In ENT episode “Divergence” parts go flying off the ship during warp 5. What would happen to something at that speed without the protection of the field? Would it stay in high speed motion until interacted upon by something else (meteoroids/dust/gravitational fields)? Or would it disintegrate under this kind of speed?

  • Indy@startrek.websiteEnglish
    5·
    2 days ago

    I would think that any object (including the ship) is traveling at a sub-light speed within the warp bubble and therefore would only keep that same velocity when (catastrophically) exiting the warp bubble. Unless by exiting the warp bubble in an uncontrolled manner creates some other force which slows the object somehow.

    My understanding is that the warp bubble is moving space around the object (including the ship) rather than accelerating the object to FTL (faster-than-light) speeds, thus we really only have to consider the relative velocities within the warp bubble.

    Edit to add: Oh, also, I should add that (IMO) the object cannot continue to travel at FTL speed since it has no warp drive of its own to maintain the warp field.