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Warp core breach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the Star Trek fictional universe, a warp core breach (or core breach) and antimatter containment loss are both catastrophic events aboard a starship, either one of which can lead to that ship's destruction. A warp core breach destroys the USS Enterprise-D, the primary setting of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the film Star Trek Generations. Other significant vessels in the franchise are similarly destroyed by a core breach or loss of antimatter containment.
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A warp core breach occurs when a starship's matter and antimatter reactant fuels combine in an uncontrolled manner due to a failure of the ship's warp core (TNG: "Contagion"). The resulting explosion can destroy the ship (q.v.; see "Occurrences" below). Damage to a ship's warp reactor (such as the failure of the coolant system or other physical damage) can lead to a breach (Star Trek Generations). A warp core breach can be initiated as part of a ship's auto destruct sequence (Voy: "Prophecy").
If a warp core breach is unavoidable, the warp core can sometimes be ejected from the ship (TNG: "Cause and Effect"). Some starships are modular, allowing a portion of the ship to separate from the section that contains the core (Star Trek Generations).
Antimatter containment loss is related to a warp core breach in that both result in the uncontrolled mixture of a ship's antimatter fuel with normal matter, and both can lead to a ship's destruction (Star Trek: The Motion Picture). Containment loss stems from a failure in the ship's antimatter storage system, which relies on magnetic fields to keep the ship's antimatter "suspended" and out of contact with normal matter until being used by the warp core[citation needed]. That system's failure causes the suspended antimatter to interact with the matter surrounding it in an uncontrolled and devastating reaction (TNG: "Disaster").
As with core ejection devices, starships also have the ability to eject their antimatter storage units if it appears that their functionality may become compromised (TNG: "Contagion").
| Ship | Cause | Results | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Antares | Charlie Evans removes the ship's baffle plate, causing a core breach | Antares is destroyed | TOS: "Charlie X" |
| USS Arcos | Unknown event causes a core breach | Arcos is destroyed | TNG: "Legacy" |
| Delta Flyer1 | USS Challenger attack causes a core breach | Delta Flyer is destroyed | VOY: "Timeless" |
| USS Enterprise-D1 | Warp core damage from impact with USS Bozeman causes a core breach | Enterprise is destroyed | TNG: "Cause and Effect" |
| USS Enterprise-D | Warp core temperature increase (caused by Q) causes a core breach | Amanda Rogers stops and repairs breach | TNG: "True Q" |
| USS Enterprise-D1 | Feedback from an energy transfer beam to a damaged Romulan vessel causes a core breach | Enterprise is destroyed | TNG: "Timescape" |
| USS Enterprise-D1 | Damage from another Enterprise's attack damages already weakened warp containment system | Enterprise is destroyed | TNG: "Parallels" |
| USS Enterprise-Ds1 | Anti-time phenomenon compromises antimatter containment integrity | Enterprises are destroyed | TNG: "All Good Things..." |
| USS Enterprise-D | Damage to warp coolant system from Klingon attack causes a core breach | Stardrive section is destroyed | Star Trek Generations |
| USS Enterprise-E | Deliberate warp core ejection and detonation | Son'a subspace weapon is neutralized | Star Trek: Insurrection |
| USS Equinox | Damage from Ankari attack causes a core breach | Equinox is destroyed | VOY: "Equinox, Part II" |
| Hagath's ship | Sabotage causes a core breach | Ship is destroyed | DS9: "Business as Usual" |
| Kohlar's ship | Core breach initiated as part of ship's self-destruct | Ship is destroyed | VOY: "Prophecy" |
| Kumari | Damage from Romulan attack causes a core breach | Kumari is destroyed | ENT: "Babel One" |
| USS Orinoco | Cardassian terrorist sabotage causes a core breach | Orinoco is destroyed | DS9: "Our Man Bashir" |
| USS Pasteur1 | Damage from Klingon attack causes a core breach | Pasteur is destroyed | TNG: "All Good Things..." |
| Romulan science ship | Damage from errant experiment causes a core breach | Core is ejected and explodes | TNG: "The Next Phase" |
| USS Saratoga | Damage from Borg attack causes a core breach | Saratoga is destroyed | DS9: "Emissary" |
| Serova's ship | Serova deliberately overloads warp engines, causing a core breach | Ship is destroyed | TNG: "Force of Nature" |
| Unknown | Damage from Borg attack | All hands ordered to abandon ship; ship's fate unknown | Star Trek: First Contact |
| USS Yamato | Dilithium chamber magnetic seal collapses and Iconian computer virus prevents antimatter ejection, causing a core breach |
Yamato is destroyed | TNG: "Contagion" |
| Note 1: Timeline alteration, parallel universe complication, and/or other anomaly prevents this from being a "real" event. | |||
A "warp core breach" is also a syntheholic drink (DS9: "His Way").
- Warp core breach article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki