alpha quadrant. What do you guys think?