Editing FTL
From Battlestar Wiki, the free, open content Battlestar Galactica encyclopedia and episode guide
More actions
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
==Introduction== | |||
Acronym for <u>F</u>aster-<u>t</u>han-<u>L</u>ight. This is a term used to describe a means of astral propulsion utilized by the [[Cylons]] and the [[Colonials]]. | |||
The FTL drive makes interstellar travel possible for both the [[Colonials]] and [[Cylons]]. No longer confined to their own home solar system, the Cylons managed to avoid Colonial interference for 40 years after the [[Cylon War]] and establish their own homeworld. However, not all ships -- from small to large -- are outfitted with these drives. ([[Mini-Series]]) Likely because of the cost involved, energy and fiscally speaking. | |||
The technology behind FTL systems is such that, providing the relevant data is known, ships can jump with a high degree of accuracy, allowing ships to rendezvous in space and even "park" in a synchronous orbit directly above a give point on a planet's surface ([[Mini-Series]]. | |||
==Technology== | |||
The FTL drive technology used within the [[Re-imagined|new Battlestar Galactica]] appears to be based on the use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstring_theory|Superstring Theory] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-Theory|M-Theory] that essentially enable the "jump drive" systems to "fold" space, reducing the distance between any two points by creating a "corridor" through space that links them together (essentially forming a wormhole, or Einstein-Rosen Bridge. | |||
== Colonial Limitations == | |||
While FTL drives can be a blessing, they can also be a curse. Or at best, a hinderance. | |||
FTL drives cannot be fitted on smaller Colonial craft, such as the [[Viper]]. They can, however, be used on the [[Raptor]], which is limited to brief, short-distance jumps. ([[Mini-Series]]). | |||
FTL drives cannot be used multiple times over a long period of time, for they are prone to breakdown after excessive, repetitive use. ([[33]]) | |||
== Cylon Advantage == | |||
The Cylons, as so far as could be determined, have perfected the FTL drive to the point where the [[Cylon Raider]] can be outfitted with an FTL drive. ([[Mini-Series]]). | |||
The [[Cylon Raider]] drive systems are also far more efficient that the small-scale Colonial drive systems installed in the [[Raptor]]. Tests with the Raider captured by the [[Battlestar]] ''[[Galatica]]'' ([[You Can't Go home Again]]) demonstrated that the drive could enable the Raider to jump directly from the vicinity of [[Kobol]] back to [[Caprica]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), and fact that also indicates that Cylon nagivation systems are far better integrated with their FTL system to enable such long-distance jumps to be accurately plotted. | |||