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Warp Drive (terran) is the primary propulsion force behind most advanced space vessels, allowing them to travel at speeds faster than light. The drive does this by generating warp fields to form a subspace bubble that envelops the starship, distorting the local spacetime continuum immediately around the ship and moving the starship at super liminal velocities. These velocities are referred to as warp factors.
History
Warp Drive was invented by Zefram Cochrane in 2063 when he launced the Pheonix. The Pheonix was the first human warp-capable vessel and was directly responsible for first contact with Vulcan. The Pheonix was an example of the Warp Engine, however, this was limited to travelling at the speed of light (Warp 1). Due to the situation on earth in the second half of the 21st century, Cocharane was unable to recieve much funding for the continuation of the Warp Engine. However, the Vulcan Science Directory began to assist humans in developing their warp abilities and in 2075 the first Human Starship of constructed with the ability to travel Warp 2.
It was believed by the new United Earth Government and the Vulcan Science Directory that the limit of Warp capability was Warp 5. This belief was based on the inability of an anti-matter based injector system to be able to create a stable enough mixture. However, on his death bed, Cochrane instructed his apprentice, Henry Archer, to continue the work on pushing the warp barrier (as Cochrane himself had worked to push the speed of light barrier). Archer worked his entire life on the project, later handing it to his son, Johnathan Archer. Following the completion of the Warp 5 engine, the United Earth Government commissioned the Starship Enterprise (NX-01). This Enterprise would be commanded by Johnathan Archer and would serve for 10 years until the formation of the United Federation of Planets in 2161.