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star trek - Can a non-warp capable ship travel at light speed by tucking in close to a warp capable ship?


Given warp-field technology in Star Trek canon, is it possible for a non-warp ship to use the warp bubble of another (warp capable) ship to exceed light speed? A sort of nascar 'drafting' if you will.




Answer



Yes, you can 'ride' in the wake of a warp capable ship, despite not having a fully functional warp engine of your own.


In the Enterprise episode "Unexpected", we see a (cloaked) ship hiding within the Enterprise' warp field. At the start of the episode, they're both travelling at warp. After their discovery, the following exchange occurs;



TRENA'L [OC]: I apologize for any damage we've caused. Our engines are malfunctioning and we've been using your plasma exhaust to replenish our teraphasic coils. It's allowed us to share your warp field.


T'POL: Their warp reactor is offline.


ARCHER: We can't help you unless we can see you, so why don't you disconnect whatever stealth device you're using. (the ship appears aft of Enterprise)



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