Thursday, November 7, 2013

Hyperdrives, Warp Engines, and Other Such Things


In almost every space travel story there is some sort of faster-than-light device. These devices allowed people and spaceships to move from one location to another quickly and with ease. Each has it's own properties and dilemmas, however. In Star Wars you simply enter coordinates into the system and the ship sends you hurtling through space to your destination. If the hyperdrive unit is damaged, however, you can't go anywhere that you couldn't with any old ship. In Star Trek there are warp engines which send you into an alternate realm of space and time before spitting you out into your desired location and time. But with warp speed time becomes strange and you can journey for months only to end up a second after the specified time in the exact place. Or you can go and travel for a couple of seconds only to end up years from your wanted time. Almost every space travel story has them and they all have their personalities and dysfunctions. With faster-than-light devices anything could happen. Everyone has their favorite device and everyone wishes they had one. Scientists have told us for years that they are close to a breakthrough in the field. Oddly enough I've never believed them and now less than ever. But you can decide for yourselves. Leave comments for your ideas. Thanks, Aidan.

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