Something Weird about the Galaxy Class

[Jedi Master Spock]

Do you agree, at least, that for reasons unknown almost every battle in the entirety of Star Trek takes place at impulse, not warp?

I don't. Both phasers and torpedos have been known to see use at warp.

[CrippledVulture]

Fair enough.

Let me rephrase this. How often is the "we can both go really fast but I'm approaching you at impulse so let's fight at impulse" challenge turned down?

[Jedi Master Spock]

Fair enough.

Let me rephrase this. How often is the "we can both go really fast but I'm approaching you at impulse so let's fight at impulse" challenge turned down?

Only a handful of times, really.

[TheRedFear]

Fair enough.

Let me rephrase this. How often is the "we can both go really fast but I'm approaching you at impulse so let's fight at impulse" challenge turned down?

There's no point in duking it out at warp if you can both duke it out at warp. If you're both warp capable, you might as well keep it to impulse and give yourself a bit more time to react and work with. At warp speeds, combat maneuvers would have to be handled predominantly by the computer I'd imagine. You don't wanna take the human element out if you don't have to.

On the other hand, when your opponant CAN'T duke it out at warp, (As seen in that TOS Episode where the Klingons gleefully took advantage of a Warp-Crippled Enterprise A), yeah, the guy who remains Warp Capable has a massive advantage.

[TheRedFear]

There exists the possibility of the enemy taking advantage of the battle section's lack of a warp drive and warp-strafing or ignoring it entirely to pursue the fleeing civilian-occupied section. I admit this. However, without a warp drive, the warpless saucer section of the actual Galaxy class is not going to be hiding anywhere. There are many instances of Starfleet vessels tracking ships accurately with less information and a longer delay than there would be in this scenario. One would expect Starfleet to design ships that take their own capabilities into consideration.

I dunno. Weird sensor jamming nebulaes and phenomenaes seem common enough in Trek space. The Saucer section still has longrange sensors(i imagine), and a minute or so of warp elft in it before it drops down to Impulse. It can make a desperate run for a suitable phenomena or anomoly and hide there until rescue comes, or jsut gun it for the nearest M-Class planet. And, if the Battle section does it's job, and at the very least keeps the threat busy long enough before being destroyed, the Civilian section could very well find a place to hide, or meet reinforcements(Who've responded to the distress calls the Civilian section's been sending out like crazy) halfway.

But ideally, the Battle section will win it's engagement, and then come find the civilian section.

If the battle section can't win, then whether or not the civilian section can warp or not is kinda moot. If the enemy is hellbent on destroying them, it will keep chasing them, and when it finally catches up, make short work of them.

[Mike DiCenso]

Simply speaking, it takes more energy to stay and fight at warp. In the aforementioned TOS episode "Elann of Troyius", one of the two combatants was crippled (the Enterprise), and so the Klingon battlecruiser staying at warp made sense. At impulse some ships gain a slight manuvering advantage, while both sides can dump greater amounts of power into weapons and shields.
-Mike