Jump drive
Encyclopedia
A jump drive is one of the speculative inventions in science fiction
, a method of traveling faster than light
(FTL).
Related concepts are hyperdrive
, warp drive
and interstellar teleporter
. The key characteristic of a jump drive (as the term is usually used) is that it allows a starship
to be instantaneously teleported
between two points. A jump drive is supposed to make a spaceship (or any matter) go from one point in space to another point, which may be several light years
away, in a single instant. Like time travel
, a jump drive is often taken for granted in science fiction, but very few science fiction works talk about the mechanics behind a jump drive. There are vague indications of the involvement of tachyon
s and the space-time continuum in some works.
universes for space vehicle movement, initially suggested in the The Foundation Series
of novels by Isaac Asimov
from 1942. They next appear in the Deathworld 2
novel by Harry Harrison
in the 1964 trilogy by the same name, and Frank Herbert's Dune
. The CoDominium
series by Jerry Pournelle which begun publication in 1973 features the Alderson jump drive
. However, their popularity exploded only over a decade later with the Alliance-Union universe
series by C. J. Cherryh
from 1976. The Traveller
role playing game (by Marc Miller, first edition in 1977) uses something called "jump drives", but they're actually a kind of hyperdrive
, with ships using it traveling through "jump space" (the game's term for hyperspace
) for about a week, regardless of distance travelled, before re-emerging into normal space.
In the novel The Forever Man (1984) by Gordon R. Dickson
, starships use a jump-drive that makes the vehicle omnipresent for an instant before repositioning the ship in a pre-determined location. Several jumps are needed, because farther triangulations require more time to calculate, therefore a journey across the galaxy may take a few centuries to calculate all at once.
In the novel Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London by Keith Mansfield
, various species described as "Owlein" (such as Plicans) fold space allowing for a form of jump drive. This Folding cannot exceed certain (unspecified) distances without damaging the structure of space-time.
In most fictional universes, the total distance per jump is limited and multiple jumps may be needed to reach the final destination. Jump drives often require significant power and many universes require time to "re-energize" the jump drive after a jump, thereby limiting the frequency at which jumps can be executed.
These factors can allow writers to build dramatic tension by showing characters struggling to reach a jump point, or to recharge their drive, before their foes reach them.
The Nights Dawn Trilogy novels by Peter F. Hamilton
published in the 1990s, used under the name ZTT (Zero Temporal Transit) Drive has been the latest significant work in science fiction to use the jump drive concept. It is worth noting that with ZTT, momentum is conserved, so a ship might spend days synchronizing its normal-space relative velocity with its destination before or after jumping - a concept first used in E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman
series (1937–1948), albeit in connection with 'inertialess' FTL drives rather than jump drives, where it is referred to as "matching intrinsics".
Jump drives are also used in the Battletech series of games and literature. In the literature the drive is called the "Kearny-Fuchida Drive", or K-F drive. Named for the physicists that developed the equations needed for the drive to work. The jump takes only a few seconds, but is limited to a max distance 30 lys. There is a variable amount of time required between jumps to recharge the energy for jumping. Recharging is done by solar sails, or in developed systems there may be a recharge station. In rare cases a ship may have a "Lithium-Fusion" battery, this stores extra power for an additional jump between recharging. Warships are about the only ships to have these batteries. When a solar sail is used for recharging the type of star determines how long a recharge takes.
to a specific jump point. Once at that point, the jump drive is used to move to another jump point. In some examples, such as the Capsule Drive in the computer game Independence War
, the ship can travel to any other jump point. Others, such as the Wing Commander
series, only allow transit from one jump point to a corresponding exit point (which may or may not allow travel in the opposite direction). The second variant allows a ship to execute a jump from anywhere in normal space and move directly to any other location. This variant is frequently subject to other limitations such as distance from strong gravity well
s. Battletech
uses this style of jump drive in its jumpships.
With the appearance of computer games, many have used jump drives, including:
film and television series utilizes two different types of jump drive. Many space craft featured in the franchise have a type of "hyperspace" technology, while the stargates themselves employ a "wormhole" technology which is used for almost instantaneous travel from one point to another across many light years (including intergalactic travel). Similar wormhole technology was also explored in the season finale of Stargate: Atlantis as an alternative to Atlantis's hyperdrive, allowing the entire city to move from the outer edge of the Milky Way Galaxy to Earth in a matter of seconds. In the Stargate Universe
series, the ancient spaceship Destiny uses a previously unknown type of faster-than-light-travel, simply referred to as FTL by characters in the television series.
The Babylon 5
television series describes jump drives as a way to jump to hyperspace through a jumpgate
. While interstellar travel is not instantaneous, it is much faster than light travel.
The reimagined Battlestar Galactica
television series utilizes a jump drive known as an FTL Drive. The technology allows a ship to instantaneously jump from one point in space to another, though the mechanics behind the drive are never explained beyond describing preparing the drive as "spinning up," implying some type of electromagnetism
. A distance known as the "red line" is described as the threshold for a safe jump, as jumping beyond the line could result in a ship being unable to successfully navigate back to their point of origin.
The film Event Horizon
features the eponymous ship using a jump drive. Harnessing the power of an artificial black hole
, the drive was designed to project a focused beam of gravitons, folding space and allowing the ship to pass through and arrive immediately at the new location. The drive malfunctioned and opened, sending the ship through a dimensional gateway to hell, a place of pure chaos.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, a method of traveling faster than light
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
(FTL).
Related concepts are hyperdrive
Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive is a name given to certain methods of traveling faster-than-light in science fiction. Related concepts are jump drive and warp drive....
, warp drive
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
and interstellar teleporter
Interstellar teleporter
An interstellar teleporter is a hypothetical technology appearing in science fiction, typically in hard sci-fi, which teleports people and/or other objects over interstellar distances instantaneously...
. The key characteristic of a jump drive (as the term is usually used) is that it allows a starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
to be instantaneously teleported
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
between two points. A jump drive is supposed to make a spaceship (or any matter) go from one point in space to another point, which may be several light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
away, in a single instant. Like time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, a jump drive is often taken for granted in science fiction, but very few science fiction works talk about the mechanics behind a jump drive. There are vague indications of the involvement of tachyon
Tachyon
A tachyon is a hypothetical subatomic particle that always moves faster than light. In the language of special relativity, a tachyon would be a particle with space-like four-momentum and imaginary proper time. A tachyon would be constrained to the space-like portion of the energy-momentum graph...
s and the space-time continuum in some works.
Science fiction literature
Jump drives were used in many science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
universes for space vehicle movement, initially suggested in the The Foundation Series
The Foundation Series
The Foundation Series is a science fiction series by Isaac Asimov. There are seven volumes in the Foundation Series proper, which in its in-universe chronological order are: Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, Foundation's Edge, and...
of novels by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
from 1942. They next appear in the Deathworld 2
Deathworld
Deathworld is the name of a series of science fiction novels by Harry Harrison including the books Deathworld , Deathworld 2 and Deathworld 3 , plus the short story "The...
novel by Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
in the 1964 trilogy by the same name, and Frank Herbert's Dune
Dune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
. The CoDominium
CoDominium
-The CoDominium series:*A Spaceship for the King *He Fell into a Dark Hole *The Mote in God's Eye...
series by Jerry Pournelle which begun publication in 1973 features the Alderson jump drive
Alderson drive
The Alderson drive, named after Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Dan Alderson, is a fictional device that enables instantaneous interstellar transportation. It is featured in the CoDominium series of science fiction novels by Jerry Pournelle, including the Mote series by Larry Niven and Jerry...
. However, their popularity exploded only over a decade later with the Alliance-Union universe
Alliance-Union universe
The Alliance-Union universe is a fictional universe created by science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. It is the setting for an epic future history series extending from the 21st century out into the far future....
series by C. J. Cherryh
C. J. Cherryh
Carolyn Janice Cherry , better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is a United States science fiction and fantasy author...
from 1976. The Traveller
Traveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
role playing game (by Marc Miller, first edition in 1977) uses something called "jump drives", but they're actually a kind of hyperdrive
Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive is a name given to certain methods of traveling faster-than-light in science fiction. Related concepts are jump drive and warp drive....
, with ships using it traveling through "jump space" (the game's term for hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
) for about a week, regardless of distance travelled, before re-emerging into normal space.
In the novel The Forever Man (1984) by Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author.- Biography :Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1937...
, starships use a jump-drive that makes the vehicle omnipresent for an instant before repositioning the ship in a pre-determined location. Several jumps are needed, because farther triangulations require more time to calculate, therefore a journey across the galaxy may take a few centuries to calculate all at once.
In the novel Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London by Keith Mansfield
Keith Mansfield (writer)
Keith Mansfield, born in Scunthorpe, England in 1965, is an English writer and publisher. He is the author of the Johnny Mackintosh series of novels, has scripted several television programmes and is also the publisher for mathematics books at Oxford University Press.His first novel, Johnny...
, various species described as "Owlein" (such as Plicans) fold space allowing for a form of jump drive. This Folding cannot exceed certain (unspecified) distances without damaging the structure of space-time.
In most fictional universes, the total distance per jump is limited and multiple jumps may be needed to reach the final destination. Jump drives often require significant power and many universes require time to "re-energize" the jump drive after a jump, thereby limiting the frequency at which jumps can be executed.
These factors can allow writers to build dramatic tension by showing characters struggling to reach a jump point, or to recharge their drive, before their foes reach them.
The Nights Dawn Trilogy novels by Peter F. Hamilton
Peter F. Hamilton
Peter F. Hamilton is a British author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide.- Biography :...
published in the 1990s, used under the name ZTT (Zero Temporal Transit) Drive has been the latest significant work in science fiction to use the jump drive concept. It is worth noting that with ZTT, momentum is conserved, so a ship might spend days synchronizing its normal-space relative velocity with its destination before or after jumping - a concept first used in E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman
Lensman
The Lensman series is a serial science fiction space opera by Edward Elmer "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the Hugo award for best All-Time Series ....
series (1937–1948), albeit in connection with 'inertialess' FTL drives rather than jump drives, where it is referred to as "matching intrinsics".
Jump drives are also used in the Battletech series of games and literature. In the literature the drive is called the "Kearny-Fuchida Drive", or K-F drive. Named for the physicists that developed the equations needed for the drive to work. The jump takes only a few seconds, but is limited to a max distance 30 lys. There is a variable amount of time required between jumps to recharge the energy for jumping. Recharging is done by solar sails, or in developed systems there may be a recharge station. In rare cases a ship may have a "Lithium-Fusion" battery, this stores extra power for an additional jump between recharging. Warships are about the only ships to have these batteries. When a solar sail is used for recharging the type of star determines how long a recharge takes.
Computer games
There are two main variants of jump drives commonly portrayed in computer games. The first requires a ship to travel through normal spaceEuclidean space
In mathematics, Euclidean space is the Euclidean plane and three-dimensional space of Euclidean geometry, as well as the generalizations of these notions to higher dimensions...
to a specific jump point. Once at that point, the jump drive is used to move to another jump point. In some examples, such as the Capsule Drive in the computer game Independence War
I-War (Independence War)
I-War is a space combat simulator developed by English development house Particle Systems Ltd. The game was first published in 1997 in Europe by Infogrames as I-War, and in late August of 1998 in North America as Independence War...
, the ship can travel to any other jump point. Others, such as the Wing Commander
Wing Commander (franchise)
Wing Commander is a video game media franchise consisting of space combat simulation computer games from Origin Systems, Inc., an animated television series, a feature film, a collectible card game, a series of novels, and action figures...
series, only allow transit from one jump point to a corresponding exit point (which may or may not allow travel in the opposite direction). The second variant allows a ship to execute a jump from anywhere in normal space and move directly to any other location. This variant is frequently subject to other limitations such as distance from strong gravity well
Gravity well
A gravity well or gravitational well is a conceptual model of the gravitational field surrounding a body in space. The more massive the body the deeper and more extensive the gravity well associated with it. The Sun has a far-reaching and deep gravity well. Asteroids and small moons have much...
s. Battletech
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
uses this style of jump drive in its jumpships.
With the appearance of computer games, many have used jump drives, including:
- The Microsoft game "Allegiance" that features jump drive like ripcord technology.
- Darkstar OneDarkstar OneDarkStar One is a space simulation computer game developed by Ascaron and published by CDV.The PC version of the game was officially released on June 16, 2006 in the European Union, August 14, 2006 in North America and subsequently digitally via on December 17, 2008 , and on May 19, 2011...
, a computer game released June 16, 2006 in the UK. - Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (video game)A number of video games have been released based on the various incarnations of the Battlestar Galactica franchise.-"Space Battle" & "Space Attack":...
, which specifically references the term FTL - Wing CommanderWing Commander (franchise)Wing Commander is a video game media franchise consisting of space combat simulation computer games from Origin Systems, Inc., an animated television series, a feature film, a collectible card game, a series of novels, and action figures...
series of computer games, movie and novels - The FreeSpace computer game series, worth noting here that ships can use their own jump drives to perform FTL travel within a star system, but need to use "Jump Nodes" to travel the vast distances between stars
- BattletechBattleTechBattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
series of games and novels - Heavy GearHeavy GearHeavy Gear is a game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game and a lesser known combat card game...
series of games - The Eve OnlineEVE OnlineEve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
MMORPG where it allows ships larger than stargates (capital ships) to pass between solar systems, as well as forge temporary gates. - StarlancerStarlancerStarlancer is a space-based science fiction flight simulator computer game, created by Erin Roberts, under the auspices of Digital Anvil.-Overview:It is the year 2160...
PC and Dreamcast video game, which presents a quick jump to another part of a solar system - DarkSpaceDarkSpaceDarkSpace is a massively multiplayer real-time strategy computer game developed by PaleStar. Released in December 2001, DarkSpace involves multiplayer spaceship combat between three player-controlled factions....
, an online-only PC game. - The Space-fold Drive of the Macross universe.
- The jump drive in the XX (game series)X is a science fiction space trading and combat simulator series created by German Developer Egosoft. The series is set in the X Universe where several races populate a number of worlds connected by jumpgates...
series of video games. - Unreal Tournament 2004Unreal Tournament 2004Unreal Tournament 2004, also known as UT2K4 and UT2004, is a futuristic first-person shooter computer game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes...
, where starships usually use "jumpgates" to travel in space, but a prototype "jumpship", that is capable of creating its own temporary, small jumpgates, is created. - Mass EffectMass EffectMass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
, series of games and novels use FTL drives powered and navigated by "mass relays". - Sins of a Solar EmpireSins of a Solar EmpireSins of a Solar Empire is a science fiction real-time strategy computer game developed by Ironclad Games and published by Stardock Entertainment for Microsoft Windows operating systems...
,where starships go 'out of phase' with the universe reducing the effect of relativistic mass. - SporeSpore (2008 video game)Spore is a multi-genre single-player god game developed by Maxis and designed by Will Wright. The game was released for the Microsoft Windows and Macintosh operating systems in September 2008 as Spore...
, has five different levels of interstellar drives which increases the travel radius.
Variations of jump drive technology in film & television
The StargateStargate
Stargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
film and television series utilizes two different types of jump drive. Many space craft featured in the franchise have a type of "hyperspace" technology, while the stargates themselves employ a "wormhole" technology which is used for almost instantaneous travel from one point to another across many light years (including intergalactic travel). Similar wormhole technology was also explored in the season finale of Stargate: Atlantis as an alternative to Atlantis's hyperdrive, allowing the entire city to move from the outer edge of the Milky Way Galaxy to Earth in a matter of seconds. In the Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
series, the ancient spaceship Destiny uses a previously unknown type of faster-than-light-travel, simply referred to as FTL by characters in the television series.
The Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
television series describes jump drives as a way to jump to hyperspace through a jumpgate
Jumpgate
In science fiction, a jump gate is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space...
. While interstellar travel is not instantaneous, it is much faster than light travel.
The reimagined Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
television series utilizes a jump drive known as an FTL Drive. The technology allows a ship to instantaneously jump from one point in space to another, though the mechanics behind the drive are never explained beyond describing preparing the drive as "spinning up," implying some type of electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
. A distance known as the "red line" is described as the threshold for a safe jump, as jumping beyond the line could result in a ship being unable to successfully navigate back to their point of origin.
The film Event Horizon
Event Horizon (film)
Event Horizon is a 1997 science fantasy horror film. The screenplay was written by Philip Eisner and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The film stars Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill...
features the eponymous ship using a jump drive. Harnessing the power of an artificial black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, the drive was designed to project a focused beam of gravitons, folding space and allowing the ship to pass through and arrive immediately at the new location. The drive malfunctioned and opened, sending the ship through a dimensional gateway to hell, a place of pure chaos.
See also
- JumpgateJumpgateIn science fiction, a jump gate is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space...
- Warp DriveWarp drive (Star Trek)Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
- Faster-than-lightFaster-than-lightFaster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
- Holtzman effectHoltzman effectThe Holtzman effect is a fictional scientific phenomenon in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, beginning with the 1965 novel Dune...