this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2025
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This can be anything from Hyperspace in Star Wars, Warp Drive in Star Trek, travel through the Warp in Warhammer 40k or anything else.

I've always liked "slow" FTL travel, where going a few light-years still takes a few days or so. I also really like travel through an alternate dimension like in 40k, Event Horizon, Witchspace in Elite Dangerous.

I wanna know your favorite versions, or do you prefer stories that obey the laws of known physics, like the Expanse or Rimworld?

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[–] FishFace@lemmy.world 16 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Visually it's gotta be Leviathans' Starburst from Farscape.

That sequence never got old when I was a kid even though they reused it

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Did Farscape ever depict how any other FTL drive works?

You've got wormholes, that turned out to be as spiritual as they were technological or natural, you've got the Leviathan starburst which is unique to them, no other ship can do anything like starburst because at least once Moya starbursts away and then Crais and/or Scorpius turns to an underling with the Darth Vader brand "You failed me so I shall callously murder you" look on his face. And yet they do have FTL travel. Somehow.

The word "Hetch" is used as a unit of speed, but they BARELY establish that. "Barely hetch two" is apparently quite slow. Also, can Moya travel at FTL speeds without Starburst, or is that just how leviathans move at FTL speeds?

EXTREMELY soft sci-fi series, but it worked.

[–] FishFace@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

They didn't depict how any FTL drive works, but then again, nor does any show that I know of.

Hetch drives are FTL though.

I dunno if Leviathans can travel superluminally without starburst.

[–] Canopyflyer@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Moya could travel at Hetch 9 The Locket. She was faster than a Marauder (Hetch 7) and only slightly slower than a full Command Carrier.

Starburst was actually travel through another dimension of space. Self Inflicted Wounds

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

One of the first things we hear Pilot say in the first episode of the show is [D'argo ripping the bits out of the control console to remove Moya's slave collar caused damage ] "Leading to our current top speed, which is barely hetch 2." So through...whatever means Moya can propel herself at "hetch" speeds, usually in excess of "2" but that leviathans are also capable of a unique thing called a starburst. Which depending on the episode is either an instantaneous experience or a state the ship spends at least a little time in.

Again, Farscape is extremely soft sci-fi. Rigel somehow farts helium. He doesn't eat food that contains a lot of helium, yet he farts helium. That's the approach to science taken by Farscape. There's more than a little actual magic in the show. It's a show mainly about its characters and how they cope with (usually ridiculous) situations.

[–] FishFace@lemmy.world 1 points 41 minutes ago

The helium thing is certainly true, but I don't think the FTL stuff is related to hard- or softness. FTL is impossible, so it's not like you can give details on the proposed method which make it more realistic.

Maybe you're thinking of another series/canon where FTL travel is presented in a way that would qualify as "hard"?

I'm trying to think of any TV series with hard sci-fi rules actually - I think the medium is unsuited to it, with its varying writers.