Maximum warp

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference

"Maximum Warp" redirects here. For the Pocket Books miniseries, see Star Trek: The Next Generation - Maximum Warp.

Maximum warp (or top warp speed) is the maximum velocity a starship is designed for and a term whereby a bridge officer can ask the flight controller to accelerate the ship to its highest possible velocity.

The maximum warp velocity, and time it can be maintained, of a starship varies between classes due to warp core limitations. Galaxy-class ships, such as the USS Enterprise-D, could only maintain their maximum warp for approximately twelve hours. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Best of Both Worlds") Intrepid-class ships such the USS Voyager, on the other hand, could maintain it from three days up to two months. (VOY: "Workforce", "Workforce, Part II", "Friendship One")

[edit] Maximum warp limitations by class

• Warp 1.4 - Arctic One-type
• Warp 2 - Neptune-class
• Warp 5 - NX class
• Warp 6 - D5 class
• Warp 9.975 - Intrepid-class
• Warp 36^† - Karla Five's vessel

^†Pre-TNG warp scale

[edit] Maximum warp requests

[edit] Background information

There is evidence that maximum warp is not always the highest reachable warp-factor. For example, in ENT: "Affliction", the Enterprise (NX-01) already travels at maximum warp, but then accelerates to Warp 5.2. A similar occurrence is depicted in DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice": The USS Defiant already travels at maximum warp, but then accelerates to Warp 9.5.

In both TNG: "Time Squared" and TNG: "Bloodlines", maximum warp seems to be equivalent with warp 9, although the ship can move faster in other episodes.