Warp core of the Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E.
The warp core of a Galaxy class starship.
A warp core was the energy production reactor technology which allowed starships to use warp drive to travel at warp speeds.
History and specifics[]
Commonly, warp cores utilized matter/antimatter reactions to produce the required energy to achieve warp speed. Federation starships used deuterium and antideuterium which was reacted in a dilithium matrix. Romulan starships typically used artificial quantum singularities to produce the required power. The majority of starships used their warp cores for general energy requirements in addition to powering their warp drives.
An unusual hybrid starship encountered by the USS Enterprise-D in 2370 included a warp core from a Romulan warbird. (TNG - The Space Between comic: "Strategy")
Warp core types[]
In the 25th century, the matter anti-matter warp core was the standard warp core type installed on Federation and Klingon Empire starships. Starfleet's warp cores were tall tubes that appeared to be filled with a blue, swirling plasma. (STO - Klingon War missions: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock", "The Hunt is On")
On Klingon ships, the warp core was horizontal and burned red-orange. (STO - Klingon War mission: "The Doomsday Device")
In contrast, Romulan and Reman ships of the Romulan Republic and Romulan Star Empire relied on a singularity warp core. It was a massive, ball-like structure. (STO - From the Ashes mission: "Explore the Flotilla")
The standard matter anti-matter warp core and its Romulan/Reman singularity warp core counterpart allowed the warp drive to function but had no further implication on power systems. Other subtypes affected subsystems. The field stabilizing warp core boosted the deflector shield power. A hyper injection warp core improved engine power. The overcharged warp core provided additional auxiliary power. The deuterium-stabilized warp core, and its thoron-infused singularity core counterpart, reduced weapon power consumption when firing and improved resistance to subsystem power drains. The plasma-integrated warp core improved the power transfer rate between subsystems. (STO - Klingon War missions: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock", "The Hunt is On", "Explore the Flotilla", "Ceremony")
Maximum warp[]
Around the year 2409, the maximal warp factor, known as maximum warp, was affected by the mark-rating of the installed warp or singularity core. The standard or MK. I warp core allowed for a maximal factor of warp five. These speeds increased with higher mark-rating to warp 5.6 for Mk. II, warp 6.1 for Mk. III, warp 7.2 for mark V, warp 7.8 for Mk. VI, warp 8.3 for mark VIII, warp 9.4 on Mk. IX, and a non-infinite warp 10 for Mk. X and higher. (STO - Klingon War missions: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock", "The Hunt is On", "Explore the Flotilla", "Ceremony")
From 2409 to at least 2411, starships of the Khitomer Alliance members' military forces were equipped with warp drives, transwarp capabilities and quantum slipstream drives, allowing them to reach and exceed maximum warp factors. Installation of a displacement-activated spore hub drive allowed Alliance vessels instantaneous movement. (STO - Legacy missions: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock", "The Hunt is On", "Explore the Flotilla", "Ceremony")
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Appendices[]
Connections[]
| warp drive technology | |
|---|---|
| types of warp engines | coleopteric warp drive • dicyclic warp engine • transwarp drive • warp sled • warp drive |
| warp components | warp core • matter injector • antimatter inducer • antimatter injector • intermix chamber • power transfer conduit • warp coil • bussard collector • coolant manifold • plasma manifold • phase discriminator • dilithium crystal • dilithium articulation frame |
External links[]
- Warp core article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Warp core article at Star Trek Online Wiki.