Subspace Theory and an Origin to the Universe (Star Trek)

Summary

In this video, Ric explores the concept of subspace in the Star Trek universe, diving into its role in faster-than-light (FTL) communication and warp travel. While subspace is often shrouded in technobabble, it is central to Starfleet's understanding of FTL technology. The video discusses how subspace allows near-instant communication, forms warp fields, and contains mysterious layers, pockets, and realms that defy normal physics. Ric also touches on theoretical aspects, such as the potential connection between subspace and the origins of the universe. It's a deep dive into the science behind Star Trek's futuristic technologies.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Subspace is crucial in Star Trek for faster-than-light (FTL) travel and communication, allowing rapid communication over vast distances.
• 📡 Subspace communications are much faster than light-speed but still have limitations, such as the need for relay networks and the difficulty of reaching uncharted areas.
• 🌌 Subspace is a hidden realm that interacts with regular space and time, allowing warp drives to distort space-time for FTL travel.
• ⚙️ Warp fields are a type of subspace deformation, and the creation of these fields is essential for warp travel, measured in Cochranes.
• 🛸 Ships traveling at warp leave subspace distortions that can be used to track their movements, even if they are cloaked.
• 🌪️ Some ships, like the Xindi, use subspace tunnels (vortices) for even harder-to-detect travel through subspace.
• 👽 Subspace contains unique phenomena like subspace pockets, which can host lifeforms and allow matter to transfer between dimensions.
• 💥 Omega molecules are dangerous because their destabilization destroys subspace, making FTL travel and communication impossible in affected areas.
• 📊 Subspace drag limits warp speeds, and some newer Federation ships have designs that minimize this drag.
• 🧠 Some subspace layers allow thoughts to shape reality, like Beverly Crusher's experience in a collapsing warp bubble.

Q & A

What is subspace in the context of Star Trek?

Subspace in Star Trek is a realm or layer of the universe that exists alongside normal space but is not bound by the same laws of physics, particularly the speed of light. It is used for faster-than-light communication and travel.

How does subspace communication work in Star Trek?

Subspace communication allows for near-instantaneous transmission of messages over vast distances by utilizing the properties of subspace. It requires a network of relays and communication hubs for signal management.

What is the significance of the Cochrane unit in measuring subspace deformations?

The Cochrane unit is used to measure subspace deformations, named after Zephram Cochrane, the inventor of the human warp drive. It quantifies the distortions in subspace caused by warp fields and other phenomena.

How do warp drives interact with subspace?

When a warp drive is engaged, it generates a warp field that distorts space-time and also exerts an effect in subspace. This interaction is classified as a type of subspace deformation.

What is the role of subspace in tracking ships in Star Trek?

Subspace is used to track ships because the warp fields generated by ships at warp speeds leave distortions in subspace. These can be detected and used to track the ship's movements.

What are subspace pockets and how do they relate to the Star Trek universe?

Subspace pockets are separate domains within subspace that can contain unique environments or even lifeforms. They are part of the infinite layers of subspace and can interact with normal space-time.

How do Omega Molecules affect subspace?

Omega Molecules, when destabilized, destroy subspace itself. This can create regions where warp travel and subspace communication are impossible due to the absence of a medium for faster-than-light interactions.

What is the concept of Hyper-Subspace and how does it differ from regular subspace?

Hyper-Subspace is a form of subspace that allows for even faster communication and travel than regular subspace. It can create micro-wormholes for signal transmission, bypassing the speed of light limitations.

What is the significance of the Mutara Interdimensional Deep-space Array System in Star Trek?

The Mutara Interdimensional Deep-space Array System is a powerful communications array that uses Hyper-Subspace to communicate over vast distances, showcasing the advanced technology's capabilities within the Star Trek universe.

How does subspace relate to the concept of alternate dimensions or universes in Star Trek?

Subspace is not an alternate dimension or universe but a layer of our universe that exists alongside normal space. It is more like hidden levels or a quantum level of existence that can be manipulated for faster-than-light travel and communication.

What are the potential dangers of subspace travel and communication?

The dangers of subspace travel and communication include the risk of spatial distortions, astral eddies, and damage to the 'layer of separation' between subspace and normal space, which can lead to ruptures and breaches between the two realms.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Exploring Subspace Mechanics in Star Trek

The paragraph delves into the concept of Subspace in the Star Trek universe, a realm crucial for faster-than-light (FTL) travel and communication. It discusses how Subspace allows for near-instantaneous communication across vast distances, necessitating a network of relays and hubs. The limitations of Subspace communication are highlighted, particularly in uncharted territories like those encountered by the USS Voyager. The Mutara Interdimensional Deep-space Array System's use of Hyper-Subspace for communication, surpassing standard warp speeds, is also mentioned. The paragraph introduces the idea that Subspace is a distinct realm where regular physics doesn't fully apply, affecting both communication and the operation of warp drives.

05:03

🌌 Subspace as a Multidimensional Realm

This section expands on the nature of Subspace, suggesting it's a layer of our universe that exists separately from our perceived dimension. It explores the idea of Subspace as a realm that matter can pass through, akin to an alternate dimension, yet still intrinsically linked to our universe. The paragraph discusses subspace pockets, like the Tertiary Subspace Manifold, and the concept of subspace layers or domains. It also touches on the impact of subspace on warp travel, where ships form a subspace bubble and are subject to stresses from subspace particles or properties. The paragraph concludes with the notion that subspace might be the foundation of the universe, where thought and energy shaped reality before the establishment of physical laws.

10:07

🔬 Theoretical Implications of Subspace

The final paragraph theorizes that FTL technology in Star Trek might not directly manipulate space-time but instead control its foundational layer, Subspace. It suggests that subspace is more malleable than regular space-time, allowing for the bending necessary for warp travel. The paragraph also considers the existence of subspace phenomena where thought can shape reality, hinting at a primordial state of the universe. It draws parallels with quantum mechanics and alternate dimensions, positioning subspace as a unique concept that blends elements of both. The video concludes by acknowledging Star Trek's use of subspace as a narrative device to explain advanced technologies, despite the lack of detailed scientific explanation.

Keywords

💡Subspace

Subspace in the context of the video refers to a theoretical realm in the Star Trek universe that exists parallel to normal space and is used for faster-than-light (FTL) communication and travel. It is a key concept as it underpins the advanced technologies like warp drives and subspace communications. The video discusses how subspace is utilized for near-instantaneous communication across vast distances and how it can be manipulated for FTL travel, as seen with the Mutara Interdimensional Deep-space Array System which uses Hyper-Subspace.

💡Faster than Light (FTL)

FTL is a term used to describe any theory, design, or technology that would enable an object to travel faster than the speed of light. In the video, FTL is central to understanding the capabilities of Starfleet's technology, such as subspace communications and warp drives. The video explains how subspace allows for FTL communication and how warp drives create a subspace bubble to achieve FTL travel.

💡Warp Drive

A warp drive in the Star Trek universe is a technology that allows a starship to travel faster than light by creating a warp bubble that distorts spacetime. The video discusses the mechanics of warp drives, how they interact with subspace, and their limitations. It mentions that warp fields are a type of subspace deformation and that the strength of these fields is measured in Cochranes.

💡Subspace Mechanics

Subspace Mechanics is a field of study within the Star Trek universe that encompasses the understanding and application of subspace for various purposes like communication and travel. The video highlights that Starfleet teaches Subspace Mechanics as a standard part of Starship operation, indicating its importance for interstellar travel and communication.

💡Cochrane

In the video, Cochrane refers to Zephram Cochrane, the inventor of the human warp drive, and also to the unit of measurement for subspace deformations. The term is used to illustrate how warp fields, whether artificial or natural, are quantified, showing the impact of warp technology on subspace.

💡Subspace Relay Network

A subspace relay network is a system of relays and communication hubs that facilitate subspace communication over vast distances. The video uses the example of Voyager's situation in uncharted space to explain how the lack of a relay network can limit communication, and how commandeering a Hirogen subspace relay network enabled limited contact with the Federation.

💡Hyper-Subspace

Hyper-Subspace is a term introduced in the video to describe a form of subspace that allows for even faster-than-light travel, surpassing maximum warp speeds. It is used to explain how the Mutara Interdimensional Deep-space Array System was able to communicate over immense distances by creating micro-wormholes for signal transmission.

💡Subspace Deformation

Subspace Deformation is a concept in the video that refers to the distortions in subspace caused by phenomena such as warp fields or other forms of FTL travel. These deformations are measurable and can be used to track vessels, as mentioned in the context of ships leaving a subspace trail when traveling at warp speeds.

💡Tetryon Particles

Tetryon particles are a form of matter found only in subspace, as discussed in the video. They can be harnessed for short periods for various purposes in normal space. The video suggests that the drag experienced by ships at warp might be caused by such particles or other properties of subspace.

💡Interfold Layer

An interfold layer, as described in the video, is a phenomenon where a layer forms between subspace and normal space, causing spatial distortions. This can result from intense bending of space-time and can have dangerous effects on navigation and communication. The video uses this concept to illustrate the complex interactions between subspace and normal space.

💡Omega Molecule

The Omega Molecule is a powerful substance in the Star Trek universe that, when destabilized, destroys subspace itself. The video explains the significance of Omega molecules in relation to subspace, noting that their detonation can make FTL travel and communication impossible in affected areas by removing the subspace medium.

Highlights

Star Trek technobabble often avoids detailed science to focus on storytelling, but subspace is a central concept that warrants deeper exploration.

Subspace is used for faster-than-light communication across the Star Trek universe, making it a key element for interstellar powers.

Subspace communication is near-instantaneous but requires a network of relays and hubs, indicating a range limitation.

In Star Trek: Voyager, the lack of Starfleet infrastructure in uncharted space limits subspace communication, highlighting its reliance on established networks.

The Mutara Interdimensional Deep-space Array System uses Hyper-Subspace for faster-than-warp communication, suggesting different layers of subspace with varying properties.

Subspace is not just for communication; it's also integral to warp drive mechanics, indicating a broader role in Star Trek's FTL technology.

Warp fields are classified as subspace deformations, bending space-time and affecting subspace, which is measured in Cochranes.

Subspace distortions left by ships can be tracked, even from cloaked vessels, showing a detectable presence in subspace.

Some ships can form subspace tunnels or vortices for travel, making them harder to detect than conventional warp drives.

Subspace pockets, like the Tertiary Subspace Manifold, contain unique lifeforms and can be accessed from normal space-time.

Subspace is described as a layer of our universe, always present but separate, akin to the quantum level of existence.

Subspace is composed of an infinite number of domains, likened to a honeycomb of pockets by Geordi La Forge.

Subspace exerts stress on traveling ships, influencing warp speeds and suggesting a direct interaction with the realm.

Particles like Tetryon, formed in subspace, can be harnessed in normal space, indicating a two-way interaction between subspace and regular matter.

Interfold layers can form between subspace and space, causing spatial distortions and highlighting the fragility of the separation.

Warp drive can damage the subspace layer over time, leading to the need for reengineering to prevent further harm.

Omega Molecules, when destabilized, destroy subspace, making FTL travel and communication impossible in affected areas.

Subspace is theorized as the foundational layer that predates our universe, where thought and energy shaped reality before physical laws.

Subspace is a unique concept in Star Trek, blending elements of quantum mechanics and alternate dimensions, but distinct from both.

While Starfleet understands subspace well enough for practical use, detailed descriptions remain vague, leaving much to speculation.

Transcripts

Hi all, Ric here peering into the fabric of a fictional reality to discern just what the

hell is happening. Star Trek technobabble is famous for sidestepping and skirting the

finer points of its science and pseudoscience in order to focus more on constructing a story.

This is fine, but sometimes it’s fun to try to peer deeper into these premises and

try to figure them out. One phenomenon is very familiar to Starfleet,

and every interstellar power for that matter; Subspace is utilised almost every time of

Faster than Light anything is needed in the Star Trek universe. While a very confusing

and expansive topic, Starfleet understands Subspace collectively rather well teaching

Subspace Mechanics as a standard part of Starship operation. Despite its frequent use, not much

is actually described as to its properties or even what exactly it is, so I thought we

could do some theorising on trying to unravel its mysteries akin to the speculation on Fluidic

and Interphasic Space I’ve already done. So first off, what is it used in? As mentioned,

almost every instance where faster than light is required, things often interact with Subspace.

Looking at how Trek communications work is a fairly straightforward starting point. Whether

it is from planet side communicators to ships in orbit, or across a quadrant, Subspace provides

a rapid near-instantaneous way to communicate. Once subspace was discovered, pre-warp wavelengths

were often disregarded as no one would be using communications that would take eight

minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. Even subspace communication however has its

limits. Such correspondence requires a network of relays and communications hubs to manage

these signals. Areas that lack these sorts of refresher setups generally will be much

hard to contact with subspace signals, showing that such messages do have a range. This could

be seen most in the series, Voyager where the ship was a galaxy’s length away in completely

uncharted space. There were no Starfleet setups to enable them to send a powerful enough message

across the quadrants, however when they managed to commandeer a Hirogen subspace relay network,

they were able to establish limited contact with the Federation. So while waves can travel

further and faster through subspace than regular space, they still have a limit.

After this, the pathfinder project was established to communicate more frequently with one of

the most powerful arrays and the help of a class B pulsar. The Mutara Interdimensional

Deep-space Array System actually used a form of Hyper-Subspace to complete this amazing

feat. Signals through Hyper-Subspace in fact moved faster than the maximum warp speeds

and this is partly as it was able to produce a micro-wormhole through which a signal was

sent. However, over such great distances, the latency was huge and real-time communication

was a further struggle still until they brought Black Holes into the equation.

So already we know it is a “realm” of sorts where regular physics doesn’t apply

as it should and electromagnetic waves are not limited to the speed of light. What gets

strange however, is Subspace’s involvement in warp drives. When a warp drive is engaged,

no matter what its power source, a warp field is generated which distorts space time. However

it is classified as a type of subspace deformation too, not only bending space-time but exerting

an effect in subspace too. Other warps in the fabric of the universe can be categorised

as subspace deformations, whether or not they move at warp speeds. These deformations, including

the artificial warp fields are measured in Cochranes, named after the inventor of the

human warp drive, Zephram Cochrane who was likely one of the first individuals to truly

grasp subspace mechanics. Ships that are travelling at, or have recently

passed through at warp speeds leave such distortions in their wake, making for a way to track such

vessels when combined with a ship’s ion trail. Even cloaked vessels, when moving FTL,

have difficulty masking their subspace presence and more than one stalking Warbird or Klingon

vessel’s has tipped its presence to an observant enemy, although such detection is unlikely

to result in the direct location of the cloaked vessel.

Some vessels, such as the Xindi’s craft were capable of forming a tunnel through subspace

known as Vortices. Such travel was even harder to detect than conventional warp dive as the

ship was practically immersed in subspace at this stage.

We even have the existence of subspace pockets such as the Tertiary Subspace Manifold that

contained the Solanogen based lifeforms that abducted members of the Enterprise D in 2369.

These beings were sentient and seemingly native to subspace, opening rifts into our plane

of existence after detecting sensor sweeps from a warp-powered array that La Forge was

experimenting with. They were freely able to transfer people and objects from current

space-time to their subspace realm with no ill effects. The ill-effects came afterward

when they replaced all your blood with plastic or sawed your arm of and stuck it back on.

So on top of Subspace’s faster than light properties, it very much is another realm

into which matter can pass, like another dimension or alternate universe, but no such actual

dimensional hopping is undertaken. In fact, from how subspace is described, and even named,

it seems to be a layer of our universe itself. And all others. Always present, but apart

from the perceived dimension. It’s described as also consisting of an infinite number of

domains, and Geordi La Forge described it as a honeycomb of such pockets. These would

be the subspace layers. So it’s not another universe and not quite

another dimension. It’s more like hidden levels of this one that we cannot perceive,

like the quantum level of existence. I like to think of it this way, you have universe

1, that’s normal Trek and universe 2, can be any of them, let’s go with the Mirror

Universe. When you hop dimensions, you pass through an interphase from 1 to 2, right?

But in between 1 and 2 is infinity of a sort, 1 point 1. 1 point 2. 1 point 2-one, 1 point

two-one-one-recurring for ever. An infinite band of layers, but also not.

Ships at warp not only form a subspace bubble and trail through it like water; subspace

can exert stress on a travelling ship and is one of the limiting factors in warp speeds,

just as matter can affect subspace, we see the inverse is true too. There are even particles

of matter found only in subspace that can be utilised in normal space. Tetryon particles

for example are formed in subspace but can be harness for short times for a variety of

purposes. This drag may be caused by such particles present in subspace, or some other

property of the realm itself. In beta canon, countering such drag is the explanation given

to the sleeker profiles of newer Federation vessels, it’s all about that warp dynamics.

Occasionally, what’s called an interfold layer can form, which is kind of like when

you get air trapped beneath wallpaper. Whereas subspace and space are meant to adjacent,

in a metaphysical level, an interfold layer can pop into existence in-between which causes

all sorts of spatial distortions and dangerous astral eddies.

Repeated flexing and intense bending of space-time can result in damage to this “layer of separation”

and when this occurs, ruptures, sinkholes and tears can breach the dividing veil and

create areas where the two realms bleed into one another. It was discovered in 2370 that

warp drive could cause such issues over prolonged periods and that a radical reengineering of

such drives would be needed to avoid further damage. Such apertures into subspace often

exhibited strong gravitational and temporal effects as they too warped space. What is

also apparent is that when subspace is twisted in such a fashion, it makes navigation at

warp a hazard and can cause interference in communications running through subspace. And

then there’s the Omega Molecule. Omega molecules when destabilised not only

detonate, they destroy subspace itself. In such sectors of damaged space, warp dive becomes

impossible and subspace communications cannot pass as there is no longer a Faster-Than-Light

medium for things to pass through. All of this proves that subspace is an integral

part of warp travel and in some way; a warp engine interacts with this realm directly.

However a ship travelling at warp does not enter completely into subspace, as it still

maintains a physical presence in the universe and can hit and be hit in return. Otherwise

ships wouldn’t need a deflector array to push aside space debris when travelling at

warp speeds. Subspace are the layers of the perceived universe

that remain hidden, the infinite loadstones that prop up space-time. Manipulating that

scaffolding lets you bend space for warp travel, or send communications faster than light.

In areas where subspace is damaged or absent, space-time is inert and faster than light

impossible. One theory I came across while researching

this explained FTL technology in Star Trek as not the manipulation of space-time directly,

but the control over its foundations. Subspace is linked to regular space and much easier

to manipulate as it does not adhere to the same laws of physics, therefore when you activate

a warp drive, it bends subspace, which in turn forces regular space-time to conform

to the warp bubble effect and away you go. So a thank you to coder and writer, Brent

Royal-Gordon for making me think about it from that angle.

Another intriguing idea pops up when you look at a variety of subspace phenomena. Most subspace

layers are generally habitable, for at least a time providing there’s an appropriate

environment as seen by ships that have been pulled into subspace. But also, there are

layers where thought alone begins to shape reality, such as when Beverly Crusher was

trapped in a collapsing warp bubble and the entire contents of this micro-reality had

been created from her thoughts and memories at the moment she was trapped. On top of this,

there was the Nacene entity known as Suspiria which originated from the Subspace realm she

called Exosia. A realm described by the Ocampa as a place of “pure thought, pure energy-

a place of the mind”. Realms where simple thought has dominance

have been encountered before, such as when the USS Enterprise D was accelerated well

beyond the M33 galaxy to an area Data suspects is the edge of the universe as we know it.

In this strange existence, thoughts are given life. So my theory is that subspace is effectively

what existed before the known universe and its physical laws came to be. In a way, it

is what our universe is expanding into, what persisted before the Big Bang, a realm where

thought and energy shaped reality. This sort of approach ties into things like the Traveler’s

mysterious abilities and maybe even stranger beings. Hell, in Star Trek lore, people suspect

Omega Molecules as the origin for the Big Bang which could help why this mystical thought-space

is being pushed back as Omega destroys it, replacing it with normal space-time. Further

omega explosions in normal space time is a double does that completely removes all traces

of Subspace and binding the universe to a relativistic ruleset.

Frankly speaking, every fictional universe has its one technology to hand-wave away a

lot of unknown advancements and for Star Trek, more so than Warp drive or transporters, I

think it’s the idea of subspace. The closest comparison I can think of is quantum mechanics

mixed with a bit of alternate dimensions, but subspace is neither of these but the concept

is a hybrid of both. So there we go. Star Trek does draw on real

scientific principles whenever it likes to create and play with cool ideas but when it

comes to faster than light travel they went their own way and created subspace. Because

of this, we only ever get vagaries and technobabble when describing subspace, which brings me

full circle, in that it’s very well understood by Starfleet and that is all you need to know.

Thanks for watching this video on Subspace. I’ve been Ric and until next time, goodbye!