The Nexus of Art and Science

Star Trek and Faster-Than-Light Travel
For as long as man could look up, the sky has fascinated the individual. The shower of stars across the night sky has enticed man to create myths, songs, and sonnets. The wonder has captivated a whole generation with science fiction movies and shows like Star Wars and Star Trek. What was once fiction soon became possible with the invention of space travel and the first man on the moon. What else could science draw from fiction? In the Star Trek franchise, a feature of the ship is warp drive, which is essentially a speed boost for the heroes to traverse the cosmos faster than the speed of light. Although it is a work of fiction, Star Trek has influenced actual scientific research on answering the question of whether or not this method of faster-than-light (FTL) travel is possible. Scientists like Miguel Alcubierre and Harold White have developed plausible theories for real warp drive. Although there are some logistical difficulties, warp drive is technically possible, which opens up the possibility of faster space travel and exploring new depths of space we could not reach before.
Miguel Alcubierre developed the idea of Alcubierre Drive in 1994, inspired by Star Trek’s warp drive. He proposed that warp drive was possible by creating a warp bubble around the ship, using energy to produce a wave that would contract the space in front of a ship while expanding the space behind it. The mass inside the bubble would be inert, while the bubble itself is moving faster than light. This keeps it in agreement with the law of relativity that states an object with mass can not attain or exceed the speed of light. Alcubierre admitted in an email to William Shatner, the actor who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek franchise, that his theory was inspired by the warp drive. The 1975 Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual explained warp drive as breaking the time barrier in order for the ship to arrive at a destination faster than if it were to go at normal speeds. Alcubierre drive is similar in that it uses energy to warp the space around a ship, and as space and time are interconnected, this warps time and allows for faster-than-light travel. Many scientists have offered their opinions on the Alcubierre drive. Some have argued that this method of travel would be catastrophically damaging to the passengers on board and to the destination itself. They have argued that it would be impossible for the ship to communicate with anyone outside the bubble and that the faster-than-light velocity would produce fatally high temperatures inside the spacecraft and destabilize the warp bubble. They have also argued that once the Alcubierre drive ship decelerates from light speed, the particles gathered by the bubble would release in a burst similar to a sonic boom shock wave, destroying the destination of the ship. However, the main and most agreed upon caveat to the Alcubierre Drive is it would require a high amount of negative energy or mass that is currently impossible to recreate in the physical world. In 2011, scientist Harold White updated the Alcubierre Drive model to tackle the ridiculously high negative energy requirement. White conducted a series of warp field experiments, which are experiments designed to create or detect instances of spacetime warping. White proposed that changing the shape from a warp bubble to a warp torus, or ring, would significantly reduce the amount of negative energy required for FTL propulsion. However, there are still some drawbacks because the cost of producing the negative energy to fuel the propulsion would still cost a ludicrous amount of money. Despite the logistical caveats, Alcubierre drive is theoretically possible, and with further research, warp drive and faster-than-light travel could one day be a reality.
Humankind has had their eyes on the stars since the beginning of time. The vast expanse of space is still relatively unexplored. Once it was impossible to put a man on the moon, but humankind succeeded in that endeavor eventually, so even though warp drive is technically impossible now, perhaps one day we will find a way. With warp drive, perhaps casual space travel will come into existence. Perhaps, humans will be able to explore new galaxies and discover extraterrestrial life. Alcubierre and White’s research shows that if humankind can think of an idea, they can also find a way to bring the idea into a real world application. Science fiction continues to inspire a hopeful new generation of scientists.
The science fiction innovation of Star Trek has influenced the real world and scientists are researching how to make warp drive real. Although it has not come to fruition yet in a real life experiment, the theories and research of Miguel Alcubierre and Harold White proving it is possible opens up a doorway to faster and farther space travel.

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