Dilithium is a fuel?

[Lucky]

[Engineering]


SCOTT: I've got bad news, Captain. The entire dilithium crystal converter assembly is fused. No chance of repair.


[Turbolift]


SCOTT [OC]: It's completely unusable. 


KIRK: No chance of restoring warp drive? 


SCOTT [OC]: Not without dilithium crystals. We can't even generate enough power to fire our weapons. 


KIRK: Kirk out. Elaan, I have to go back to the Bridge. Please, you must go to Sickbay. 


ELAAN: Yes, my love.

SCOTT: Admiral, we have a serious problem. Would you please come down? It's these Klingon crystals, Admiral. The time-travel drained them. They're giving out. De-crystallising.


KIRK: Give me a round figure, Mister Scott.


SCOTT: Oh, twenty-four hours, give or take, staying cloaked. After that, Admiral, we're visible, ...and dead in the water. In any case, we won't have enough to break out of Earth's gravity, to say nothing of getting back home.


KIRK: I can't believe we've come this far only to be stopped by this! Is there no way to re-crystallise dilithium?


SCOTT: Sorry, sir. We can't even do that in the twenty-third century.


SPOCK: Admiral, there may be a twentieth century possibility.


KIRK: Explain.


SPOCK: If memory serves, there was a dubious flirtation with nuclear fission reactors resulting in toxic side effects. By the beginning of the fusion era, these reactors had been replaced, but at this time, we may be able to find some.


KIRK: I thought you said they were toxic.


SPOCK: We could construct a device to collect their high-energy photons safely. These photons could then be injected into the dilithium chamber, causing crystalline restructure. ...Theoretically.


KIRK: Where would we find these reactors, ...theoretically?


SPOCK: Nuclear power was widely used in naval vessels.

RIKER: We found the reason for the geological instability. 


PICARD: Excellent. 


DAVIES: We would have missed it if Ensign Crusher hadn't requested an ico-gram, but he did, and 


WESLEY: Drema Four has the largest deposit of dilithium ore ever recorded. It's also laid down in a very unusual pattern. The crystals are growing to form perfectly aligned lattices. 


HILDEBRANDT: The ore is forming generator strata. 


ALANS: Which creates a piezoelectric effect. 


PICARD: In plain English, you're saying the dilithium is causing the geological catastrophe. 


ALANS: Right, the crystals take the natural radiant heat of the planet 


HILDEBRANDT: Focus it, and turn it into mechanical energy. 


ALANS: Which increases tectonic stresses 


HILDEBRANDT: That tear the planet apart. 


DAVIES: And then the crystals break down, which is why we found all these traces of illium 629.

(gazing at the dilithium cradle) 

LEAH: What happened here? Who did this? 


LAFORGE: You remember, the crystal's been reoriented to adjust the direction of the lattice structure. 


LEAH: Remember? Why would I remember? 


LAFORGE: Right, why would you? Well, the ship was experiencing some difficulty, and we made this adjustment hoping that it would work, and it did. 


LEAH: So it was your idea? 


LAFORGE: Not exclusively, no. 


LEAH: It's curious. this modification was due to be introduced. 


LAFORGE: In the next class starship. 


LEAH: Yes. How did you know? 


LAFORGE: I didn't. I mean, well, it's the next logical step, right? Listen, Doctor, sometimes we have to fly by the seat of our pants out here so it stands to reason that once in a while we're going to come up with the same solutions you do. Listen. I've got a personnel review scheduled to start in about five minutes, and I know it's been a long day for you. So, why don't we get together later? Sort of plan our agenda for the next day or two?

SEVEN: Deck eleven, section thirty two, main Engineering. That is the 


ONE: Warp core. Fuelled by a matter - antimatter reaction which produces a maximum output of four thousand terradynes per second, providing power for faster than light propulsion. 


SEVEN: Correct. 


TORRES: This isn't a classroom, Seven.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dyne

CHAKOTAY: Before we abandon the Equinox we should try to salvage any useful components. Let's start with your dilithium crystals. 


GILMORE: What we have left of them. I'm afraid we only have a few isograms. 


KIM: That's barely enough to power the sonic showers.

DUKAT: How does refined dilithium crystal sound? I can get Damar to modify the subspace transceiver array to emit a false dilithium signal. Now if I know the Klingons, they'll lock their tractor beam on us and try to take our cargo.

Did I miss anything?

Am I grasping at straws, or has Dilithium been a fuel since TOS?

[2046]

Also consistent with the idea that you need them to run the reaction or at least generate power from it. Think of the magnets in a generator.

[Mike DiCenso]

You missed quotes from TOS' "Mudd's Women" and "The Alternative Factor", and "The Day of the Dove" where dilithium figures very prominently, and antimatter is never mentioned at all as a factor.
-Mike

[theta_pinch]

It's used to focus and contain the anti-matter/matter reaction.

[Lucky]

It's used to focus and contain the anti-matter/matter reaction.

And what makes you say that?

[theta_pinch]

It's used to focus and contain the anti-matter/matter reaction.

And what makes you say that?

The TNG Technical Manual.

Also this quote from "Star Trek Voyager: Drone" states that anti-matter is the fuel:

(the borg drone)ONE: "Warp core. Fuelled by a matter - antimatter reaction which produces a maximum output of four thousand terradynes per second, providing power for faster than light propulsion."

So dilithium is not fuel because anti-matter is.

[Lucky]

The TNG Technical Manual.

Non-canon, and not even self consistent. There are three different maximum photon torpedo yields given, and the launch date stated in the TM.

The guys who wrote the TM completely ignored everything that happened in seasons 1 and 2 of TNG which were written and filmed before it was written.

Encounter at Farpoint happens on Stardate 41153.7, and is at the edge of explored space

The Enterprise-D's actual dedication plaque that is seen on screen states it was commissioned on Stardate 41025.5

The TM says the Enterprise-D was launched on 40759.5

The TM says warp 9 = 1000c, and did not

The Federation is several thousand light years in any direction, but Earth is near the Klingon and Romulan borders preventing expansion and exploration in that direction.

The Federation is 8,000 light years long.

You are therefore arguing that between launch from Mars to the return to the Sol system in Conspiracy covered a time period of something like 12 to 16 years.

The Valiant was expected to circumvent the Federation in a month in DS9

Also this quote from "Star Trek Voyager: Drone" states that anti-matter is the fuel:

(the borg drone)ONE: "Warp core. Fuelled by a matter - antimatter reaction which produces a maximum output of four thousand terradynes per second, providing power for faster than light propulsion."

So dilithium is not fuel because anti-matter is.

Did you read all the quotes in the OP? Dilithium can blowup planets when exposed to the heat and pressure found in the crust, and One is describing the warpcore as a pressure vessel.

[theta_pinch]

The TNG Technical Manual.

Non-canon, and not even self consistent. There are three different maximum photon torpedo yields given, and the launch date stated in the TM.

The guys who wrote the TM completely ignored everything that happened in seasons 1 and 2 of TNG which were written and filmed before it was written.

Encounter at Farpoint happens on Stardate 41153.7, and is at the edge of explored space

The Enterprise-D's actual dedication plaque that is seen on screen states it was commissioned on Stardate 41025.5

The TM says the Enterprise-D was launched on 40759.5

The TM says warp 9 = 1000c, and did not

The Federation is several thousand light years in any direction, but Earth is near the Klingon and Romulan borders preventing expansion and exploration in that direction.

The Federation is 8,000 light years long.

You are therefore arguing that between launch from Mars to the return to the Sol system in Conspiracy covered a time period of something like 12 to 16 years.

The Valiant was expected to circumvent the Federation in a month in DS9

Also this quote from "Star Trek Voyager: Drone" states that anti-matter is the fuel:

(the borg drone)ONE: "Warp core. Fuelled by a matter - antimatter reaction which produces a maximum output of four thousand terradynes per second, providing power for faster than light propulsion."

So dilithium is not fuel because anti-matter is.

Did you read all the quotes in the OP? Dilithium can blowup planets when exposed to the heat and pressure found in the crust, and One is describing the warpcore as a pressure vessel.

Here's the quote: HILDEBRANDT: The ore is forming generator strata. 


ALANS: Which creates a piezoelectric effect. 


PICARD: In plain English, you're saying the dilithium is causing the geological catastrophe. 


ALANS: Right, the crystals take the natural radiant heat of the planet 


HILDEBRANDT: Focus it, and turn it into mechanical energy. 


ALANS: Which increases tectonic stresses 


HILDEBRANDT: That tear the planet apart. 


Earlier they said it was an UNUSUAL FORMATION; that means that the Dilithium that destroyed the planet is not the dilithium in the warpcore. Also tearing apart a planet is far different than blowing one up; did YOU read the quote?

Also "Fuelled by a matter - antimatter reaction" is a description of how it generates energy not a description of pressure vessel.

[theta_pinch]

More proof anti-matter is fuel:

Star Trek: Voyager-Deadlock

TORRES 2: So I ran a multispectral analysis on the subspace turbulence. It was more than just turbulence. It was some kind of divergence field. And the moment we passed through it, all of our sensor readings doubled. Mass, energy output, bio-signatures, everything. Every particle of matter on this ship seems to have been duplicated in that instant.
JANEWAY 2: So where is the other ship?
KIM 2: As strange as it sounds, Captain, according to these readings, another Voyager's right here, right now, occupying the same point in space time we are.
JANEWAY 2: Quantum theorists at Kent State University ran an experiment in which a single particle of matter was duplicated using a divergence of subspace fields, a spatial scission.
CHAKOTAY 2: If the same forces were at work inside the plasma cloud, they may have duplicated every particle of matter on Voyager.
JANEWAY 2: Matter. But not antimatter.
KIM 2: Captain?
JANEWAY 2: In that Kent State experiment, they were able to duplicate normal matter, but when they tried to duplicate antimatter particles, the experiment failed.
TORRES 2: So the antimatter on the ships wasn't duplicated. Both engines have been trying to draw power from a single source of antimatter.

So as stated in this quote the ship draws power from anti-matter.

[2046]

As I recall there's been a lot of discussion over the years of the "dilithium matrix" referenced frequently as a possible explanation for how Trek ships appear to get more juice out of antimatter than one might expect. That is, dilithium is thought to serve as an amplifier or, maybe, an actual power source that requires a sustained antimatter reaction to be drawn from.

For the latter, think of the little conventional explosives designed to detonate the early atomic bombs. If you had a funky reactor based on detonating A-bombs, you would also (following the same paradigm) be carrying a bunch of conventional explosives.

I have no immediate opinion on the matter, I'm just throwing out my recollections.

[theta_pinch]

Hypothesis on how the dilithium matrix works:

1. (Initializing core) Matter and Anti-matter are injected into the dilithium crystal; when they annihilate the crystal becomes energized forming a special energy field around it.
2. More matter and anti-matter are injected; when they reach the energy field they transfer into subspace.
3. Due to the speed of light being greater in subspace(as evidenced by subspace communication) the reaction produces more energy than it would in normal space.
4. The dilithium crystal then transfers the energy back into normal space.

This would explain Scotty saying that without the dilithium crystal they can't even power their weapons. The magnetic constrictors inject anti-matter and matter but in very small amounts; the greater speed of light in subspace allows for them to get enough energy from reaction.

[2046]

So the energized dilithium crystal produces some sort of localized effect (the dilithium matrix) in which subspace variables come into play, locally altering the speed of light and thereby modifying the normal result of E=mc^2?

Interesting notion.

I wonder if this could be applied as a way of understanding the reference to dynes in regards to the warp core, which previously seemed odd, by way of the conservation of momentum formulation meant to avoid the concept of relativistic mass?

[Lucky]

So as stated in this quote the ship draws power from anti-matter.

Heat and presure + Dilithium=insane reactor output

I'm saying that Dilithium is like Naquadah.

[theta_pinch]

So as stated in this quote the ship draws power from anti-matter.

Heat and presure + Dilithium=insane reactor output

I'm saying that Dilithium is like Naquadah.

Again the dilithium in the planet was extremely unusual hence it is not the kind use on warpcores. However I do agree that dilithium amplifies the reaction as seen in this post:

Hypothesis on how the dilithium matrix works:

1. (Initializing core) Matter and Anti-matter are injected into the dilithium crystal; when they annihilate the crystal becomes energized forming a special energy field around it.
2. More matter and anti-matter are injected; when they reach the energy field they transfer into subspace.
3. Due to the speed of light being greater in subspace(as evidenced by subspace communication) the reaction produces more energy than it would in normal space.
4. The dilithium crystal then transfers the energy back into normal space.

This would explain Scotty saying that without the dilithium crystal they can't even power their weapons. The magnetic constrictors inject anti-matter and matter but in very small amounts; the greater speed of light in subspace allows for them to get enough energy from reaction.

[Lucky]

Again the dilithium in the planet was extremely unusual hence it is not the kind use on warpcores.

The only strange thing was the amount of dilithium in the planets, and the way it was growing in Pen Pals. There was nothing abnormal about the dilithium. Dilithium is basically quartz with a power-level OVER 9000!

However I do agree that dilithium amplifies the reaction as seen in this post:

They never actual go into the technobabble as to how Dilithium works, and it is often best to just except that some just does what it does even though it likely shouldn't by real world understanding.