Hyperdrive {|}
The hyperdrive (occasionally called warp drive) is a vital starship engine system that allows vessels to enter hyperspace to traverse the vast distances of space faster than lightspeed. The hyperdrive was thus a key technology in the foundation of galactic society, trade and war. The construction and working principle of a hyperdrive is based on Hyperdrive Theory. The term describes the engine and all components required for its use, such as the hyperdrive motivator or hyperdrive field guide.
In numbers, the hyperdrive allows travellers to traverse a galaxy spanning over 120,000 light-years in only a few days. The exact travel time depends on a number of factors including destination, point of origin, route, and class of hyperdrive.
Principles
Entering hyperspace
Hyperspace is a dimension of space-time that can only be entered at faster-than-light speeds. The process of entering hyperspace is known as a "jump." Hyperdrives use a trans-physical effect to launch a starship beyond lightspeed and into hyperspace, making use of supralight hypermatter particles to make the hyperspace jump without changing the ship's complex configuration of mass and energy.
To enter hyperspace, a starship's pilot needs to enter commands via a paralight system; a combination of mechanical and electro-optical subsystems that translates the commands into a set of corresponding reactions within the hyperdrive power plants. The process of a hyperspace jump begins with the collection of gamma radiation by the hyperdrive field guide. The hyperdrive motivator, the primary lightspeed thrust initiator, builds up and modifies the collected radiation in a fusion generator through several kilometres of charge planes, effect channels, or looped superconducting wire. To enter hyperspace, the hyperdrive's horizontal boosters provide energy to the motivator's ionization chamber to begin ignition that releases the radiation through the alluvial dampers. The energy release causes ripples in the space-time matrix, allowing the ship to propel off the ripples into hyperspace.
Upon exiting hyperspace, Hyperdrive Theory technology is used to decelerate the starship. Both entrances into and exits from hyperspace create wake rotation and Cronau radiation that produces a detectable signature often used by planetary customs authorities to reconnoitre fleet movements. Properly configured sensors can detect Cronau radiation from a ship emerging from hyperspace at greater range than is otherwise possible.
Safety mechanisms
Inertial dampers are used to protect the ship, crew, and cargo from being crushed by the tremendous acceleration of a jump. Once in hyperspace, a null quantum field generator helps stabilize the vessel and keeps it from prematurely emerging from the alternate dimension. Shields also protect the ship from fatal collisions with interstellar gas and dark matter particles. To prevent the relativistic passing of time while in hyperspace, starships use stasis fields attuned to hyperdrive levels to keep organic crew members or cargo "in time" with the standard galactic dimension. The alluvial dampers make use of a servo-controlled plate to regulate the flow of ion particles from the hyperdrive, thus controlling the amount of thrust. Other technologies, such as the 4-axial stabilizer and hyperdrive regulator, keep a ship from being ripped apart by the physics of hyperspace travel. To prevent overheating, hyperdrives make use of overheat failsafes, like a hyperspace shunt or transpacitor.
A hyperdrive can only initiate a jump into hyperspace when reasonably free of the gravitational pull of a major celestial body. Sublight engines are used to liberate the starship from a body's gravity well before the ship can jump. Hyperdrives include an automatic failsafe that cuts out the hyperdrive when a gravity well is detected in the navigational path. While this prevents a collision in the event of an astrogational error, the failsafe can theoretically be exploited by engineers to create artificial gravity wells to either pull starships from hyperspace at a specific location or to prevent them from fleeing into hyperspace. This, of course, relies on either knowledge of a starship's travel pattern or being situated along a particularly popular hyperspace route. Some systems allow an override of the failsafe, but it is well known doing so can have disastrous effects.
On the other hand, hyperdrive inhibitors prevent starships from getting out of hyperspace near bodies registered as stars by astrogation computers.
History
Possibly, the first hyperdrive was the hyperspace tractor beam, used by the Celestials around 963,547 BTYA (996,347 BTC). This early hyperdrive would have demanded massive amounts of power, supplied by gravity wells, although we know this type of hyperdrive was outdated by hypergates, which functioned on similar principles.
Though the Columi developed interstellar travel nearly 63,547 years before the Tho Yor arrival, it is not known if they developed a true hyperdrive; what is known is that the fragile race soon gave up their interstellar travels to focus on other scientific and mental pursuits. The first interstellar space drive confirmed to make use of hyperspace was developed by the Rakata, who built their Infinite Empire around technology using the dark side of the Force to travel through hyperspace.
Humans developed sleeper ships to first explore the stars, and later hyperspace cannons that boosted ships into hyperspace, before they in turn developed the hyperdrive. At a similar time, the Devaronians and Gossam devised the tumble hyperdrive to explore the galaxy.
Around 11,400 TYA (21,400 BTC), almost two hundred years after the fall of the Infinite Empire, the peoples of the planets Corellia and Duro finally discovered ways of working around the Force-attuned components of the Rakata technology and produced their own version of the hyperdrive; the Duros also independently created such workarounds. Within twenty years, the technology had stabilized to the point of general use, and the Corellians began to sell hyperdrives to nearby star systems (though some considered the trade practices of the Corellians during this era to be exploitation). The earliest hyperdrives would be considered slow by the standards of the current age. Limited in range and often unreliable, hyperdrives gradually advanced to allow increasingly large ships to travel increasingly longer distances with greater safety, ease and speed.
The development of the hyperdrive was not limited to the Core Worlds. The Tionese of the Tion Cluster developed their own version of the hyperdrive by fusing bits of Rakatan technology with fixed-position hyperspace beacons, which allowed travel within a defined area but was dangerous when venturing outside the "lighthouse" network. This kept the Tionese isolated from the rest of the galaxy for millennia, though they occasionally encountered the growing Hutt Empire.
Thus the Expansionist Era, an age of colonization, exploration and unification, began; the seeds of the Galactic Republic were sown between the Core Worlds of Coruscant, Alderaan, Corellia, Duro, and Chandrila. As the Republic expanded, new members were granted access to the hyperdrive technology made available by the earliest starship manufacturers like Alderaan Royal Engineers, Core Galaxy Systems, Corellian Engineering Corporation and Rendili StarDrive.
Explorers began to test the realm of hyperspace while prospectors attempted to gain rights to what they anticipated would be profitable routes. Hyperspace exploration was a risky but profitable business. The development of the Perlemian Trade Route and the Corellian Run established the earliest stable system of hyperlane travel. Astrogation maps became valuable commodities as scouts explored new planets, species and regions.
As the Republic began to process the incredible inflow of new information, the Republic Spacelane Bureau was formed, and Coruscant became the navigational centre of the Republic with the coordinates zero-zero-zero. The Spacelane Bureau fought to end private control of information regarding hyperlanes and established a protected set of beacons for major pathways to liberate them from the control of privately held charts. The technology allowed for a galactic economy to form fuelled by standardized currency and the Core language of Basic. At the same time, the arrival of hyperdrive technology to warring worlds, such as Ando, produced disastrous results. The development of navigational computers to handle complex astrogation calculations did away with the need for hyperspace beacons and jump gates, and ended the reliance on established routes; as long as a pilot knew where he was going, the NavCom could take him there.
Over time, the hyperdrive has become increasingly commonplace, but despite rapid advances in hyperdrive technology, the systems are still too large to be practical for most small spacefaring vessels. Beyond the early foundation of the Republic, the Great Hyperspace War, and subsequent expansion, hyperdrives have allowed for many recorded wars and time periods of tremendous prosperity. From the founding of the Republic forward, hyperdrive technology continues to be one of the driving features of galactic society.
Classes
The superluminal speed of a hyperdrive is rated on an inverse scale: the faster the hyperdrive, the lower the rating. These ratings, generally called "Classes," provide a quick, although often inconsistent or inaccurate, idea of a ship's hyperdrive speed. The hyperdrive class acts as a multiplier for a given base travel time. Thus, a Class 2 hyperdrive takes twice the base time to travel a given route, while a Class 0.5 takes only half the base time.
By the end of the Great Galactic War, most military starships were using what we now classify as Class 3 or Class 2 hyperdrives. By the end of the Eternal Empire Conquest, most military capital ships have been equipped with faster current Class 1 or Class 2 drives. Industrial freighters and haulers today typically have Class 3 or Class 4 hyperdrives installed, and civilian starships with Class 5 or above. Many vessels mount backup hyperdrives of a much higher (slower) class than their primary hyperdrive.
Some starships undergo aftermarket modifications to achieve their low ratings, although tampering with the generally stable technology of a hyperdrive is considerably dangerous. Hyperdrives built by those outside the sphere of the Galactic Republic, Sith Empire and Hutt Cartel, such as the Hapan Froond-class hyperdrive, are not classed in the standard system, as controlled comparisons are difficult to attain.
Malfunctions
Sometimes, the hyperdrive can malfunction while in operation. Many things can happen as a result; however, most consequences are unknown or fatal.
Faulty relativistic shielding can expose passengers to the altered space-time continuum, causing a journey which seemed a few hours to actually take centuries in the real world. A power drop in the hyperdrive—caused by, for example, mynocks chewing the cables—can also increase travel time.
The Thorsen field driver is also a component that can fail. Although its failure will not stop a ship from entering hyperspace, it can cause physical damage to the ship and the crew upon reaching lightspeed. Some hyperdrives have also rattled out of their casings, destroying the engines, if not the entire ship.
Historical case
In31,453 TYA (1347 BTC), it is believed Jedi Master Relin Druur sabotaged the hyperdrive aboard the Sith Dreadnaught Harbinger. Instead of disabling the hyperdrive, studies suggest it must've only been damaged. Normally a ship's safety features prevent jumping to hyperspace with a damaged hyperdrive—however, due to reviewed extensive damage caused to the Harbinger's bridge before its jump, it is believed the safety features simply did not engage. The ship has been theorised to be travelling through space time, supported by the unusual wake rotation recorded after it's jump and lack of hyperspace debris along its entry trajectory.
Utility
Hyperdrive technology allows travellers to traverse a galaxy spanning over 120,000 light-years in a mere matter of days.
Manufacturing
The hyperdrive is generally built from a titanium-chromium compound. This compound is specially designed to allow hyperdrives to withstand the continual stress caused by traveling between the dimensions of realspace and hyperspace.
Social Impact
Hyperdrive technology continues to be one of the driving features of galactic society to date. The technology has allowed for a galactic economy to form, fuelled by a standardized currency and the Core language of Basic.
Parent Technologies
Access & Availability
Hyperdrive technology is widely available throughout the galaxy. Typically, the lower the class drive, the more expensive the technology and how rare its manufacture is across the galaxy.
Complexity
The construction and working principle of a hyperdrive is based on Hyperdrive Theory, which describes the engine and all components required for its use.
Discovery
Around 11,400 TYA, almost two hundred years after the fall of the Infinite Empire, the peoples of the planets Corellia and Duro discovered ways of working around the Force-attuned components of Rakatan hyperdrive technology, and produced their own versions of the hyperdrive.
Related Species
