Quantum slipstream drive is a propulsion system not too dissimilar to transwarp drive developed by the Borg, in which it takes ships at speeds higher than those permitted by even the most advanced warp engines, producing what is called slipstream velocity.
System history[]
The technology was created around the 2370s by a species in the Delta Quadrant. The USS Voyager was the first Federation vessel to achieve slipstream velocity, but as they had little experience with it they could not keep up with the rapidly changing quantum field.
In 2380 the Vesta-class Federation starship USS Aventine was among the first Starfleet vessels to be fitted with a quantum slipstream drive.
In 2381 following the defeat of the Borg, Starfleet was beginning to install quantum slipstream drives on its vessels. However due to the nature of the technology,not all ships were compatible with the upgrade. Later, a small contingent of Starfleet vessels, including Voyager, were outfitted with the drives in order to explore the Delta Quadrant in greater detail, and to learn any information available of the Borg. Unknown to Starfleet, at the same time in 2381, B'Elanna Torres had managed to recreate the technology from memory and outfitted a small vessel with the drive, for the purpose of evading groups pursuing her daughter.
It took Starfleet scientists many years to perfect the usage of the slipstream technology, finally making a solid breakthrough in 2384.
Many starships on deep space assignments were equipped with the drive, in order to facilitate a quicker journey back to port, and in case of emergency. Originally, the drive was kept solely within the Federation, and with the Romulans and Klingons struggling to duplicate this success, a joint scientific research project was launched, where other possibilities were thought of including transwarp drive.
Ultimately, transwarp became impossible to achieve, so the Federation and her allies reverted back to quantum slipstream, due to their advanced knowledge of it. It was so successful in fact, that ships continued to use it up to 200 years later, when it was installed on the USS Pioneer in 2597.
The widespread availability of quantum slipstream drive enabled distant Federation allies, such as Natrix, to finally join the Federation proper.
Vanguard Command timeline[]
By 2385, almost all starships assigned to Vanguard Command and the Vanguard Fleet were equipped with working quantum slipstream drives. However, with the exception of the Vesta-class, the other classes are only able to use their quantum slipstream drives for about 24 hours before reverting to warp drive. Cool down time is at least another 24 hours before the slipstream drive can be brought online again.
Slipstream velocity[]
Slipstream velocity is attained when energy produced by a starship's quantum drive is coursed through the deflector array to create a slipstream tunnel that allows it to travel at faster-than-warp speed.
As recorded by the crew of the USS Voyager, a starship in slipstream velocity could cover fifteen light years in just three minutes, or 300 light years in one hour (~300 times faster than warp 9.99, and ~900 times faster than warp 9.975). This calculates out to 9,467,280,000 times the speed of light.
If warp was analog, slipstream was digital. Warp uses large amounts of energy to reshape spacetime on a macroscopic scale. Quantum slipstream changes the parameters of each little bit of spacetime discretely to create the curvature desired. That greater precision allows the ship to do more with less energy. The tradeoff being that it needed immensely more computing power and control to pull it off safely.
External links[]
- Quantum slipstream drive article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Quantum slipstream drive article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Quantum slipstream drive article at Star Trek Expanded Universe.