When a writer wants to set a story in the distant future, they have to be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Every element of futuristic technology requires a line or two of explanation. Sci-fi stories have developed several ways to explain faster-than-light travel. Crossing light-years in hours is a necessary part of almost every sci-fi universe. Star Trek invented a realm outside of space-time.
Star Trek is celebrated for featuring many of the most iconic technological innovations in science fiction history. From transparent aluminum to tablet computers, this beloved series has greatly influenced real scientific development. Humanity is still working on interstellar travel, but the franchise offers a bit of guidance.
What is Subspace?
Subspace is an aspect of physics within the Star Trek universe. It exists alongside observable space, but it is distinct from traditional matter. Subspace is said to be arranged like a honeycomb with an infinite number of discrete domains. Subspace obeys different laws of physics. Its exact rules are unclear, as the show has never taken the audience inside the area. Subspace frequently encroaches into the material universe through vortexes, corridors, and interfold layers. Like many terms in Star Trek, subspace is an all-purpose modifier that can be used to explain scientific elements. Pinning down an accurate descriptor of everything subspace can do becomes impossible because it can do everything. However, subspace has two primary uses for the people of the Star Trek universe.
Subspace is an integral part of faster-than-light travel. The ability to propel a ship faster than the speed of light is seen as the defining moment in a race's technological development. The device that allows faster-than-light travel is called warp drive. It works by generating high-energy plasma, which flows to a pair of generators on the side of the ship. Those generators are coiled nacelles that surround the vessel. The coils generate a subspace field or bubble, which encompasses the starship. While the ship can't travel at the speed of light, the bubble can. Subsequently, the subspace energy protects the ship and propels itself at warp speed. People of this era use a similar system to communicate across the universe. Radio waves would die off long before they'd reach their recipient. Subspace radio waves travel through the honeycomb structure to cross the galaxy much faster than light. By the 2300s, subspace radio communications allowed chatter across millions of light years with little delay.
Subspace offered another way to travel faster than light. There are multiple methods of briefly entering subspace. The subspace bubble created by the warp drive rides along subspace distortions, which are warps in the fabric of space. This method uses subspace energy but never brings the traveler into subspace. Subspace corridors form naturally throughout the universe for unknown reasons. A subspace corridor can only be traversed in one direction. It has a defined entrance and exit. Skilled pilots know the shortcuts to travel vast distances in little time. Some technology could be used to open a subspace vortex, allowing a ship to create a shortcut. Subspace follows unusual rules that can be exploited, but it's more than a convenient energy source.
What is Inside Subspace?
When a ship travels through a subspace corridor, it looks like a more vibrant area of deep space. When a vessel uses a vortex, it takes on a blue spiral pattern. Neither glimpse of the concept gives any tangible indication of what subspace is like. Ostensibly, there are infinite realities within subspace, but fans have seen almost none of them. There are a few details given in the show. Subspace has a fundamental particle that doesn't exist elsewhere. They're called tetryons, and they immediately become unstable if they're introduced to the larger universe. The only known denizens of subspace are the solanogen-based lifeforms. In a single episode of The Next Generation, a group of these subspace dwellers was accidentally drawn onto the Enterprise. The organisms kidnaped several members of the Enterprise crew to experiment upon them. The victims had no memory of the events. Once the crew realized the invaders were around, they sent them home and sealed the rupture. Fans haven't seen much of the solanogen-based lifeforms since, but they are the only notable beings to come from subspace.
Subspace could hold infinite mysteries. It's a useful catch-all term that can explain almost any scientific event. There are subspace weapons, subspace telescopes, subspace radios, subspace engines, and so many more pieces of tech that borrow the concept. When a story beat needs to happen, subspace can be the excuse. There's so much that fans still don't know about this enigmatic area of the Star Trek universe. Every glimpse into the fold reveals a new host of interesting questions. It's how the Enterprise travels faster than light, but it's so much more than a clever explanation.