FTL (Battlestar Galactica)



An FLT, or “Faster Than Light”, Drive is a fictional propulsion technology from the Re-imagined Battlestar Galactica universe that allows space ships to achieve superluminal travel. They are fueled by a refined version of the fictional ore Tylium.

The verb Jump is commonly used to describe the process of traveling via FLT drive. Dialog implies that drives them selves consist of large spinning electromagnetic coils (Miniseries, Skar) in combination with other more exotic technology.

Some people experience nausea during FLT travel (Mini Series, Part 1).

The term FLT was never used in the original Battlestar Galactica universe. Instead the term 'Light Speed' was used. In context, this appeared to be standard acceleration based travel.

Physics
The exact nature of FLT physics remains unexplained, and what information exists has been extrapolated from on screen dialog.

Circumstantial evidence (Scattered) suggests that FLT engines operate by folding two points in space closer together and forming a wormhole between them. If the wormhole hypothesis is correct, this would mean that FLT ships travel almost instantaneously (the distance of the wormhole, rather than the distance of the intervening space), and that their actual speed would never exceed the speed of light.

Little time appears to pass on a ship during a jump and objects within a ship do not appear exhibit the usual signs of momentum/inertia associated with acceleration/deceleration. Adding weight to the wormhole hypothesis over an acceleration based hypothesis.

Navigation
Owing to difficulties navigating while using an FLT drive, ships wishing to make an FLT jump must calculate their speed, trajectory and jump duration prior to activating their FLT drive. Failure to do so can lead to ships jumping into poorly charted areas where non-FLT navigation is difficult, or into dangerous areas (Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I) such as those containing asteroid fields, gravity wells, or even inside a planets atmosphere.

A ship making a properly calculated jump can arrive safely in planetary orbit, or alongside other ships. Ships using the same calculations can also safely jump together. Uncalculated jumps are possible but inadvisable.

Because little is known about the physics of the FLT drive, it is not clear whether ships must plot a course around large physical objects, such as suns and gas giants, or if they have to adjust their course to take local gravitational variants into account. It is also not known whether a ship can correct its course mid jump.

Based on the wormhole hypothesis, a ship would hypothetically navigate by means of three sets of co-ordinated that represent the Elevation, Rotation, Distance of the worm hole in relation to the ship's point of origin, rather than the co-ordinates of its destination (Scattered).

Jump co-ordinates must be constantly updated to allow for changes in a ships position, and for stellar drift (Scattered)

Limitations
FLT come in a variety of sizes. The larger the drive, the further a ship can travel. Smaller are only capable of making short FTL jumps, colloquially known as Hops, while the larger drives fitted to warships and commercial transport ships are capable of traveling far greater distances.

A small ship, or ship with a less capable FTL drive must make several Hops in order to travel the same distance as a larger ship. Leaving it vulnerable to detection or attack.

Limits in Colonial technology mean that it is uneconomical to produce an FLT drive small enough to fit the Viper as standard. Though drives can be made sufficiently small enough to be fitted to Raptors (The Captain's Hand ).

The safe limit of an FLT drive is known as the 'Red Line', a ship jumping beyond this limit risks damaging its FLT drive or going off course due to compound errors in its jump calculation.

Cylon Technology
Cylon FTL systems work on the same principles as Colonial versions, and also uses refined Tylium ore as its primary fuel

Although no direct technical comparisons are available between Colonial and circumstantial evidence suggests that the Cylons poses a more advanced form of Jump drive than Colonial forces. Allowing them to travel faster and further, and to jump with greater precision. Though the later of these assumptions may be the result of Cylons being more willing to take risks when jumping close to ships or other collision hazards.

Cylon forces are also capable of producing FLT drive compact enough to be fitted into their fighters and

A captured Cylon heavy raider was able to jump from Kobol to Caprica (You Can't Go Home Again).

PRL (Battlestar Galactica)