The Voyager Technology

Preface

The following technology is currently prohibited from research, development and production by Starfleet or other Federation Initiatives by special order of the Department of Temporal Investigations.

Technology

In the year 2378, Captain Kathryn Janeway, lost in the Delta Quadrant, encountered a visitor from 2404 - herself, far older. This future self gave to her weapons and armor from the twenty-fifth century, defenses of amazing power.

Transphasic Torpedo

The exact method by which the transphasic torpedo achieves its immense destructive power is unknown. It appears to use a matter-antimatter warhead similar to that of the photon torpedo, and its shields draw it partially out of phase with normal matter in a way similar to the operation of a phased cloak, permitting it to bypass certain designs of shields - most notably, those of the Borg Collective's warships - with ease, though it has not been tested against the defenses more commonly encountered by the Federation.

What study has been done of the weapon has indicated that much of its explosive yield comes from this same technology - the powerful matter-antimatter explosion of the warhead occurs over a wide phase variance, the phased shielding of the casing failing as the warhead detonates. This appears to create a multiplicative effect on its damage-dealing potential, rendering it one of the most devastating weapons the Federation has yet encountered. However, should this theory be accurate, the weapon would have the potential to do damage to subspace, rendering it a last-resort weapon even if not for its temporal concerns.

Ablative Generator

The other piece of technology granted by Admiral Janeway to the Voyager was the ablative armor generator. This was a purely defensive item, using a combination of highly advanced ablative armor design and replicator technology to create a layer of powerful armor that could be created and dismissed at will. It is known that this armor can withstand sustained assault from Borg weapons capable of devastating modern shields in seconds and prevent transport. The need to cover the whole of the ship's hull with the armor prevents phasers and shuttlebay doors from operating. For all intents, when facing any race less advanced than the Borg, a ship with this armor deployed is indestructible.

Reactions From the Homefront

Temporal Concerns

After the arrival of Voyager on Earth, Spacedock scientists leapt on the ship to study this new technology. However, within a week, the Department of Temporal Investigations seized the weapons and armor, as well as all records of the research, citing the Temporal Prime Directive and other temporal law - these laws were quite clear in saying that the use and study of temporally displaced technology was illegal.

The Whalesong Exception would permit Temporal Investigations to release the technology in the face of an existential threat to the Federation; however, it would require a full Borg invasion or other event of similar significance to prompt this.

Political Concerns

Even as Temporal Investigations was assembling the warrants to seize the technology from Starfleet, there were other worries about its development expressed - concerns about a potential arms race. The idea of Starfleet holding indestructible starships and Borg-destroying weapons for use in exploration and defense may be appealing to an officer of Starfleet or a citizen of the Federation; however, if Starfleet were to develop these technologies, it would prompt the other major powers to seek ways to match or exceed them, leading to the quadrant becoming, on the whole, far more dangerous than it already was.

Thus, there is no official, focused effort at recreating these technologies, in spite of their being proven effective.

In Play

• The Transphasic Torpedo and Ablative Armor Generator are among a short list of banned technology in Bravo Fleet. Both items are not to be used in any form aboard any member simulation.