One wonders how exactly a shield generator, generally portrayed as one of the most power-intensive components of a starship after the warp drive, still has enough power to function with only the fusion reactors and no warp core.
It’s a common mistake that the warp core is the primary power plant for the whole ship. That’d be wasteful, as they use fusion plants to make antimatter in the first place.
TNG tech manual states that starbase antimatter production is around 25% efficient. Starships can make their own, but it implies that it’s even less efficient than a starbase.
Most of the ship gets power from fusion. Those can’t dump enough energy at once to power higher warp factors (limit is maybe warp 3), though, so you use energy while not at warp to make antimatter, which can then be dumped into the warp core later.
Shields will work fine with just the fusion plants.
One wonders how exactly a shield generator, generally portrayed as one of the most power-intensive components of a starship after the warp drive, still has enough power to function with only the fusion reactors and no warp core.
The shields are powered by plot armour in an emergency. It’s an incredibly powerful force.
It’s a common mistake that the warp core is the primary power plant for the whole ship. That’d be wasteful, as they use fusion plants to make antimatter in the first place.
TNG tech manual states that starbase antimatter production is around 25% efficient. Starships can make their own, but it implies that it’s even less efficient than a starbase.
Most of the ship gets power from fusion. Those can’t dump enough energy at once to power higher warp factors (limit is maybe warp 3), though, so you use energy while not at warp to make antimatter, which can then be dumped into the warp core later.
Shields will work fine with just the fusion plants.