Subspace (Star Trek)

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In the Star Trek fictional universe, subspace is a feature of space-time which facilitates faster-than-light transit, in the form of interstellar travel or the transmission of information. ^[1] Subspace is loosely associated at times with certain ideas expressed in string theory, which state that the Universe is not limited to four dimensions; there may be upwards of ten which we do not readily perceive but affect us summarily. Subspace is also comparable to hyperspace in other works of science fiction; the two ideas are often interchangeable and applied in similar fashion.

Subspace obeys different laws of physics, which allows such feats as faster-than-light travel, and reducing the mass of an object.

In most Star Trek series, subspace communications are a means to (usually) establish instantaneous contact with people and places that are light-years away. The physics of Star Trek describe infinite speed (expressed as Warp 10) as an impossibility; as such even subspace communications which putatively travel at speeds over Warp 9.9 may take hours or weeks to reach certain destinations and are limited to regions of space previously mapped for subspace channels. However, due to storytelling conventions, once the connection is made, communication between the two points often becomes instantaneous.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Schisms", life forms which reside in deep levels of subspace are discovered. They soon reveal themselves to be brutally curious about humanoid life. In this episode, Chief Engineer LaForge describes subspace as being "like a honey comb with an infinite number of cells, each cell another universe."

Use of subspace science fiction and terminology also exists in the Stargate franchise universe.