What kind of FTL do you prefer?

[thecoolnessrune]

I've always found the concept of the KK Drive, a creation of the sci-fi author Alan Dean Foster, to be fascinating.

Basically, the way it works (if I understand it right) is that at one end of your ship, you have a chamber. Through the magic of tomorrow's physics (that we have no idea how it works), you create what is, in essence, a gravity field similar to that of a star in that chamber. Said gravity field tries to suck in your ship, but is, at the same time, pushed forward by the structure of the ship..... over and over and over again, allowing you to travel at the speed of light.

Hey, it's science fiction, right? Doesn't have to make sense, just has to sound COOL.

It's like troll science!

 

[Matthiasa]

Hmm, some book I read used imaginary thrust for superluminary travel.
I like that idea.
Also recall in that book that those engines allowed them to reach their final destination before they left if everything got timed right.

 

[TridenT]

Instant transmission so I could do this to people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg1bCXFLKdY&t=1m36s

 

[arcenite]

The elevator in Toe Jam and Earl

 

[Kadarin]

Michael McCollum's Antares series, along with Walter Jon Williams' Dread Empire's Fall series both have variations on the "foldspace" concept, where solar systems have points "anchored to the star" from where jumps can be made to other systems. Some solar systems will have a greater number of such points, thus making them potentially more strategic.

 

[Jeff7]

Nope, I'm fairly certain that the reason gravity well generators work is because safety parameters on the hyperdrive shut it down if they get too close to a large object. That's also why they say they are "making calculations for the jump to lightspeed", the calculations are to plot a course that won't smack them into a planet.

I also keep wondering why in these science fiction IPs, especially Star Trek and Star Wars, they don't make more use of "micro-jumps" in combat. I think I saw a few micro jumps in a couple of star wars expanded universe books, that's about it.

BTW they should make movies out of Outbound Flight and Survivor's Quest. Or some of the Thrawn books.

Other idea: Use the warp drive instead of thrusters. At least one episode of TNG had the ship use its warp drive to alter the mass or inertia of something else, specifically a small moon. So, just power up the engines and manipulate the warp field so that the ship can effectively maneuver without inertia. A large cruiser could thus move around with the agility of a small fighter.