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File:Quantum slipstream drive.jpg

USS Voyager navigates the slipstream.

Quantum slipstream drive is an advanced form of interstellar propulsion that achieved and exceeded what failed Federation attempts using transwarp were meant to do; exceed the warp speed barrier. Originally developed by an advanced species native to the Delta Quadrant, the technology was obtained by the USS Voyager in 2374 and used for an aborted test in early 2375 that nearly destroyed the ship.

The slipstream is a narrowly-focused, directed warp field that is initiated by manipulating the fabric of the space-time continuum at the quantum level. It works by focusing a quantum field through a deflector dish to generate massive changes in local space curvature; this creates a subspace tunnel, which is projected in front of the vessel. Once a ship has entered this tunnel, the forces inside propel it at incredible speed. In order to maintain the slipstream a ship has to constantly modify the quantum field with its deflector dish; however, the calculations involved are too complicated, and the time available too short, for current Starfleet technology.

The Voyager crew first encountered slipstream technology when they found the USS Dauntless, a vessel ostensibly sent by Starfleet to transport them back to the Alpha Quadrant. However, the Dauntless was actually an elaborate trap set by Arturis to exact revenge on Kathryn Janeway for her role in the Borg's assimilation of his homeworld. In its first test by the Voyager crew, the Dauntless traveled 15 light-years in barely five minutes; this translates into about 1.6 million times the speed of light. The ship's chief engineer, B'Elanna Torres, temporarily modified Voyager's engines to be capable of slipstream flight, but this implementation proved too unstable for practical use. (VOY: "Hope and Fear")

Several months later, in 2375, Voyager's crew discovered some benamite crystals and used the rare mineral to construct a more advanced slipstream drive. However, Voyager's technology proved inadequate to the task of navigating the slipstream at the speeds generated by the engine; the ship's onboard sensors could not map the phase variances quickly enough for the engine to keep the slipstream stable. Nevertheless, Voyager managed to travel nearly 10,000 light-years before the slipstream collapsed. (VOY: "Timeless")

Later that year, the Think Tank expressed interest in trading for slipstream technology, despite its potential dangers. The group's representative, Kurros, considered it an "interesting puzzle." (VOY: "Think Tank")

Following the USS Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant (with their slipstream technology) it is unknown what impact this had on the Federation's propulsion abilities. As witnessed in Star Trek Nemesis however, quantum slipstream technology had yet to be successfully implemented. The long term repercussions though, have yet to be revealed, though it seems feasible that the problems would be overcome eventually.

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