Difference between revisions of "Warp strafing"

Latest revision as of 07:40, 9 December 2023

Tried to find an image of warp strafing, but it doesn't exist.

Warp strafing is a theoretical battle tactic in which a Star Trek ship uses its warp drive to attack a slower vessel without taking return fire.

Theory

In the proposed tactic, a starship sets a course to fly past an enemy vessel, starting out of weapons range from the target (perhaps light-hours or more away). It then approaches the target at warp speed. Once the enemy vessel is within weapon range, the starship fires its weapons as it flies by the target. Supposedly, the starship could perform an alpha strike while the enemy is unable to return fire.

Issues

Targeting

The critical problem with warp strafing is relative speed, a topic covered in Junior High School physics courses. Suppose car A approaches car B while at 50 km/h. Further suppose car B is traveling at 49 km/h in the same direction. The relative speed between car A and car B is 1 km/h. However, a car traveling at 100 km/h compared to a car traveling at 20 km/h in the same direction is truly approaching at a relative speed of 80 km/h.

Relative speed is important because Star Trek starships of every faction have shown difficulty locking onto relatively slow and predictable targets, let alone targets travelling at relative speeds in excess of lightspeed. In short, the evidence indicates that Star Trek ships could not hit their targets if they attempted a warp strafe.

Timing

Furthermore, generously accepting the stated ranges of as much as 300,000 km for Star Trek weapons, a starship attempting to warp-strafe a sublight target would be in range for no more than two seconds and probably far less (since warp-driven starships are capable of traveling at thousands of times the speed of light). An attacker would only be able to use a tiny fraction of its firepower on each fly-by, meaning that it would probably take hundreds or thousands of strafing runs to significantly affect an armored or shielded target.

Alternatives and Countermeasures

Warp strafing would be ineffectual against stationary targets. If a target were stationary, the attacking starship could simply stand off and fire from light-minutes away. Its beams and missiles would eventually reach the target, but the stationary target could not effectively return fire, since the mobile starship could perform simple evasive maneuvers to avoid shots that would take minutes to reach it.

Secondly, stationary and heavily defended targets such as battle stations, weapons platforms and fortified planets could track the attacker with faster-than-light sensors. Any vessel attempting this tactic would move in a predictable straight line, a so-called "attack run." Unless the attacking vessel further complicates the attack run with changes of course and acceleration, the defender could track the attacking vessel just as easily as the attacking vessel could track it, with the added advantage of being stationary and using more power for shields and weapons. The attacker would have to fly through a barrage of defensive fire to complete its strafing run, with much of its power devoted to propulsion instead of weapons and shields.

Implementation

If warp strafing were really such a powerful tactic, we would expect to see it used against stationary targets like Deep Space Nine. DS9 has been attacked repeatedly by the Cardassians, Klingons, and the Dominion, but none of them have employed warp-strafing attacks against the station.

Conclusion

In summary, warp strafing requires the attacker to have far more advanced propulsion, sensor and weapons technology than the defender. With such advantages, a more conventional approach would be at least as successful. The attacker could simply stay at stand-off range and pelt the defender with beams and missiles, negating the need for a dangerous warp-speed approach.

Examples

Elaan of Troyius

Trekkie debaters often cite the TOS episode "Elaan of Troyius" as an example of a canonical warp strafe, saying a Klingon vessel makes repeated strafing runs against the Enterprise, which is limited to impulse power because the warp core was sabotaged. There are several problems with this example, however.

Sulu counts down the range between the vessels in tens of thousands of kilometers over several seconds, indicating the relative velocity between the starships is less than lightspeed (in fact, it's only about 5,000 km/second). Episodes like "Mudd's Women" show that it is possible to achieve warp speed for a limited time without a functioning warp core, so it's possible that the Enterprise is engaging in FTL maneuvers using power from its impulse engines.
The low-end estimate for the klingon ship's speed on a warp 7 attack run is 343c. Assuming a disruptor range of a light-second, the klingon ship would be in range for less than 3 milliseconds on a "strafing" run against a sublight target. The Klingon weapon discharges took far longer.
Maneuvers at warp speed will arc across millions of kilometers of space, at minimum. The klingon ship could not reasonably warp to an unshielded side of the Enterprise and then turn to bring its forward weapons to bear and still be in disruptor range if it's relative speed was greater than lightspeed the entire time.

In light of these difficulties, it seems more plausible that the klingon cruiser is using warp to position itself for a shot at the weakened shield of the Enterprise, slowing to match speeds while it brings its weapons to bear and fires, then accelerating away again before the Enterprise can shoot back with photon torpedoes (which would not be weakened by the loss of warp power on the Enterprise). This is undeniably effective, but it does not constitute firing on a sublight target while moving at warp speed.

Journey to Babel

TOS "Journey to Babel" is also cited as an example of warp strafing. The Enterprise is attacked by an unidentified vessel with modified warp engines, giving it greater speed than the Enterprise by a couple of warp factors. It repeatedly approaches the Enterprise at Warp 8 and rakes the ship with phaser fire, but the Enterprise is unable to effectively return fire against the fast-moving attacker. Kirk is eventually forced to trick the enemy ship into approaching at sublight speed in order to deal with it.

The fact that the enemy approaches at sublight speed when the Enterprise is "stopped" indicates that a warp strafe would not be plausible against a "stationary" target.

The Ultimate Computer

In TOS "The Ultimate Computer", the Enterprise engages in mock battles and, later, real battle against other Constitution-class starships. The Enterprise engages them at warp speed, maneuvering to attack and then maneuvering away without taking return fire. A "warp strafing" explanation in this episode has the following issues:

The other ships have exactly the same capabilities as the Enterprise: they are not restricted to impulse power the way the Enterprise was in "Elaan of Troyius".
The M5 computer allows the Enterprise to instantly turn command decisions into action, avoiding the delays of relaying orders and keying them into consoles. This reaction time advantage may be all that is necessary for the M5 to effectively employ its hit-and-run strategy.

The Picard Maneuver

Trekkies sometimes cite the Picard Maneuver (TNG "The Battle") as an example of warp strafing, but while the Picard Maneuver involves accelerating from sublight speed to high warp to approach the target, it specifically requires dropping back out of warp before firing weapons.

New Trek

Star Trek Into Darkness reveals that the only Federation starship capable of engaging in combat at warp speed is the USS Vengeance, and even then it was only tried against another target traveling at warp, meaning their relative speed was not very high. It follows that warp strafing is not a viable tactic in the "new Trek" timeline.

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-'''Warp strafing''' is a theoretical battle tactic invented by ''[[Star Trek]]'' fans. The tactic has not appeared in  [[canon]].
+[[File:NoPic.jpg|thumb|right|Tried to find an image of warp strafing, but it doesn't exist.]]'''Warp strafing''' is a theoretical battle tactic in which a ''Star Trek'' ship uses its [[warp drive]] to attack a slower vessel without taking return fire.
 ==Theory==
-In the proposed tactic, a starship light-years away from it's target sets a course to fly past an enemy vessel. It then approaches the target at warp speed. When the enemy starship enters weapon range, the starship fires its weapons as it flys by the target, delivering a full salvo while the enemy is unable to return fire.
+In the proposed tactic, a starship sets a course to fly past an enemy vessel, starting out of weapons range from the target (perhaps light-hours or more away). It then approaches the target at [[warp drive|warp speed]]. Once the enemy vessel is within weapon range, the starship fires its weapons as it flies by the target. Supposedly, the starship could perform an [[alpha strike]] while the enemy is unable to return fire.
-==Usage==
+==Issues==
+===Targeting===
+The critical problem with warp strafing is relative speed, a topic covered in Junior High School physics courses. Suppose car A approaches car B while at 50 km/h. Further suppose car B is traveling at 49 km/h in the same direction. The relative speed between car A and car B is 1 km/h.  However, a car traveling at 100 km/h compared to a car traveling at 20 km/h in the same direction is truly approaching at a relative speed of 80 km/h.
-Warp strafing has never been observed in any ''Star Trek'' episode.
+Relative speed is important because ''Star Trek'' starships of every faction have shown difficulty locking onto relatively slow and predictable targets, let alone targets travelling at relative speeds in excess of lightspeed.  In short, the evidence indicates that ''Star Trek'' ships could not hit their targets if they attempted a warp strafe.
-Trekkie debaters often cite ''Elaan of Troyius'' as an example of a canonical warp strafe, saying Klingon vessel makes repeated strafing runs against he Enterprise, which is limited to impulse speed. Sulu, however, counts down the range between the vessels in tens of thousands of kilometers over several seconds, indicating the ''relative velocity'' between the starships is less than lightspeed.
+===Timing===
+Furthermore, generously accepting the stated ranges of as much as 300,000 km for Star Trek weapons, a starship attempting to warp-strafe a sublight target would be in range for no more than two seconds and probably far less (since [[warp drive|warp-driven]] starships are capable of traveling at thousands of times the speed of light).  An attacker would only be able to use a tiny fraction of its firepower on each fly-by, meaning that it would probably take hundreds or thousands of strafing runs to significantly affect an armored or shielded target.
-The word ''impulse'' in ''Star Trek'' does not necessarily mean slower-than-light, as evidenced in several examples including ''Best of Both Worlds Pt. II'' where the ''Enterprise-D'' drops out of warp at the edge of the solar system and shortly enters Earth orbit, necessitating faster-than-light impulse. ''Elaan of Troyius'' is not an example of a true warp strafe, which would involve one starship at rest or near rest relative to another approaching faster than light.
+===Alternatives and Countermeasures===
+Warp strafing would be ineffectual against stationary targets. If a target were stationary, the attacking starship could simply stand off and fire from light-minutes away. Its beams and missiles would eventually reach the target, but the stationary target could not effectively return fire, since the mobile starship could perform simple evasive maneuvers to avoid shots that would take minutes to reach it.
-Trekkes may also cite the [[Picard maneuver|Picard Maneuver]] as an example of warp strafing. It is not a warp strafe, but the Picard Maneuver specifically involves dropping out of warp before firing weapons.
+Secondly, stationary and heavily defended targets such as battle stations, weapons platforms and fortified planets could track the attacker with faster-than-light sensors. Any vessel attempting this tactic would move in a predictable straight line, a so-called "attack run." Unless the attacking vessel further complicates the attack run with changes of course and acceleration, the defender could track the attacking vessel just as easily as the attacking vessel could track it, with the added advantage of being stationary and using more power for shields and weapons. The attacker would have to fly through a barrage of defensive fire to complete its strafing run, with much of its power devoted to propulsion instead of weapons and shields.
-==Physics==
+===Implementation===
+If warp strafing were really such a powerful tactic, we would expect to see it used against stationary targets like [[Deep Space Nine]]. DS9 has been attacked repeatedly by the [[Cardassian]]s, [[Klingon]]s, and the [[Dominion]], but none of them have employed warp-strafing attacks against the station.
-The critical problem with warp strafing is relative speed, a topic covered in Junior High School physics courses. Suppose car A approaches car B while at 50 km/h. Further suppose car B is traveling at 49 km/h in the same direction. The relative speed between car A and car B is 1 km/h.
+===Conclusion===
+In summary, warp strafing requires the attacker to have far more advanced propulsion, sensor and weapons technology than the defender. With such advantages, a more conventional approach would be at least as successful. The attacker could simply stay at stand-off range and pelt the defender with beams and missiles, negating the need for a dangerous warp-speed approach.
-However, a car traveling at 100 km/h compared to a car traveling at 20 km/h in the same direction is truly approaching at a relative speed of 80 km/h.
+==Examples==
+===Elaan of Troyius===
+[[Trekkie]] debaters often cite the TOS episode "Elaan of Troyius" as an example of a canonical warp strafe, saying a Klingon vessel makes repeated strafing runs against the ''Enterprise'', which is limited to impulse power because the [[warp core]] was sabotaged. There are several problems with this example, however.
+* Sulu counts down the range between the vessels in tens of thousands of kilometers over several seconds, indicating the ''relative velocity'' between the starships is less than lightspeed (in fact, it's only about 5,000 km/second). Episodes like "Mudd's Women" show that it is possible to achieve warp speed for a limited time without a functioning warp core, so it's possible that the ''Enterprise'' is engaging in FTL maneuvers using power from its [[impulse engine]]s.
+* The low-end estimate for the klingon ship's speed on a warp 7 attack run is 343c. Assuming a [[disruptor]] range of a light-second, the klingon ship would be in range for less than 3 milliseconds on a "strafing" run against a sublight target. The Klingon weapon discharges took far longer.
+* Maneuvers at warp speed will arc across millions of kilometers of space, at minimum. The klingon ship could not reasonably warp to an unshielded side of the ''Enterprise'' and then turn to bring its forward weapons to bear and still be in disruptor range if it's relative speed was greater than lightspeed the entire time.
-This is important because ''Star Trek'' starships of every faction have difficulty locking onto relatively slow and predictable targets. Attacking a vessel traveling many orders of magnitude faster than what your weapons directors are designed for and capable of will not result in firing solutions.
+In light of these difficulties, it seems more plausible that the klingon cruiser is using warp to position itself for a shot at the weakened shield of the ''Enterprise'', slowing to match speeds while it brings its weapons to bear and fires, then accelerating away again before the ''Enterprise'' can shoot back with photon torpedoes (which would not be weakened by the loss of warp power on the ''Enterprise''). This is undeniably effective, but it does not constitute firing on a sublight target while moving at warp speed.
-In short, all evidence ''Star Trek'' ships could not hit their targets if they attempted a warp strafe as a relative velocity above lightspeed is well beyond their weapons' targeting capability.
+===Journey to Babel===
+TOS "Journey to Babel" is also cited as an example of warp strafing. The ''Enterprise'' is attacked by an unidentified vessel with modified warp engines, giving it greater speed than the ''Enterprise'' by a couple of warp factors. It repeatedly approaches the ''Enterprise'' at Warp 8 and rakes the ship with [[phaser]] fire, but the ''Enterprise'' is unable to effectively return fire against the fast-moving attacker. Kirk is eventually forced to trick the enemy ship into approaching at sublight speed in order to deal with it.
-Furthermore, even if we generously accepted the stated ranges of as much as 300,000 km for Star Trek weapons, a starship attempting to warp-strafe a sublight target would be in range for no more than two seconds and probably far less (since warp-driven starships are capable of traveling at hundreds or thousands of times the speed of light).  An attacker would only be able to use a tiny fraction of its firepower on each fly-by, meaning that it would probably take hundreds or thousands of strafing runs to signficantly affect a shielded target.
+The fact that the enemy approaches at sublight speed when the [[Enterprise]] is "stopped" indicates that a warp strafe would not be plausible against a "stationary" target.
-Starfleet Captains seem to understand these limitations, as they never attempt to warp strafe.
+===The Ultimate Computer===
+In TOS "The Ultimate Computer", the ''Enterprise'' engages in mock battles and, later, real battle against other [[Constitution-class]] starships. The ''Enterprise'' engages them at warp speed, maneuvering to attack and then maneuvering away without taking return fire. A "warp strafing" explanation in this episode has the following issues:
+* The other ships have exactly the same capabilities as the ''Enterprise'': they are not restricted to impulse power the way the ''Enterprise'' was in "Elaan of Troyius".
+* The M5 computer allows the ''Enterprise'' to instantly turn command decisions into action, avoiding the delays of relaying orders and keying them into consoles. This reaction time advantage may be all that is necessary for the M5 to effectively employ its hit-and-run strategy.
-==Stationary Targets==
+===The Picard Maneuver===
+Trekkies sometimes cite the [[Picard maneuver|Picard Maneuver]] (TNG "The Battle") as an example of warp strafing, but while the Picard Maneuver involves accelerating from sublight speed to high warp to approach the target, it '''''specifically''''' requires dropping back out of warp before firing weapons.
-Warp strafing would be ineffectual against stationary targets. If a target were stationary, the attacking starship could simply sit and fire torpedoes without the strafe. Secondly, stationary and heavily defended targets such as battle stations, weapons platforms and fortified planets could track the attacker with faster-than-light sensors. Any vessel attempting this tactic would move in a predictable straight line, a so-called "attack run." Unless the attacking vessel further complicates the attack run with changes of course and acceleration, the defender could track the attacking vessel just as easily as the attacking vessel could track it, with the added advantage of being stationary and using more power for shields and weapons.
+==New Trek==
+''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]'' reveals that the only [[Federation]] [[starship]] capable of engaging in combat at [[warp drive|warp speed]] is the ''[[USS Vengeance]]'', and even then it was only tried against another target traveling at warp, meaning their relative speed was not very high. It follows that warp strafing is not a viable tactic in the "new Trek" timeline.
-==Conclusion==
-In summary, warp strafing requires the attacker have far more advanced propulsion, sensor and weapons technology than the defender. If this was the case, it is likely a more conventional approach would succeed just as well. The attacker could simply stay at stand-off range and pelt the defender with missiles, without the need for a dangerous approach.
 ==See Also==
 *[[Warp drive]]
 *[[Picard maneuver]]
 [[Category:Strategies and Tactics]]
+[[Category:Trekkie Arguments]]